IT HAD to be a joke. That was the first thought that crossed the minds of five Diocesan Girls' School science students when they were told they had scored nine As at the HKCEE.
''I thought the prefects were having fun with us when they called out our names.
''I didn't believe it till I actually saw the results slip,'' said Ida Li Ting-mui, who scored seven A(1)s and two A(2)s.
Sharing Ida's joy were Carol Yu Shan, Grace Lui Chung-yan, Joanne Lo Wing-fai and Diana Tsang Sum-yee, the other four students to join the list of top scorers.
Diana, 17, got A(1)s in all nine subjects she sat for.
''I don't know how these results will affect my future, but they have certainly given me confidence,'' said Diana, who hopes to get a scholarship to study overseas.
She said her chief exam ''strategy'' was to relax before a paper and forget previous exam performances.