Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority

Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority

the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority , administers the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination .-History:The agency was established in 1977...

(HKEAA), is normally taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation

Matriculation

Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...

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...

. In 2010, 39,772 candidates entered for the examination. 30,934 of them are school candidates and 8,838 are private candidates. Due to the direct linkage of the exam to the undergradurate admission process (Joint University Programmes Admissions System
Joint University Programmes Admissions System
The Joint University Programmes Admissions System or JUPAS in Hong Kong is a unified system for applying to the nine member institutions for full-time undergraduate programmes. In 2008 admissions, 35,298 students applied for programmes of the nine institutions under this scheme...

, abbrv. JUPAS), it is considered as the main university entrance examination of Hong Kong.

The exam is conducted from March to May, and the results are routinely released in the first week of July (or late June). There are altogether 17 A-level and 17 AS-level subjects in the HKALE. AS-level is commonly known as Hong Kong Advanced Supplementary Level Examination (HKASLE). AS-level subjects are taught in periods of half the number compared to that required for A-level subjects, but they demand the same level of intellectual vigour. Most day school candidates take four or five subjects in the HKALE. Apart from Chinese Language and Culture and Use of English which are taken by almost every school candidate, and other language-related subjects, all subjects can be taken in either English or Chinese. The same standards are applied in both marking and grading; the instruction medium is not recorded on the results notices or certificates.

The results of the HKALE are expressed in terms of six grades A - F, of which grade A is the highest and F the lowest. Results below grade F are designated as unclassified (UNCL). The abolishment of fine grades used in 2001 (i.e. A(01), A(02), B(03), B(04), etc.) was in force from 2002.

Some subjects which demand substantial memorisation and clarification of difficult concepts, such as Chinese History, Biology and Economics, have their syllabus partly equivalent to first-year undergraduate courses in terms of the length and depth on the syllabuses.

Student's result in HKALE is the most decisive factor that whether they can enter to universities through JUPAS. In 2007, about 80% of university entries are chosen from JUPAS applicants (this includes students with HKALE results, but also including student using the EAS sub-system which depends on the result of only Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination was a standardized examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students’ five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority . The examination will be discontinued in 2012...

). In other words, the HKALE (as well as the HKCEE, partially) is virtually being the University Entrance Examination in Hong Kong.

Background

Prior to 1993, students would need to choose among two university entrance examinations, the HKALE or the Hong Kong Higher Level Examination

Hong Kong Higher Level Examination

The Hong Kong Higher Level Examination was a public examination taken by students in Hong Kong at the end of Form 6 , in preparation for entry to the Chinese University of Hong Kong which then offered 4 year courses...

. The former originally led to a three-year course in the University of Hong Kong (HKU) at the end of Form Seven (Upper Sixth), mainly for students in English-medium schools. The latter led to a four-year course in the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Chinese University of Hong Kong

The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...

(CUHK), then operated in Chinese, at the end of Form Six (Lower Sixth) for students in Chinese-medium schools.

Later on, a majority of education authorities considered that the "dual-band" examination system had become practically unsuitable; and that a unified matriculation system would be urgently needed, as stated in a report presented to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...

as early as in 1981. In the report, the "dual-band" system was found to be the crux that caused confusion and anxiety among Hong Kong students, in addition to the inevitably keen competition for tertiary places. (Hong Kong Education Department, 1981, p. 178)

Through considerable debates (Tang and Bray, 2000), programmes in CUHK switched to three-year systems as those launched in HKU in 1991. Consequently, the Hong Kong Higher Level Examination

Hong Kong Higher Level Examination

was abolished, and finally merged with today's HKALE. Advanced Supplementary Level subjects were also implemented at the same time so as to cater for different needs of candidates. (Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, 2003, p. 4)

HKALE, HKDSE and UK A-Levels Comparison http://www.naric.org.uk/%5Cdocuments%5CNewsletters/December%202007.pdf http://www.ucas.com/students/ucas_tariff/tarifftables/

The results of the HKALE are expressed in terms of seven grades: A - U. The HKDSE equivalent grades are arrived at by deduction, as the entrance requirements for universities and government positions in Hong Kong officially align 3 as an E in the corresponding HKALE subjects http://www.admo.cityu.edu.hk/undergrad/jupas_hkdse/entreq. For Example, according to the document from the Legislative Council, a candidate attaining Level 3 in NSS subjects in the HKDSE will be regarded as having met the requirement of Grade E in the HKALE or Grade C in the HKCEE in similar subjects for those grades or posts with specific subject requirementshttp://www.legco.gov.hk/yr10-11/english/panels/ps/papers/ps0221cb1-1280-3-e.pdf.

