Absolute criteria are absolutely essential for English testing

The recommendation to set absolute standards for HKKCEE and A-level exams is correct and necessary.

The norm-referenced evaluation approach, which aims to maintain a prescribed percentage for each grade, cannot truly reflect the language abilities and skills of students. This is why the 60 per cent pass rate for English announced every year is meaningless. A criterion-referenced approach, on the other hand, can tell more clearly how much a student has learned. However, after just four months of study by an ad hoc taskforce, the exams authority has already highlighted the difficulties in setting absolute standards for language subjects in public exams.

Choi Chee-cheong, the secretary-general of the Examination and Assessment Authority, has pointed out the existing norm-referenced approach does not provide detailed descriptions of candidates' performances.

The authority should take all necessary steps to move from the current system to a criterion-referenced one. There may even be a case for revising the syllabuses.

Instead of asking students to write, read, listen and say something they cannot prepare beforehand, perhaps the authority should select some articles, novels, plays, biographies and poetry for students to learn. They could be asked to write something about a poem, read articles about the person in the biography or express their opinions on a certain theme in an article or other material they have learned beforehand. Not only would it help students better prepare their exams but also help officers set the criteria to evaluate students absolutely.

Retaining a norm-referenced approach just to maintain a certain percentage of passes is meaningless and unwise. I think most of us hope to see students given grades that truly reflect their abilities.