My options for secondary education
in HK
 Local
Subsidized Schools 官校/津校
 Direct Subsidized Schools 直資學校
 International schools 國際學校
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Local Subsidized Schools
官校/津校
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Traditional-styled
Local curriculum HKDSE only
It can be CMI or EMI (中文學校或英文學校)
Children with limited Cantonese may find
difficult to fit-in
Most have no experience in catering for TCKs
Little or no tuition fee
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Direct Subsidized Schools
(DSS)
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DSS means government subsidized but with more freedom
in curriculum and student-intake
Local curriculum HKDSE but a few have western
curriculum as an option (e.g. GCSE, IB…)
Can be CMI or EMI
A few are experienced in admitting non-locals and TCKs
Tuition fee - Most are under HK$20,000 (yearly), but a few
can be more than $30,000
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International Schools in HK
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Most cost about HK$90,000-130,000 yearly
American system: AIS, ICS
Canadian: CAIS, Delia
British system: Kellet, Harrow
Most of the rest, including those under English
Schools Foundation (ESF), adopt IB
For a list of all int’l schools in HK, click here
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International Schools with more
MKs
(missionary’s kids)
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International Christian School (ICS) –
American system, in Shek Mun, Shatin
Christian Alliance International School (CAIS) –
Canadian (Ontario) system, in Kowloon City
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A database for all HK secondary schools:
http://www.chsc.hk/secondary/tc/index.htm
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The local secondary school
curriculum in Hong Kong
New Senior Secondary (NSS)
~an introduction for TCKs
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Hong Kong Education System
University
Senior Secondary School
F.4 – F.6
New Senior Curriculum
(NSS) 新高中
a.k.a. HKDSE
香港中學文憑
Junior Secondary School
F.1 – F.3
Primary School
P.1 – P.6
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Senior Secondary School
F.4 – F.6
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This new structure of 新高中 is also called 334,
NSS, NAS or HKDSE
HKDSE program lasts for 3 years, and students
cannot start at F.5 or F.6
Will completely replace the old system of
HKCEE (會考) and HKALE (A-level) in 2012
The level of difficulty of HKDSE is reconsidered
to be between HKCEE and HKALE
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What will I study in F.4-6?
4 compulsory
Subjects
2-3 Elective
Subjects*
Other Learning
Experiences
(OLE)
Chinese Language
English Language
Mathematics
Liberal Studies
% of Time
Allocation :
45-55%
2-3 subjects chosen
from NSS electives
20-30%
activities
organized by
school
15-35%
(organized by school)
* Different schools offer different electives. Check when applying to schools
* For the electives you’ve chosen, you’ll study them throughout your 3 yrs in
HKDSE program
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In other words,…
2-3 Elective Subjects*
4 compulsory
Subjects
Chinese Language
English Language
Mathematics
Liberal Studies
Chinese History, Economics, Geography,
History,
Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Science (Integrated, Combined),
Business, Accounting & Financial Studies (BAFS),
Information & Communication Technology (ICT),
Technology and Living,
May not
Design and Applied Technology,
be offered
Health Management and Social Care,
by many
Tourism and Hospitality Studies,
EMI
Ethics and Religious Studies,
schools
Music, Visual Arts,
Physical Education
* Generally universities require 2 elective subjects only, some only require
one. More capable students may choose 3.
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How do I find out which schools
offer which electives?
This interactive map links to individual school’s
NSS curriculum:
https://cd.edb.gov.hk/334map/
Note: The way NSS is offered varies from school to school,
and schools’ curriculum may change from year to year.
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University Entrance Requirements
HKDSE → HK universities
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University undergraduate programs
require 4 core subjects + 2 elective
(some specified, some are not)
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Some undergraduate programs only
require 4 core subjects + 1 elective
(specified/ unspecified)
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Universities’ minimum entrance requirements
Institution
General Entrance
Requirements*
Faculty/Programme Entrance
requirements
City University
4 cores + 1 X** 1 X defined from a list of subjects
H.K. Baptist University
4 cores + 1 X
Lingnan University
4 cores
Chinese University
4 cores + 1 X
Most programs require 1 unspecified
X or 1 X specified
Hong Kong
Institute of Education
4 cores + 2 Xs
2 unspecified Xs
H.K. Polytechnic
University
4 cores + 1 X
Preferred subjects only
H.K. University of Science
and Technology
4 cores + 2 Xs
1 unspecified X + 1 X specified from a
group of subjects
University of H.K.