Grade (Deduced HKDSE Equivalence)	Recognition	UCAS Tariff
A (5**)	Distinction or GCE A*	140
B (5*)	Credit or GCE A*/A	140/120
C (5)	Credit or GCE A	120
D (4)	Pass or GCE B	100
E (3/2)	Pass or GCE C/D	80/60
F (2/1)	Failed or GCE D/E	60/40
U (UNCL)	Unclassified, a grade lower than F

The Use of English Examination

This AS-level examination, which is commonly taken with the A-Levels, tests the ability of students to understand and use English at a level required for tertiary education. The Use of English (UE) examination was introduced in 1989 and it had four sections. Since 1989 it tested students' listening, writing, reading and language skills; plus practical skills for work and study. Since 1994 the inclusion of a 20-minute oral examination was added.

There are five sections in the UE Examination:

Section A - Listening Test
It lasts for 1 hour and is allocated 18% of the total subject mark. Candidates are required to follow what they hear to take notes or interpret pictures. The recorded exam material is broadcast on RTHK Radio 2 and candidates have to use their own radios to listen. RTHK Radio 2 will broadcast a version of Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...

' Fantasia on Greensleeves
Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, a ground of the form called a romanesca.A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving A Handful of...

played by the Sinfonia of London
Sinfonia of London
The Sinfonia of London is a session orchestra based in London, England. Muir Mathieson, the director of music for Rank Films, founded the ensemble in 1955 specifically for the recording of film music...

, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...

before and during the intermissions of the test.
Section B - Writing
It lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes and is allocated 18% of the total subject mark. Candidates are required to choose a topic out of four options and write an expository essay of approximately 500 words.
Section C - Reading and Language Systems
It lasts for 1 hour and 30 minutes and is allocated 18% of the total subject mark. The reading part consists of multiple-choice questions based on a passage taken from a publication. One third of the total mark of the entire paper is allocated to this section. Types of questions in the Language Systems part are multiple-choice questions on cloze passage and continuity. There are also matching, cloze summary and proof-reading exercises to test candidates' overall language skills.
Section D - Oral
It lasts for 20 minutes and is allocated 18% of the total subject mark. There should be a minimum of three candidates and a maximum of four candidates in each group. Candidates are given 10 minutes to read a passage of 300 words and prepare a presentation based on the passage which lasts no more than 2 minutes. After each candidate has given his/her presentation, the group is given two minutes to prepare mentally for a discussion which will last for eight minutes for 3 candidates and ten minutes for 4 candidates.
Section E - Practical Skills for Work and Study
It lasts for 1 hour and 45 minutes and is allocated 28% of the total subject mark. Candidates are given a situation, a role and 2-3 tasks to perform. They are given a data file containing information in various formats and with the data file, they are to select the kind of relevant information they need to fulfill the tasks required. Writing tasks involved may be a report, an article, a letter, a proposal or a newsletter.

A pass in the UE is considered essential to being accepted to any degree program under the JUPAS

Joint University Programmes Admissions System

The Joint University Programmes Admissions System or JUPAS in Hong Kong is a unified system for applying to the nine member institutions for full-time undergraduate programmes. In 2008 admissions, 35,298 students applied for programmes of the nine institutions under this scheme...

(However, some universities accept a band 6 in IELTS

IELTS

IELTS , or 'International English Language Testing System', is an international standardised test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Pty Ltd, and was established in 1989.There are two versions of...

as an alternative of HKALE English pass).

Comparison with IELTS

A survey was conducted to equate the results in HKASL Use of English and the International English Language Testing System

IELTS

by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. http://eant01.hkeaa.edu.hk/hkea/redirector.asp?p_direction=body&p_clickurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ehkeaa%2Eedu%2Ehk%2Fen%2Fir%5Fielts%2Ehtm

HKASL	A	B	C	D	E
IELTS	7.41 - 8.30	6.92 - 7.40	6.51 - 6.91	6.03 - 6.50	5.40 - 6.02

Controversy of new marking scheme

The controversy followed the HKEAA's announcement in 2007 that if a candidate exceeds the word limit (500 words) in a task in Section E (Practical skills for work and study), anything written beyond the limit would not be marked. However, according to the marking guidelines issued in the previous year, students who did so should be deducted only two marks out of the style mark for doing so. Hence, criticism is resulted among many students. These students claimed that although the word limit instruction was stated in the paper, they were not clearly informed of the marking criteria, and that the marking scheme the HKEAA adopted in the previous year gave them a misleading impression. The authority later stated that candidates should have read all the instructions before attempting the questions. It also stated that candidates who followed the instructions strictly should be treated fairly.

