Top performers with massive haul of 5**s in Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education hail from nine elite schools
- Six star students score highest grades in seven subjects as well as extended maths module
- Half a dozen other youngsters also achieve top grades in seven subjects
Twelve of the highest performers in Hong Kong’s main university entrance exams came from nine traditional elite schools, with La Salle College, which provided three of the top scorers, topping the table.
The 12 students, who found out their Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination results on Wednesday morning, along with more than 54,000 other candidates, scored top marks of 5** in seven subjects.
Six of the 12 are super achievers, attaining the best grade available in an extended maths paper. They were from La Salle and St Paul’s Co-educational College, St Paul’s College, Diocesan Girls’ School, Queen’s College and Diocesan Boys’ School.
That was the highest number of candidates to attain the top scores in the exam’s eight-year history.
The six schools, located on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon, each produced one super achiever.
A half-dozen other youngsters also achieved an outstanding 5** in seven subjects. They came from La Salle, Diocesan Girls’, St Mark’s School, Pui Ching Middle School and Kwun Tong Maryknoll College.
Students are graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5* and 5** being the best available, for most DSE subjects.
It was the first time Kwun Tong Maryknoll, St Mark’s School’s in Shau Kei Wan and St Paul’s College in Mid-Levels had produced a top scorer in the DSE exams.
Brian Chan Wai-nok, St Mark’s first top scorer, received 5** for his electives of physics, chemistry and biology, on top of the compulsory subjects of Chinese, English, maths and liberal studies.
“I thought I would get six 5**s, but it turns out I got seven,” he said. “I’m very surprised and happy.”
Chan added his parents were delighted about his results.
“Tonight we are going to celebrate,” he said.
The super achiever from La Salle was Alex Wong Chi-fung, while Victor Siu Tsz-chung and Herbert Hui Yau-ho attained 5** in seven subjects.
Diocesan Girls’ Sze Wan-fong attained top grades in seven subjects while Chloe Choi Yan-ping did the same, with the additional 5** for an extended maths module.
Anson Kam Chun-kei was another super achiever at St Paul’s Coed, while sister school St Paul’s College’s Edward Wong Hon-yin attained 5** in seven subjects and an extended maths module.
Yu Hiu-yat, of Queen’s College, and Diocesan Boys’ School’s Matthew Chow Bak-yue also achieved top grades in seven subjects and an extended maths module.
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Meanwhile, Pui Ching’s Yip Cheuk-wing and Kwun Tong Maryknoll’s To Cheuk-yin attained 5** for seven subjects.
The pupils were among 54,642 full and part-time students getting their results slips on Wednesday.
The exam authority announced on Tuesday that just over 42 per cent – or 19,676 day students – met the basic requirement of level 3 in English and Chinese, and level 2 for maths, liberal studies and an elective subject for the 15,000 first-year places in local universities this year.
The figure was lower than last year’s 21,205, which was likely to make competition for coveted spots in public universities less tough.
But several universities announced they would relax the requirement for students who performed exceptionally well in some subjects.
Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said students should not be too worried even if their DSE results were not as good as they had hoped.
“Their future is in their own hands. The results might affect some of their choices, but I hope they will still strive in their life journey, as there are a lot of opportunities on the long way ahead,” Yeung said after he visited Hong Kong Taoist Association Ching Chung Secondary School in Sau Mau Ping to give encouragement to DSE candidates on Wednesday.
“I hope they can have a positive mentality. When needed, discuss with your teachers and parents, consider the characteristics and prospects of different [tertiary education] programmes out there and make your choices.”
Additional reporting by Victor Ting, Tony Cheung, Nicola Chan, Kelly Ho, Kathleen Magramo, Holly Chik, Gigi Choy, Albert Han, Snow Xia, Fifi Tsui, Oasis Li, King Woo and Rachel Yeo
