Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination
The HKALE (Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination), conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), is normally taken by a student at the end of his/her two-year sixth-form courses in Hong Kong SAR, China. In 2004, 36,004 candidates entered for the examination. 29,106 of them were school candidates and 6,898 were private candidates. The HKALE is conducted in the months of March to May and the results are normally released in the first week of July. There are 19 A-level and 20 AS-level subjects in the HKALE. AS-level subjects are taught in half the number of periods required for A-level subjects, but they require the same level of intellectual rigour. Most day school candidates take 5 subjects in the HKALE. Apart from Chinese Language & 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 language. The same standards are applied in marking and grading and the language 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). With effect from 2002, fine grades used in 2001 and before (i.e. A(01), A(02), B(03), B(04), etc) have been abolished. Grade E of an A-level or AS-level result is equivalent to grade E in their GCE counterparts.
The Use of English Examination
This examination, which is usually taken with the A-Levels, tests the ability of students to understand and use English at a level required for tertiary education. Since 1989 it has consisted of tests of listening, writing, reading and language systems, and practical skills for work and study. Since 1994 it has included a 20-minute oral examination.
The Chinese Language and Culture Examination
This examination is also usually taken along with other examinations. It assesses the ability of students in using Chinese and their understanding in Chinese culture. Introduced in 1993, the examination comprises tests in practical writing (paper 1A), reading comprehension (paper 1B), cultural understanding (paper 2), listening (paper 3), speaking (paper 4). Five compulsory book reports, done as coursework, also counts in the examination as one separate paper (paper 5). Since 2001 the format of the exam in each paper has undergone rapid changes each year in order to discourage rigorous practice on past exam papers, such as by offering open-ended questions instead of textbook-focused ones. Through such changes, the HKEAA also tried to prevent candidates from rote-memorizing course materials in cultural understanding. This, however, brought criticisms from many candidates on the examination as "pouring of saliva" with no objective grading standards to follow.
List of the subjects (2005)Applied mathematics A ASArt (changed to visual art) A ASBiology ABusiness studies AChemistry A ASChinese history A ASChinese language and culture ASChinese literature AComputer applications ASComputer studies ADesign and technology ASEconomics A ASElectronics ASEngineering science AEthics and religious studies ASGeography AGovernment and public affairs A ASHistory A ASLiberal studies asLiterature in english A ASMathematics and statistics ASMusic A ASPhysics A ASPrinciples of accounts APsychology A ASPure mathematics AUse of English AS
Future development
Should the proposed reform on senior secondary education be carried out, the HKALE would be abolished and merged with the existing Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination to form the Hong Kong Diploma for Secondary Education examination at the end of the new, three-year senior secondary curriculum.
See alsoEducation in Hong KongHong Kong Certificate of Education Examination
External linksThe Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment AuthorityInstitute of International Education - Information on HKALE
|
|