The Chinese Language and Culture Examination

This AS-level examination is also usually taken along with other examinations. It assesses the ability of students in using the Chinese language and their understanding of Chinese culture. Introduced in 1993, the examination comprises tests in:

Paper 1A - Practical writing (實用文類寫作);
Paper 1B - Reading Comprehension (閱讀理解測驗);
Paper 2 - Cultural issues (文化問題);
Paper 3 - Listening (聆聽理解)
Paper 4 - Oral Skills Assessment (說話能力測試); and
Paper 5 - Extra Readings (課外閱讀) (School-based Assessment
School-based assessment
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority has recently moved from norm-referenced to standards-referenced assessment, including the incorporation of a substantial school-based summative oral assessment component into the compulsory English language subject in the Hong Kong Certificate...

).

Like Use of English, as being a required-pass subject for degrees in JUPAS, almost all of the student will be sitting in this subject. However, unlike the English Language, students (particularly non-Chinese students or international school students) who did not take the Chinese Language in HKCEE are usually not sitting with this examination either, as a sub-system, JUPAS institutes usually accept an extra AS-level equivalent subject (or similar qualification of Chinese Language pass) to replace the HKALE Chinese Language pass for students who never take part in Chinese Language in both HKCEE and HKALE and studied Chinese for less than 6 years. However, the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Chinese University of Hong Kong

did not recognise such sub-system, and they need those students to take an internal Chinese Language test set up by them.

Since there are many dialects of spoken Chinese, Paper 3 and Paper 4 can be taken either in Cantonese or in Putonghua, which needs to be declared upon registration. Like other papers with Chinese and English versions, the choice of language is not printed on the certificate.

Paper 1A - Practical Writing

The writing test lasts for 1 hour and 30 minutes and is allocated 20% of the total subject mark. Candidates are given information about a simulated situation and are required to finish a writing of more than 600 words or two writings of no more than 700 words in total.

Options of text types may be:

a formal letter;
a personal letter;
a script of public speech;
a featured topic article;
an argumentative criticism;
a report (on a case investigation or a project etc.);
a proposal;
a news article; or
minutes.

Unless quoting speeches from public figures, if any names need to be used in the question, they should use the name provided in question, or the name list from the question paper if not available. Marks will be deducted for violation. The rule is set up to prevent candidates using names that can hint oneself which can cause unfairness to other students.

Paper 1B - Reading Comprehension

The test lasts for 1 hour and is allocated 15% of the total subject mark.
Reading comprehension can be:

a 2-piece reading (usually one passage written in Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of ancient Chinese, making it different from any modern spoken form of Chinese...

whereas another in Vernacular Chinese
Vernacular Chinese
Written Vernacular Chinese refers to forms of written Chinese based on the vernacular language, in contrast to Classical Chinese, the written standard used from the Spring and Autumn Period to the early twentieth century...

, a language widely used after the May Fourth Movement
May Fourth Movement
The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement growing out of student demonstrations in Beijing on May 4, 1919, protesting the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially the Shandong Problem...

);
a speed reading
Speed reading
Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention. Methods include chunking and eliminating subvocalization...

--which could be:
- Type (1) usually contain seven to eight articles which are unrelated to each other,
- Type (2) three unrelated groups of articles (articles within the same group may have the same theme, and occasionally students are required to compare and contrast them),
- Type (3) four articles of the same theme, which again require candidates to make comparisons.

In 2005, a "new", "unprecedented" format, a 3-piece reading of which all articles are written in Vernacular Chinese

Vernacular Chinese

Written Vernacular Chinese refers to forms of written Chinese based on the vernacular language, in contrast to Classical Chinese, the written standard used from the Spring and Autumn Period to the early twentieth century...

was formularised. This change, however, stirred up much controversy among candidates. See below. The new format also demands candidates to have a high proficiency in comprehension and understanding of rhetoric

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...

or euphemism words and phrases.

Paper 2 - Cultural issues

This test lasts for 1 hour and 30 minutes and is allocated 25% of the total subject mark.

In paper 2, the HKEAA has recommended 6 articles as reading materials for reference. In fact, the authority never recommends candidates memorise all the contents of the suggested materials. Furthermore, a wide-ranging reading habit is highly appreciated at all times.

