The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) released today (30 April 2013) the results of a benchmarking study aiming at establishing the equivalence of standards between the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the 2012 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) English Language Examination.

After the completion of the HKDSE Examination last summer, a sample of around 400 school candidates achieving levels 2 to 5** in HKDSE English Language were selected to take IELTS, a test specially designed to assess the language proficiency of test takers who need to study or work with English as the language of communication. The results of this study will facilitate end users in their evaluation of HKDSE candidates’ English proficiency.