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Nicolas Wong Hei, 17

Sing Yin Secondary School

Absolutely.

Students who gain 30 points (6As) or more in their HKCEE exams can apply for early admission, as long as they fulfil the Chinese and English language criteria.

A student who is capable of these grades, but who does not work hard, does not deserve the right to early admittance.

But a student who is bright and works at his or her studies deserves the right to get ahead of his peers and apply to start university early.

Some people say that it is impossible to judge whether a student is ready for university based on their HKCEE results.

But I don't think that there is such a great difference between HKCEE and A-Level standards. If this is the case, then surely an intelligent student will be able to cope with skipping Form Seven and heading straight to a tertiary institution.

What's more, if a student is bright enough and focused enough to want to start university early, why should he or she have to spend time studying subjects of no interest?

If a student wants to study, say, law or medicine, why should additional time be wasted at secondary school learning physics, or history?

Everyone has an equal chance to work hard, excel in their HKCEE and be one of the 'elite' students to start university early. Those who take that chance should be justly rewarded for their hard work.

Phoenix Lee Ching-kwan, 18

Tin Ka Ping Secondary School

Not at all.

There should be no shortcuts to getting into university.

When  Form Seven students  work so hard to pass their  A-Level exams,  probably the hardest  exams they'll ever take, it seems unfair for someone else to skip that step.

The A-Level syllabus  is  far more complex than the  HKCEE.

It requires  analysing and summarising abilities, rather than just the ability to memorise data.

Studying for A-Levels is similar to university-style learning. It can be seen as preparation for life at a tertiary institution.

Students who don't do A-Levels miss out on learning a whole new thinking process and find it difficult to adapt to university life.

Also, with the increasing numbers of elite students  benefiting from the early admission scheme, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of degree places available.

People incorrectly assume that elite students deserve  early admission because they are more capable than  others.

But just because a student is brilliant  at one particular  subject does not mean they are ready for university.

I believe that elite students' ability can  still be proved  by A-Level examinations.

Why not let them develop into mature young adults, and compete with  everyone else on an equal footing?



Is the early admission scheme for elite students fair?