New exam tied to international tests

The new public exam replacing the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and A-levels in 2012 will be benchmarked against two international examinations.

The exam will be introduced for the secondary schooling reform in 2009, when the government will launch the '3+3+4' system - three years of junior and three years of senior secondary followed by four years of university. The first batch of students affected by the overhaul will take the new exam in 2012.

Under the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, the key levels describing students' abilities in different subjects will be benchmarked against the grades of British General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-levels, which are the equivalent of Hong Kong's A-levels.

Students' English subject results under the new exam will be benchmarked against the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which is designed for students using English as a second language.

Peter Hill, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, said the authority had been negotiating with overseas universities over the international recognition of the new exam. 'The feedback from the UK has been positive,' said Dr Hill. 'We will soon liaise with the US, Australia and other countries.'

The new exam will measure students' academic performance in a set of five levels describing their knowledge and abilities. The current approach uses grades A to F to compare students' results to those of their classmates.