Hong Kong government has announced a decision to postpone next year’s Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examinations by one month. The written exams are now scheduled to take place between 23 April and 17 May 2021 with candidates to receive their results on 21 July. The decision has been made due to concerns from students and teachers about grade attainment due to the suspension of face-to-face classes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oral tests for both English and Chinese language exams will be cancelled in order to minimise the risk of person to person infection. Other new changes such as school-based assessments for nine elective subjects (e.g. Chinese and English Literature, History) will be dropped and five subjects have been streamlined.  A contingency plan was also revealed by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) should the situation worsen around the time of the new exam dates. If this were to happen, the exam dates would move to early June, with results being released on 31 August.

Comments by Karen Hsu, Education Services Manager for Hong Kong

The decision to postpone the HKDSE has been welcomed by both students and teachers. Whilst both students and teachers have adapted to new ways of working online, the disruption has had an impact on student development, in particular in relation to practical skills such as interpersonal communications, teamwork and face to face presentations.

The British Council spoke to some local career counsellors about the decision who emphasised that students were concern about their academic performance.

With the pandemic still causing disruption to face to face activity in Hong Kong, institutions will do well to organise virtual engagement events with prospective students, parents, and career counsellors during this difficult time to continue to demonstrate support and understanding.

Looking ahead to recruitment for September 2021, UK institutions should be mindful that exam dates and results dates may change and therefore application deadlines may need to be flexible and adjusted at short notice.

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