4 cores + 2 Xs
Most programs do not have specified
requirement.
1 X (unspecified or specified)
*Individual programs may have additional requirements.
**X = Elective
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Links to detailed university entrance
requirements under NSS:
City University
of Hong Kong
The Chinese
University of
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong
University of
Science and
Technology
Hong Kong
Baptist
University
Lingnan
University
The Hong Kong The Hong Kong
Institute of
Polytechnic
Education
University
The University
of Hong Kong
The Open
University of
Hong Kong
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I want to study in a local school but the
compulsory Chinese language subject in HKDSE
is too difficult…
Starting from 2008, JUPAS (HK’s centralized
university admission system) allows students under
‘specified circumstances’ to enter HK universities’
undergraduate programs with GCSE/IGCSE Chinese
INSTEAD OF the local Chinese language
qualifications.
‘specified circumstances’ means…
(a) have learned Chinese for less than 6 years during
primary AND secondary education; OR
(b) have learned Chinese for 6 years or more, BUT
under a simpler Chinese as a second language
curriculum not applicable to local HK students
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How do I certify I’m under ‘specified
circumstances’?
Apply to your last school attended for certification and
provide relevant information by completing Annex A.
For certification under circumstance (b), also obtain
reference letter(s) (Annex B) from previous school(s).
Schools may also request applicants to provide relevant
documents (e.g. report cards showing history of
schooling).
School heads would certify the circumstances using
Annex C and return it to you for submission to JUPAS
Office (together with your certified true copies of the
alternative language qualification).
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Is it OK if I don’t study
Chinese at all?
Some HK universities would consider accepting
other languages as alternatives to Chinese. So
theoretically the answer is YES (again, only for those
under ‘specified circumstances’).
There are 6 acceptable language subjects under NSS:
French German Hindi Japanese Spanish Urdu
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These programs must follow the syllabus at GCE AS-level
offered by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and
administered by the HKEAA (香港考試局).
Students’ results in these international exams on other
languages will be shown in their HKDSE certificates in the
same way as adopted by CIE.
*NOTE: In either case (whether you’re using GCSE Chinese
or GCE AS-Level in another language to replace HKDSE
Chinese in your university admission), be aware that many
local schools do not have this flexibility or resources to do so.
You are expected to register, study independently, and sit for
these international exams at HKEAA all by yourself. Inform
and consult with your local school about this when applying.
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For further information…
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EDB website for non-Chinese speaking students:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeid=6499&langn
o=1
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Table of alternative language requirements by
HK universities:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_653
6/appendix%20%20inst%20requirement%20(eng)(r).pdf
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local HK diploma (HKDSE) →
Overseas universities?
As of 2011, HKDSE is still very new to HK, so
DON’T be too surprised if overseas universities
haven’t set requirement for HKDSE (or heard of it).
There are only tentative requirement guidelines
set by a few overseas universities.
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Some tentative entrance requirement
for HKDSE
By system:
 United Kingdom and UCAS
 Australia and New Zealand
 United States and Canada
By country/institution:
http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/ir/ircountry_hkdse.html
*DO CHECK FOR UPDATES FROM TIME TO
TIME, ESP. THE UNIVERSITIES YOU ARE
INTERESTED IN
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For reference:
How is HKDSE graded?
Standards-referenced Reporting
 For
each subject, you’ll be graded Levels 1-5
 5*
and 5** are to differentiate the best
performers
A
set of descriptors indicates the typical
requirement at each of the 5 levels in each
subject (shown in HKEAA website)
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overseas high school diploma →
HK universities?
This is getting more and more common!
Here are some useful links:
- City University - Hong Kong Baptist University
- Lingnan University
- Chinese University of Hong Kong - HK Institute of Education
- Polytechnic University
- HKUST
- University of Hong Kong
http://334.edb.hkedcity.net/EN/overseas/inbound.php
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