There is no single measure of success for a system of secondary education, but perhaps the most obvious - at least in Hong Kong - is the number of graduating students taking up university places.
But Chris Durbin, school development adviser - secondary, for the English Schools Foundation (ESF), offers a word of caution to parents and students, who perhaps focus a little too much on what, after all, is just one gauge of academic attainment. 'We probably have [graduates] studying every university course you can think of. But, overall, ESF schools want to help students find what is best for them and what will make them happy in life,' he says.
In this respect, he notes that the use of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum at diploma level plays a significant part. Requiring six subjects, it gives students a broader range up to school-leaving age. The balance of coursework, exams and extended essay develop generic skills such as the ability to research, analyse and express oneself. And the creativity, action and service (CAS) elements spur students to get out of the classroom and involve themselves in new areas, with the aim of discovering untapped talents and wider interests.
'The programme also helps to develop 'international mindedness',' Durbin says. 'Students should be interested in not just their personal goals, but also in how they can do more good for the community and for humanity.'
To go with this, he notes that every IB course, whatever the specific subject, has a big element of what can be described as global understanding.
The physics course, for example, could include a unit on global energy. It would go beyond the mechanics and processes to look at things such as the use of resources around the world and how this may change in future.