Latest exam results reveal major gender gap as boys fall behind in key subjects

A glaring gender gap in schools has been highlighted by recently published figures of exam results, which show that more girls are sitting Hong Kong A-levels and Certificate of Education exams than boys, and that girls are dramatically outperforming boys in both English and Chinese.

The number of women admitted to Hong Kong's top universities is also outstripping the number of men. Meanwhile, boys only outnumber girls in the practical schools for low academic achievers.

The Education Department summary of this year's Hong Kong A-level and Certificate of Education Examination (HKALE and HKCEE) results, showing gender breakdowns, reveals a vast disparity between boys and girls in languages.

In the HKCEEs, 73.3 per cent of girls passed Chinese language, compared with 58.4 per cent of boys. In English language (Syllabus B), 70.2 per cent of girls but only 58.5 per cent of boys gained at least grade E.

With a pass in both Chinese and English languages a prerequisite for promotion to Secondary Six, fewer boys are getting the chance to prepare for A-levels than girls. Around 38 per cent of 1998 HKCEE day school female candidates sat for HKALE this year, compared with about 32 per cent of males. About 10 per cent more female day school candidates sat the A-level exams than male.

Statistics from the Hong Kong Examinations Authority also show that girls are catching up with boys in science subjects in HKCEEs. In the past three years, a higher percentage of girls achieved grade C or better in additional mathematics, biology and chemistry, although the majority of A grades belong to boys. In computer studies, mathematics and physics, the pass rate of girls' achieving grades A to E is often higher than that of boys.