Pupils sat the first written exam of the new Hong Kong Diploma for Secondary Education yesterday, and said they were relieved the Chinese language paper had proved easier than they expected.
About 70,000 pupils will sit for the diploma, which this year replaced the HKCEE and A Levels as the exam for all school leavers. They will be competing for 15,000 government-funded places at local universities.
'It was easier than the practice papers I did at my school. Maybe they don't want many students to flunk in the first year,' one candidate said.
Counsellors urged pupils to stay calm as they entered the exam venue. Lit Ho-cheung, a counsellor for the Hok Yau Club, a support service for students, said pupils should not take 'too many notes' to the exam centres. 'If you don't have the time to read them, it will just make you feel stressed and can affect your performance,' he said.
This year, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority made special arrangements for nearly 1,000 students with special needs.
One such venue was Queen's College, where students could bring hearing aids or magnifying glasses.
Lee Yiu-lam, who participated in the exam at Queen's College, said he was given 25 per cent more time to complete the paper. 'It's a good arrangement, so I could finish my answers. I feel relaxed now,' Lee, who attends school in Aberdeen, said.