Hong Kong Diploma of

Secondary Education Examination

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HKDSE Certificate

At least one subject achieved：

✓ Level 1 or above

(Category A subject)

✓ Attained or above

(Category B subject)

✓ Grade e or above

(Category C subject)

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http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/recognition/hkdse_recognition/ircountry_hkdse.html

International Recognition of HKDSE

✓ 287 tertiary institutions worldwide have provided their

admission requirements for HKDSE holders

✓ 122 Mainland HE institutions and around 140 Taiwan

universities accept HKDSE qualification for admission

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Benchmarking Studies

✓Universities and Colleges Admissions Service(UCAS)

✓IELTS

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⚫Candidates’ performance

will be reported with

reference to a set of

standards, but not a

specific % at each level

⚫Results are comparable

across years

Standards-referenced Reporting (SRR)

Category A: 24 NSS subjects

✓Descriptors to indicate standards required for each level

✓Help stakeholders to understand the standard of HKDSE holders at different levels and set appropriate entrance/ job requirements

✓ Facilitate learning and teaching

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Attained

Attained with distinction (II)

Reported in 3 grades:

Attained with distinction (I)

Category B: Applied Learning Subjects

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Remarks:

‘Attained with Distinction (I)’ is deemed comparable to L3 and ‘Attained with Distinction (II)’

deemed comparable to L4 or above in HKDSE Category A subjects, while ‘Attained’ is accepted as L2 for admission to sub-degree programmes and relevant civil service appointment.

Subjects (teaching starts in the second term of S4)

Chinese for the Service Industry (HKBU SCE)To provide simulated applied learning contexts of retails, tourism and hospitality

Practical Chinese in Hospitality (HKCT)To provide simulated applied learning contexts of food & beverage, hotel and customer services

Chinese in Business Service (PolyU SPEED)To provide simulated applied learning contexts of tourism, hotel, retail and logistics (first DSE cohort in 2020)

Remarks: ApL C (for NCS students) have been offered since the 2017 HKDSE. Two levels of results, ‘Attained’and ‘Attained with Distinction’, are used. UGC-funded universities and most post-secondaryinstitutions accept ApLC (for NCS students) as an alternative qualification in Chinese Language forthe admission of NCS students with ‘Attained’ as the minimum grade required.‘Attained and ‘Attainedwith Distinction’ are accepted by the Civil Service Bureau as meeting the Chinese languageproficiency requirements of relevant civil service ranks.

Category B: Applied Learning Chinese for NCS Students

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Marking and grading are conducted by

Cambridge Assessment International Education

(Cambridge International)

a

b

c

d

e

Category C: Other Language subjects

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Category A: Public Examination

Written Exam

MC items, Data-based questions, essays etc

Listening and speaking tests

Language subjects only

(Details are specified in the HKDSE Assessment Frameworks ofeach year’s examination)

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Category A:

School-based Assessment (SBA)

✓ Assessments conducted in schools and marked by students’ teachers during the learning and teaching process

✓ Enhance the validity of the overall assessment and extend it to include a variety of learning outcomes that cannot be easily assessed through public exam

✓ SBA marks counted towards students’ results in the HKDSE Exam, typically around 15 – 20%– Examples：

Eng Lang – oral assessment

LS – Independent Enquiry Study

Bio, Chem, Phy – laboratory skills

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Subjects with SBA in 2020 HKDSE Exam

Core

Chi Lang

Eng Lang

LS

Elective

Biology

Physics

Chemistry

Science

ICT DAT

Visual Arts

T & LHMSC

Lit in EngChi Lit

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How will students benefit from SBA?

✓Integrates learning & teaching with assessment

✓Offers a more comprehensive assessment of students’ performance

✓Helps students understand their strengths and weaknesses through quality feedback from teachers, leading to continuous improvement

✓Enhances autonomous learning

✓Enables students to achieve their best in a more relaxed and familiar setting

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How will fairness be ensured in SBA?

✓ Provide detailed guidelines, assessment criteria, exemplars and professional development training to help teachers become familiar with the SBA

✓ Majority of the assessments are conducted under close supervision of teachers

✓ Moderate SBA marks submitted by different schools to iron out possible differences among schools in marking standards

✓ Review samples of students’ work and assessment records, provide feedback to schools

✓ Candidates may be liable to disqualification from the subject concerned or the whole of the exam, or suffer a mark or grade penalty for proven plagiarism

• Content︰✓ SBA requirements

✓ Essential points students should note

✓How can parents support their children in SBA

http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/SBA/

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HKDSE Information on SBA Booklet

Quality Assurance Framework for the HKDSE

HKDSE

Recognition

Continuous

Improvement

Compliance

& Quality of

DeliverySafeguarding

of Standards

Post-examination

review mechanisms

External vetting of

examination papers &

scripts

Post-examination review

Internal audit & risk

monitoring

Examination Paper Quality

Audit (EPQA)

Internal post-mortem

meetings

Development of

examination papers

Examination paper

development mechanism

Confidentiality &

security measures

Processing & reporting

of resultsSBA

Marking process

Standards setting & the

grading mechanism

Quality check of examination

data

Examination results & results-

related queries handling

Feedback services

Conduct of examinations

Examination regulations

Public Examinations Information Centre (PEIC)

Public Examinations Communication & Support

System (PECSS)

Attendance & Script Tracking System (ASTS)

Oral Recording System (ORS)

On-site checking & audits

Examination logistics & security measures

Provision of special examination arrangements for

candidates with special needs

Irregularity and complaint handling

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Onscreen Marking (OSM)

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Key Stages of OSM

1. Barcode technology used for capturing candidates’ information

Key Stages of OSM

2. Script scanning

• Scripts sent to scanning centre for data capture after the exam

• Scanned images of scripts stored in secure database to facilitate on-screen marking

• 16-hour operation during peak periods

• Risk of losing scripts significantly reduced

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Key Stages of OSM

3. Script images distributed to markers for marking via a secure intranet system

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What are the advantages of OSM?

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OSM

Security ✓

Data availability ✓

Efficiency ✓

Accuracy ✓

Marking quality ✓

Quality Assurance of OSM

Paper-based Marking

OSM

Training Sample scriptsTraining, qualifying, control, reference & sample scripts

Checkmarking1st & 2nd

checkmarking1st, 2nd & real-time

checkmarking

Marking statistics

Available after completion of

markingReal-time

RemarkingAfter completion of

checkmarkingReal-time

Demote from marking & retraining

NA ✓

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HKDSE Question Papers

& HKDSE Examination Report

2019 HKDSE Question Papers

✓ Provides a comprehensive report on 24 Category A subjects

✓ Including question papers, marking schemes, and examiners’ comments and suggestions on candidates’ performance

HKDSE Examination Report published in December 2019

✓ Provides information on the overview of the HKDSE Examination and examination statistics for reference of stakeholders

✓ Available on the HKEAA website

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http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/hkdse/assessment/subject_information/

Exemplars of Candidates’ Work

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Thank You！

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