A day like today has been one of elation and disappointment for generations of secondary school graduates.
But the release today of results for the last batch of candidates who took the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination marks the end of an era in the city's education history.
The public exam is being replaced by the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, under a 3+3+4 education system starting next year which cuts a year from secondary school and adds one to university education.
'The HKCEE has finished a historic role,' said Examinations and Assessment Authority secretary general Tong Chong-sze. 'It is a collective memory.'
Four million pupils had taken the exam, Tong said, making it part of the social fabric of the city and a rite of passage for youngsters.
The youngest candidates this year were two 13-year-olds while the eldest was 65. Some 26,573 pupils were involved with 22 subjects on offer - much fewer than the more than 100,000 in an average year as most were private candidates having another stab for a better grade.
The best performer was a woman who got 4 As and 3 Bs, followed by two candidates who obtained 3 As. In all there were 490 As scored this year.