What do you think of the new HKCEE grading system?
Name: Mayce Hui Age: 17
Top Tunes: Canto- and English pop
I sat for this year's HKCEE. The new grading system can reflect your real ability because it's based on how many marks you get for the exam paper. In the past, your grades were a comparison with other candidates. So the new structure is fairer. But, I feel that we're being used as guinea pigs to test the system. There's more pressure since no one really knows how well it works, and most importantly,
if the schools have already adapted to the new system.
Name: Nausicaa Tse Age: 17
Top Tunes: English songs
I am an HKCEE candidate this year and I feel that I'm lucky. As we're the first batch of students to be graded under the new system, I think the marking was probably less strict. But I think it's easier to get a good grade under the old system. This is because you can get an A as long as you do better than most of the other students. But, under the new system, to get a 5* you have to pass a certain benchmark, which may be difficult to obtain if the paper is too challenging.
Name: Steven Fan Age: 17
Top Tunes: Canto-pop
I believe the new grading system will increase the competitiveness of the exam because everyone is being tested on the same level. I prefer this method as the focus is not on rote learning. I found the English paper was less challenging after they combined Syllabus A and Syllabus B, so I guess that's a good thing. But the school-based assessment system doesn't have any significant effects apart from adding to our workload. We have to spend a lot of time at exhibitions and writing reports. In the end, the grading depends on the teacher's opinion.
Name: Orris Wong Age: 16
Top Tunes: Canto-pop, Fergie's songs
The new grading system is fair and provides a level playing field for everyone. In the past, your grade depended on your performance compared to other candidates. Now it really depends on your own ability and there won't be much difference from one year to the next. Under the new system, it's easier to score higher marks in English, but more in-depth analysis is required for Chinese. There are more open-ended questions that require logical thinking and judgment. As for school-based assessment, it's not very difficult although grading can be biased at times.
Name: Catherine Lai Age: 18
Top Tunes: Canto-pop
I took my HKCEE under the old system, but the current one is a lot more reliable. Our score used to be based on the performance curve so we were graded according to the general standard of that year. A lot of my friends were only a few marks away from getting a higher grade. The new system has more clear-cut grades so there's less chance of scoring within the marginal area. I've seen this year's English papers and they looked easier than the ones I took.
