The new test, offered at two levels - Quickmatch and Breakthrough - will cater for children from Primary Four to Six.

Lawrence Lour Tsang-tsay, chairman of the English Medium Schools Association and principal of Carmel Divine Grace Foundation Secondary School, said: 'In the absence of objective tests, English and even Chinese-medium schools are using these test results.'

Schools found it difficult to determine the quality of primary school results, which varied greatly between schools, and for interviews students often memorised model answers, he said.

The tests were also helpful for primary schools and parents in judging which schools students should apply for, Mr Lour added. 'You have to be as sure as possible students are able to learn in English. You don't want to admit pupils who can't learn in English because it will be hard for them.'

Parents have caught on, with summer holidays the peak time for enrolling their children in courses that could give them an advantage in the places stakes.

Overall enrolment in Hong Kong for exams run by the British Council, including English, professional and academic examinations, has grown from 25,000 in 2002 to 34,000 in 2004. Cambridge Young Learners English tests accounted for about 16,000 of last year's exams, compared with 14,000 in 2003 and 10,000 in 2002.

The Cambridge test measures the speaking, listening, writing and reading abilities of children aged six to 12 at three levels - Starters, Movers and Flyers - and awards up to five 'shields' for each component, instead of a pass or fail.

Georgina Pearce, director of examinations for the British Council in Hong Kong, said the popularity of the Young Learners English tests had increased since 2002. Part of its test's appeal was its no fail policy, she said.

'From the children's point of view, it is fun. Out of a pleasurable experience it demonstrates where they are with their English. The test is helpful, mainly in the sense of achievement. They have proof they're doing well,' she said.

Ms Pearce said she was aware some parents used the Cambridge test to help their children compete for discretionary places in EMI secondary schools, but said the test was just part of a student's wider portfolio.

The London Test of English tests children's reading, writing and listening skills. Roger Webb, Edexcel's regional director, said: 'The test is not to look at the language knowledge of children and find out what they do not know. Rather, it allows children to show what they can do with their English to communicate.'

The HKEAA accepts that test results may be used as part of the secondary school admission process. Margaret Lo Wai-ki, head of the authority's overseas and professional examinations division, said: 'The trouble is not with the test but how parents and schools make use of it.'

Trinity College London's spoken exams, which test students use of English over 12 grades in a structured, one-on-one conversation in which students receive a pass or fail grade, attracted 800 students prior to 2001 and 3,500 last year. With more than 100 examination centres in Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, Trinity hopes to increase the number of students taking spoken exams this year by 30 per cent.

'It has grown quite considerably as exams and courses have grown more popular,' said Adam Giles, Trinity's national consultant and director of English for Asia, which offers preparatory courses for Trinity and Cambridge exams in addition to a variety of English programmes.

'A lot of the good secondary schools in Hong Kong recognise Trinity to help decide if students are eligible to study in their schools, particularly English-medium schools,' he said.

Although Mr Giles said the tests were designed to be fun and relaxed, Dr David Carless, a senior lecturer of English at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, said the common belief in Confucian-heritage cultures that taking tests was beneficial may actually sour a student on learning, particularly if there was a lot of drilling or pressure in preparing for it.

'Tests can be motivating, especially if you do well in them. They can be demotivating if they cause pressure, stress, failure and then a negative image towards the subject being studied,' he said.

Dr Carless said multiple methods of evaluating proficiency were better than relying on popular international tests, which he said were sound, but not specifically designed for students wanting to join EMI schools.

Cost is a major drawback for those families unable to afford multiple-level testing - potentially putting students from lower income families at a disadvantage in gaining discretionary places.

Cambridge Young Learners tests cost $400, $450 and $490 for Starters, Movers and Flyers levels; Trinity's Grades one to four for primary students range from $360 to $685. The London Test of English, to be offered in December and June, will cost from $400 to $600.

While Mr Lour acknowledged the accumulative expense of taking international tests, he insisted it wasn't the only consideration in assessing candidates for discretionary places. Academic results were of primary importance, while extra-curricular activities and a student's performance in an interview also carried weight.

And if a student attended a primary school with a good reputation it was easier to judge a candidate's performance, Mr Lour said.

Parent Steven Tsoi Fung-tsim said the cost of the Cambridge tests was reasonable. The electrical engineer's nine-year-old daughter, Stephanie Tsoi Hoi-yin, recently completed the third level of Young Learners English. She earned 15 shields in Movers and 13 in Starters out of a maximum of 20 awarded. Mr Tsoi is awaiting the result of her Flyers test.

Although Mr Tsoi said he didn't practise English at home with his daughter, he paid for weekly English lessons at a language centre.

He said he hoped certificates from a 'very famous university' would help his daughter, a Primary Three student at Shanghai Alumni Primary School, gain admission to a good EMI secondary school. He also planned for his daughter to progress to higher testing with Cambridge's Key English Test.

'I hope she can get recognised for doing the tests. I also want to know what her level of English is because in Hong Kong languages are important.

'The government is talking about mother-tongue language study so maybe in the future children will use English less than before. English is important for international business, so I hope she has more chances to learn English.'

Chris Wardlaw, Deputy Secretary for Education and Manpower, said the HKEAA's new exam was a response to the reality that Hong Kong parents liked tests.

The culture of testing was one reason why Hong Kong students did well compared with those in other countries, particularly in maths and sciences.

'Good testing, and good assessment, is critical to learning,' he said. But he warned against over-assessment, particularly in the early primary years.

Lee Hoi-ching, a Primary Six student from St Francis of Assisi's English Primary School who passed the Quickmatch test with distinction, said the test was more enjoyable than his school exams.

'School exams are more complex because lots of texts and knowledge are covered, including grammar, tenses, and different vocabulary,' said the 11-year-old. 'The London test, on the other hand, is more like games. It let us talk in English. It is fun and useful.'

Additional reporting by May Chan