From 2007, Form Five students taking the Chinese-language exam will no longer face questions on textbook passages.
Instead of encouraging rote learning, the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination will focus on testing language proficiency.
The new syllabus will be adopted for teaching Form Four students in the school year that begins in September.
Announcing the change yesterday, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority said that rather than having to memorise 26 set texts, students would be graded on their comprehension, essay writing and oral examinations.
Teachers will be free to design their own Chinese-language courses based on Curriculum Development Council guidelines.
Now, a third of the marks in the HKCEE Chinese-language exam are earned for questions based on the set texts assigned by the Education and Manpower Bureau.