What do similar results between BCA and TSA show about Hong Kong pupils and teaching system?

The latest results of Primary Three pupils in a revised version of a citywide assessment in Hong Kong are similar to those from the original test, which was criticised for the pressure it placed on children.

On Wednesday, the Examinations and Assessment Authority submitted a report to the Education Bureau. The report covered test results from a total of 150,000 pupils at Primary Three, Primary Six and Form Three levels.

Only Primary Three pupils sat for the Basic Competency Assessment (BCA). The test for Primary Six and Form Three pupils remained in its original form, also known as the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA).

Hong Kong educators say revised TSA led to less drilling, calling for parents to give test a chance

A bureau spokesman said of the results from all three levels: “Their performance in the three core subjects of Chinese, English and maths continues to be steady.”

The percentage of Primary Three pupils achieving basic competency in the various subjects this year did not vary greatly from results in previous years, despite the BCA being a revised form of the TSA, according to the bureau.

The TSA has long been criticised for causing undue stress on children, as parents have expressed concern about schools drilling pupils for the test.

A trial of the revised TSA was first conducted among some 50 primary schools last year.

For this year, 86.3 per cent of Primary Three pupils reached levels of basic competency in the Chinese language BCA subject, a slight increase of 0.5 percentage points from the trial last year. In 2015 the figure was 86.4 per cent, under the TSA.