The questions of paper 2 are set based on the following suggested reading materials:

A Conversation with the Youth about Chinese Culture (Excerpt) (與青年談中國文化), Tang Junyi
Tang Junyi
Tang Junyi was a Chinese philosopher, who was one of the leading exponents of New Confucianism. He was influenced by Plato and Hegel as well as by earlier Confucian thought....

(唐君毅)
Passion and Chinese Culture (Excerpt) (情與中國文化), Wu Sen (吳森)
Traditional Science: Past, Present and Future (With Appendices) (傳統科學的過去、現在與未來), Liu chun-ts'an (劉君燦)
The Fundamental Essence of Chinese Arts (中國藝術的基本精神), Zhao Yongxin
Zhao Yongxin
Zhao Yongxin , better known by his nickname XiaoXin , is a Chinese singer-songwriter and occasional actor, He is the co-leader of Chinese boyband M.I.C..-Early life:...

(趙永新)
Traditional Chinese Society (Excerpt) (中國的傳統社會), Ambrose Yeo-Chi King
Ambrose King
Ambrose King Yeo-chi, SBS, JP is a Hong Kong sociologist, educator, writer and academician. He was formerly vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong .-Personal life:...

(金耀基)
The Raison d'etre (人生的意義), Yin Hai-kuang (殷海光)

Paper 3 - Listening

The listening test lasts for approximately 45 minutes and is allocated 15% of the total subject mark. Like the UE listening test, the exam material is broadcast on RTHK Radio 2. Like the English Listening examinations, Fantasia on Greensleeves is played before and during the intermissions of the examinations. The broadcast version are in Cantonese, for the Putonghua group, they will be assigned in designated examination venues, which provide CD tapes separately, which the contents are the same as the Cantonese.

Candidates are required to answer questions as they listen to the material. Samples of questions are provided on the first two pages of the paper. Before 2003, candidates used to write sentences for answering questions. Since 2003, the questioning mode is simplified into multiple-choice type, ticking the correct answer and the "Fatal Four".

"Fatal Four" (奪命四式) is a name given to the question type, in which many candidates find difficulties in answering. This type of questions requires candidates to indicate the correctness of the given statements regarding the listening material. Possible answers are "true", "false", "partially correct" and "cannot be determined". It was widely considered difficult because the answers are not often given clearly (i.e. literally) in the tape. Candidates are often required to analyze the implied meaning of a given speech during the course of listening, like the attitude of a speaker. Moreover, marks deduction are applied for a wrong answer, which means a wrong answer not only scores zero in that question but also from taking away marks from a correct answer as well. Such design originally prevented candidates from guessing an answer they did not know, but that would also be very dangerous in some confusing questions. (see controversy for details)

Paper 4 - Oral Skills Assessment

It consists of two parts, including personal presentation and group discussion, both of them are allocated 7.5% each of the total subject mark.

In the first part, personal presentation, 10 minutes preparation time is given and candidate should make a 3-minute speech based on a certain topic. Sometimes, candidate is asked for describing a picture in 3 minutes.

After the personal presentation, group discussion takes place. Group discussion normally consists of 5 candidates in a group, they have 5-minute preparation time, after preparation, each candidate has 1 minute for the first round speech, when all candidates have done their first round speech, 10 minutes time will be given and they can discuss a topic freely.

In personal presentation, some personal topics are asked and in group discussion, topics are related to major events or common issues.

Paper 5 - Extra Readings

This is a school based assessment taking through the Form 6 and 7. Students are required to read at least 5 books and finishing the related assessment given by the school. Book reports are the most common format, but group presentations, or even in-class tests are allowed.

Actually there are no restriction towards the book as long as it is suitable for assessments. But to prevent students spending too much time on choosing the books, guildlines, which include a list of recommended books are given to schools. Most schools will allow students to choose only among the list or directly choose 5 books from the list for students by their own.

To prevent schools from giving too many exordinary grades to students, the points of this section will be adjusted by the performance in examination.

The list of recommended books contains about 30 books about Chinese culture, ranging from novels or cultural studies to historic reports. Among the list of the books, Tangshan Earthquake is always on the top favor list of books, as the prolog of the book was one of the 26 required passages in the old Chinese Language syllabus in HKCEE (The current new syllabus does not have any required passages).

Controversy of new format

Since 2001, the HKEAA has decided on an across-the-board revamp upon the format of questions in the exam. These changes include the replacement of questions on prescribed texts with open-ended questions in the questions on culture paper. This was HKEAA's attempt to prevent candidates from note-memorising the suggested reading materials. This, however, was dismissed by a number of candidates as a move towards the subject turning out into a saliva subject (吹水科, Jyutping

Jyutping

Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...

