Many students taking the university entrance exam this year could fail the new liberal studies subject, according to a study by a concern group.
And since the subject is now compulsory, this could mean fewer students getting into university, the group says.
The Hong Kong Liberal Studies Association urged the government to make the exam easier and shorter to reflect the ability of pupils. If this was not done, it said, the test would be meaningless.
It has conducted four rounds of random testing on 1,500 senior secondary students from 117 schools since November 2010.
The failure rate for liberal studies ranged from 30 to 70 per cent.
'A large number of students may not pass. We worry that some won't get into university because of this subject, while they will do well in other subjects,' association member Wong Ka-leung said.
Under the new education structure, the first Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education exam will be held in March. It will replace the A-levels exam - which will be held for the last time this year - as the university entrance exam. Students will have more flexibility to choose their subjects, but Chinese, English, mathematics and liberal studies will be compulsory. Liberal studies tests knowledge of the world, critical thinking and reasoning with questions on current affairs and values.