Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

The HKCEE (Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination), conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), is normally taken by a student at Form 5, the end of his/her five-year secondary education in Hong Kong.

Introduction

In 2004, 118,213 candidates entered for the examination. 84,549 of them were school candidates and 33,664 were private candidates.

The HKCEE is conducted in late April and May and the results are released in the second week of August. There are 44 subjects in the HKCEE. Most day school candidates take 7 to 8 subjects in the HKCEE. Apart from Chinese Language and English Language which are taken by almost every school candidate, and other language-related subjects, all subjects can be taken in either Chinese or English. The same standards are applied in marking and grading and the language medium is not recorded on the results notices or certificates.

Grading

The results of the HKCEE 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).

A grade C or above in most of the HKCEE subjects is recognised as equivalent to an O-level pass (grade C or better) in an overseas GCE examination and grade E is widely accepted in Hong Kong as a basic level of achievement for employmemt purposes.

HKCEE English Language Exam

There are two syllabi offered for students taking the HKCEE English Language Examination: Syllabus A and Syllabus B. Syllabus B is the more difficult and is O-Level equivalent; a grade C on syllabus A is considered by the HKEAA to be the equivalent to a grade E on the syllabus B exam.

Purpose of HKCEE

After sitting the HKCEE and having their examination results announced, candidates may apply for a seat in Form 6 amongst local schools in Hong Kong. Moreover, in order to qualify for the HKALE (Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination), students must have taken the HKCEE as a prerequisite.

The certificate of HKCEE is well-known and widely recognised in Hong Kong as a formal document for seeking a job or pursuing further studies. The HKEAA has arrangement with examination boards in the United Kingdom and most subjects are equivalent to O-level of the General Certificate of Education (GCE), although most agree the standard of HKCEE is higher, and it is more difficult to get the same grade in HKCEE.

Early Admissions Scheme

Currently, there is a scheme called the Early Admissions Scheme held by universities in Hong Kong, such as The University of Hong Kong (HKU), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Candidates with 6 or more 'A's (Distinctions) in the HKCEE (With their Language subjects scoring 'C' or above) are eligible for applying the Early Admission Scheme which may grant them the admission to the afforementioned institutions without the need to sit for the HKALE.

Subjects included

Brief Introduction

There are in total 45 subjects which can be taken by students in HKCEE. Normally, most students take only 7 or 8 subjects in their examination. However students from so-called 'élite' schools, or those aiming for perfect marks can take up to ten subjects.

Except for language-related subjects, most subjects in HKCEE can be taken in either English and Chinese.

List of the subjects

Subjects offered in the 2005 sitting:

ACCOMMODATION AND CATERING SERVICES

ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS

ART (CHANGED TO VISUAL ARTS)

BIOLOGY

BUDDHIST STUDIES

CERAMICS

CHEMISTRY

CHINESE HISTORY

CHINESE LANGUAGE

CHINESE LITERATURE

COMMERCE

COMPUTER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (ALTERNATIVE SYLLABUS)

ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

ECONOMICS

ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICITY

ENGINEERING SCIENCE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE (SYLLABUS A)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE (SYLLABUS B)

FASHION AND CLOTHING

FRENCH

GEOGRAPHY

GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

GRAPHICAL COMMUNICATION

HISTORY

HOME ECONOMICS (DRESS AND DESIGN)

HOME ECONOMICS (FOOD, HOME AND FAMILY)

HUMAN BIOLOGY

INTEGRATED HUMANITIES

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

MATHEMATICS

MUSIC

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

PHYSICS

PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTS

PUTONGHUA

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SOCIAL STUDIES

TECHNICAL DRAWING

TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES

TEXTILES

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

WORD PROCESSING AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (ENGLISH)

Future development

Owing to the transition from the 5+2-year curriculum (5 years of secondary and 2 years of sixth form / matriculation) to a 6-year curriculum of secondary education, the HKCEE and the HKALE will be faded out and replaced with a new examination.