School work could be assessed as part of a review to reduce the importance of examinations, it was revealed yesterday.
A study has been commissioned into how assessments could be developed for Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations and A-Level exams.
Most educators welcomed the idea, but expressed concern about how assessments in individual schools could be fairly carried out. Some feared pupils might feel greater pressure from a drawn-out assessment period.
Examinations Authority chairman Joseph Chow Ming-kuen said Baptist University had been appointed to undertake the review. The results are expected by September.
'The existing exam system does not consider students' daily performance in schools. We believe there is room for improvement,' Mr Chow said.
'A student could fail to do well because he is ill or in a bad mood, or perhaps had been scolded by his mum the night before. All this can affect his performance in the exam hall,' he said.
The authority wants to see recommendations on how a student's daily performance could be assessed, he said.