Hong Kong teens get top scores in exam

Five LOCAL teenagers topped the world scores in June's International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams.

Organised by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), the IGCSE is an international academic assessment for students aged 14 to 16. The standard is equivalent to the British GCSE and GCE O Level.

Three students from French International School scored highest mark in the world across a subject - Natalie Kwan Yuk-kei came first in geography, English literature and Latin; Maura Claire Krause matched Natalie's mark in English literature, and Edith Chan was tops in the world for physics.

Shantayne Chan from German Swiss International School came first in economics while Island School's Joseph Wong Wai-ho achieved the top mark in design and technology.

Natalie and Edith were also the first and second best students in four IGCSE subjects among the 1,580 Hong Kong candidates. Clement Ho Sun-man from the Chinese International School was third.

Altogether, 16-year-old Natalie scored 10 straight As in the exam. She was surprised by her outstanding result.

'I didn't open the envelope myself. My mum did, by mistake,' Natalie said. 'She was overwhelmed and I was surprised. I spent most of my time [studying] history and English literature as they are the most difficult [subjects].'