The image of students striding out of their English exams yesterday complaining that the papers were 'too easy' may have its lighter side but the issues it raises warrant serious attention. Yesterday marked the first time that students were tested on the new English language syllabus for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. The syllabus replaces the old A and B courses for students of differing abilities, which effectively split students according to their medium of instruction. The product of cautious work by the Examinations and Assessment Authority and a consultative committee, it also introduces the concept of defined standards, instead of grading students relative to their peers.
Both English and Chinese language-medium students have grumbled that the test, with its reduced grammar component, was a breeze. It remains to be seen, of course, whether the students will remain as certain of their abilities once they learn the results. Close follow-up will nonetheless be needed to ensure the syllabus and the test is suited to Hong Kong's needs, especially given the fierce debate over English instruction, usage and standards. It is far from unusual for any new test to miss the right pitch first time up; tweaks ahead of next year's exams may well be needed.
Ending the reliance on grammar is meant to promote a more inclusive, communicative approach, fostering a student's immersion in a language rather than reducing it to codes and formula. This makes for a test that is harder to create, but does not mean that students cannot be differentiated by comprehension and ability. The immersion theory may promote another factor apparently lagging in Hong Kong, the importance of reading to boost language fluency, as well as inspiring imaginative and creative minds.
Complaints about declining English standards in Hong Kong may have been overblown. A more accurate assessment might be that more people now speak some English, but the number of competent users of the language has failed to keep pace with demand. But there is no doubt that getting the new syllabus and its test wrong carries a potentially high cost.