Envelopes await final A-level pupils

'Something that started so long ago ends with us. One day, we're going to tell our grandkids that we were the last batch.' That was how Gurwinder Kaur, 20, bid farewell to Hong Kong's A-level examinations that she was one of the last to sit. Kaur is one of 40,000 candidates who will open a fateful envelope containing grades today. Locally born and of Indian descent, she completed her secondary schooling at the Delia Memorial School (Broadway) in Mei Foo - one of the few non-private schools in Hong Kong to accept pupils who don't speak Chinese. She celebrated the end of her schooling at a graduation dinner last Friday, where the most oft-mentioned phrase in the farewell videos was 'we're the pride.' And why is this rite of passage - remembered for its tireless cramming and gruelling six-hour examinations - a source of pride? 'They tell you the HKCEE [Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination previously taken in Form Five] is hard, but you come to A-levels and you really see what hard is,' said Kaur. 'I used to be a very carefree person, I was good in my studies and I didn't have to stretch myself. '[The A-levels] really showed me what I am, and how hard I have to work to be that ideal student.' She hopes to get into the bachelor of education (liberal studies) programme at the University of Hong Kong, and aspires to become an English literature teacher. Of the 40,000 Form Seven pupils taking the A-levels, 15,000 will get places on degree programmes at local, government-funded universities. There are another 15,000 university places reserved for the 70,000 Form Six pupils sitting the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education exam for the first time this year as part of the government's big education reforms. Kaur said the A-level experience taught her to never overestimate herself - 'never to think that sitting around could get me anywhere'. She said she and her classmates faced an 'extra burden' because they only took five subjects, while her peers in mainstream schools could take up to six, leaving a back-up should they do poorly in one. She blames this on a lack of resources at the school, and urges her fellow students to go easy on themselves if they are disappointed by their grades. 'I want to tell my friends: please don't blame yourselves. It's not that we're not good enough, but it's that we're not given enough,' she said. 'It's going to be those few hours, say even the whole day, when you won't be able to think straight or see a way out. But when you calm down, you will see a lot of options. There are many paths to getting a degree.' Of her friends who took the British GCE A-levels at schools like YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, she said 'they missed out' on the greater challenge of Hong Kong's version. Cecilia Ng Kam-kuen, who heads the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups' counselling service, said A-level candidates considering a retake had to remember that when they re-applied for university next year, they would not be eligible for entry via the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS), so would have to apply independently. 'There will be fewer degree spots available for A-level candidates,' she said. Ng reminds young people that all hope is not gone if they do not gain entry into a university. 'There are sub-degrees, top-up degrees and vocational courses - all of which can lead to a professional qualification. But be mindful that their deadlines may differ, so do your research.' Ng says those considering a retake and wanting to attend extra classes will have to look to a private school, as public ones will have switched fully to the new diploma curriculum. Test run Examinations being offered for the last time Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations - 40,000 candidates Government-funded bachelor's degree - 15,000 candidates Qualifications being offered for the first time Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education - 70,000 candidates Government-funded degree programmes - 15,000 candidates *Yi Jin Diploma - 15,000 candidates Options open to A-level and HKDSE candidates Self-financing degree programmes - 7,400 places Vocational Training Council Training and Development Centre - 2,000 places Construction Industry Council Training Academy/Clothing Industry Training Authority - 700 places Youth Pre-employment Programmes provided by Labour Department - 10,000 places Employees Retraining Board programme - 500 places Government-funded sub-degree programmes - 10,000 places Self-financing sub-degree programmes - 27,500 places Foundation diploma / diploma in vocational education programmes offered by Vocational Training Council - 7,000 places *A bridging programme for students who can improve their marks, so they can reapply the following year for any of the above courses