: Ceoi1 Seoi2 Fo1), in which candidates concentrate on writing large amounts of verbose text, neglecting the actual quality of the contents.
In 2005, the format of the Reading Comprehension paper was changed from speed reading

Speed reading

Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention. Methods include chunking and eliminating subvocalization...

of various articles to fine reading of only three articles, without prior notice. The move stirred up much controversy from some candidates, some of whom teased the words

Word play

Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...

, which featured in one of the comprehension texts. The HKEAA reiterated its stance that there has not ever been a "specific" format for the exam, and thus insisted that there was nothing wrong with the paper.

Another event happened in the Listening exam of 2007, in which there was a part asking students to determine whether marked sentences were correct or not, based on the whole recording. There were 10 questions, carrying 2 marks each. In that part, if a candidate answered a question correctly, 2 marks were awarded but if he answered it wrongly, 2 marks were deducted. No marks were given or deducted for empty answers, though. If a candidate answered all the questions, with 5 or less being correct, he would end up having no marks for that section, but if he filled 5 boxes all being correct, he would have got 10 marks. This stirred up controversy among candidates, claiming that the marking scheme was not fair. They said that all questions were compulsory, so there should not be any advantage to those who left some of the blanks empty, by deducting marks for wrong answers. The HKEAA said that this system of marking had been in practice for years to prevent students guessing answers, but in fact, this type of marking had appeared only in table-type questions, in which candidates were required to tick some of the boxes in the table, but not in questions in which all blanks should be filled.

List of subjects (2007)

Although the number of subjects offered is large, choices are still limited as each school is able to offer only a few subjects on the list due to budget constraints, restrictions on combinations of subjects as well as the actual time allowed to cover the large syllabus of different subjects. In addition, some of the subjects are not popular. Note that one can not take the A and AS of a subject at the same examination. Students may take a maximum of 7 AL and/or AS subjects in one examination, though only a few students have actually taken 7 subjects since 2004.

Applied Mathematics A/AS ¹
Biology A ⁴
Business Studies A
Chemistry A/AS ⁴
Chinese History A/AS
Chinese Language and Culture AS
Chinese Literature A
Computer Applications AS ² ⁴
Computer Studies A ² ⁴
Economics A/AS
Electronics AS ³ ⁴
Ethics and Religious Studies AS
Geography A
Government and Public Affairs A/AS
History A/AS
Liberal Studies AS
Literature in English A/AS
Mathematics and Statistics AS ¹
Physics A/AS ³ ⁴
Principles of Accounts A
Psychology A/AS
Pure Mathematics A
Use of English AS
Visual Arts A/AS

A/AS Applied Mathematics may not be taken with AS Mathematics and Statistics
AS Computer Applications may not be taken with A Computer Studies
A Pure Mathematics may not be taken with AS Mathematics and Statistics
Practical Subjects can be only taken by either School Candidates or Candidates has been taken that subject in previous HKALE examinations.

Past Results

Sometimes, for some AS-level subjects, only less than 0.05% of the candidates can achieve grade A.http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/HKALE/Release_of_Results/Exam_Report/Examination_Statistics/alexamstat09_5.pdf However, there is always more than 0.05% of candidates achieving grade A in the full A-level counterpart of the subjects concerned. The AS-level syllabus of a certain subject is a selected part of the AL syllabus, but the questions in an AS-Level examination are as deep as the full AL counterpart. AS-level papers share some of the questions with the AL counterpart and in those questions, the marking schemes for both A-level and the AS-level are identical.

1996 - 2007 HKALE Statistics of candidates' results in Use of English

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
A %	0.9	0.9	0.9	1.0	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.7

1996 - 2008 HKALE Statistics of candidates' results in Physics (AS-level)

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
A %	1.8	0.2	0.5	0.4	1.8	0.1	0.5	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.9

Future development

The Education Bureau of Hong Kong has announced that in 2009 the new schooling structure, under which all students receive 12 years of pre-university education, will be implemented. The HKALE will be last administered in 2012 and merged with the existing Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

to form 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...

examination at the end of the new, three-year senior secondary curriculum. The HKALE in 2013 will be available only for students taken the exam before.

External links

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
Institute of International Education - Information on HKALE
Middle Age is Tea-time (中年是下午茶 by Tung Ch'iao (董橋) (The controversial article that came up with complaints from the candidates in 2005.)
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination Result (2007)'

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