Top foursome take study in their stride
SCORING nine distinctions in the HKCEE was like winning the Mark Six for Queen's College Anson Wong Man-kit.
The fifth-former screamed, jumped, and ran around in circles before falling to the ground, exhausted with excitement.
''I just went crazy!'' recalled Man-kit, ''There are lots of eight-As and seven-As classmates who knew more and worked harder than I did.'' His school pals, Johnny Cheng Yan-yuen, Gordon Tsui Siu-kay and Jacky Ho Lung-wei, joined Man-kit to perpetuate ''the nine As phenomenon'' the Causeway Bay school has maintained over the years.
The four 17-year-old science students are a lively bunch ''who tried studying together, but found themselves soon chatting about the hot TV programmes of the day before''.
Siu-kay's dream of following in his accountant father's footsteps received a boost from his distinction in Principles of Accounts, the additional subject he took.
What inspired Siu-kay to excel was the college's brilliant record of As students, while fun-loving Man-kit came out of his first-form ''frolicking'' attitude when he was promoted to an elite Form 2 class.
Music-lover Man-kit has a talent for remembering lyrics, but he has also learnt to study.
''Concentrate on the main points. Do not go into the ivory tower of trying to cram every detail in,'' he advised.
''Having smart classmates who manage to ask teachers difficult questions helped us learn more,'' said Yan-yuen, a self-confessed computer fan who relaxes by writing programmes. He aims at a career in this field.
Lung-wei would drown himself in books on days when he felt he was in a studying mood.
''I don't rigidly tie myself down to a time-table,'' said last year's representative of the Chinese Debating Team.
During the HKCEE, Siu-kay never studied past 9 pm since he had done daily three-hour revision throughout the year.
''I found studying marking schemes very useful because they taught me how marks were allocated, and I also exchanged exam tips with classmates who attended tutorial schools.'' Despite their own success, the four are not blind to the harsh reality which can follow the public exam results.
Seeing a depressed friend with seven failed subjects, Lung-wei said: ''For the first time I came to feel how great a pressure the HKCEE can be on some. This has taught me to show more concern for my friends.'' The four want an overseas university education after matriculating from Queen's.
