For this year 45,900 school candidates are registered for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) exam, for which exams start later this month and results are released in July. A small proportion of these are Cross- Border students, i.e. living in Shenzhen but attending school in Hong Kong. 

Considering that the Hong Kong Department of Health has issued quarantine orders to all people entering Hong Kong from Mainland China, cross-border students may have difficulty attending the exam or preparing as normal. 

If any school candidates cannot attend the examination because of health reasons or not being able to return to Hong Kong to undergo the 14-day compulsory quarantine, they can submit an application to the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) through their schools for assessment of results. The HKEAA will assess the candidate's results in accordance with the existing mechanism#. The assessed subject level(s) will be annotated on the certificate of the candidate concerned. As regards the maximum level to be reached after assessment, there will be a special arrangement in view of the special circumstances this year. After assessment, the maximum level which an absent candidate can attain will be changed from Level 4 previously to Level 5. This one-off arrangement will also apply to other school candidates who are absent from the examination with reasons accepted by the HKEAA.

#The HKEAA may consider (1) giving an assessed mark on the part of a subject the candidate was absent from, based on the remaining parts/paper(s) that were sat in the same year (only applicable where a candidate was able to sit at least one written paper for the subject concerned) or; (2) giving an assessed subject result if the assessment method in (1) is not possible. The assessed subject levels are based on a comparison between the candidate’s academic records in school and those of his/her classmates as well as on his/her classmates’ HKDSE results in the subject(s) concerned Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202002/25/P2020022500760.htm

Commentary by Anna Lee, North East Asia Hub Lead, International Education Services  anna.lee@britishcouncil.org.hk

There are around 350 school candidates taking the DSE exams living in Shenzhen, i.e. cross-border students. The proportion of HKDSE graduates who will be affected in this manner is therefore very small, however admissions departments at UK universities should be aware that it is possible that they will see assessed grades. 

UK universities should also be aware that the HKDSE results release date has so far been delayed by one week, as reported here.  Please also see our recent post on the effects of social unrest and Covid-19 on student recruitment in Hong Kong, and our regular update on Covid-19 disruptions for the East Asia region.