The 334 Scheme is the new academic structure for senior secondary education and higher education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. This scheme begins starting from the 2009 school year. By 2012, HKDSE will replace HKCEE and HKALE.

Curriculum

Its core subjects are Chinese language

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

, English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, Mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 and Liberal studies

Liberal arts

The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...

, with three elective subjects. It is different from the old curriculum because students under this new academic structure only receive three years of senior secondary education and four years of university education. In order to move on to university education, students must get a pass on those four core subjects in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education will be the only public exam in the new 3-3-4 education system to be introduced in Hong Kong secondary schools; it will be a replacement of the existing Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination and be the...

 (HKDSE).

Advantages

• This new system aligns with the educational systems of China
  China
  Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
  
  , North America
  North America
  North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
  
  , and Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  .
• Instead of writing two external examinations, HKCEE and HKALE, students under "334" will only sit for one external examination, the HKDSE. This may help to simplify the post-secondary admissions process for students, and may help to alleviate the added stress of having to prepare for two separate examinations.

Disadvantages

• The change in format of external examination adds burden on teachers and students in the transition cohorts, as they may be accustomed to the old examinations.
• Liberal studies is a new subject, which requires additional training for teachers.
• Since the two public exams are combined into one, there is no longer a first exam to act as a filter. Due to the wide range in the competency levels exhibited by the student population, designing the new exam papers becomes more difficult and time-consuming.