English Language
Secondary 3
Assessment for Learning
Territory-wide System Assessment
Provides the Government and schools with valuable
data for the improvement of learning & teaching as
well as provision of support services
Student Assessment
Provides teachers with resources and data to improve
student progress towards learning objectives
Percentage of Students Achieving
English Language Basic Competency
Yr
2004
2005
2006
2007
P.3
75.9%
78.8%
79.4%
79.5%
P.6
--
70.5%
71.3%
71.3%
S.3
--
--
Level
68.6% 69.2%
Relationship to the English Curriculum
English Language Education: Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide
Primary 1 – Secondary 3, CDC, 2002
CDC Syllabuses for Secondary Schools, English Language,
Secondary 1 – 5, 1999
Second Version of Basic Competency (BC) at the end of KS3,
Secondary 3, 2003
Basic Competency (BC)
Basic Competency descriptors - Curriculum Development Institute (CDI)
Three Interrelated Strands
Interpersonal Strand (IS)
• to establish and maintain relationships
• to exchange ideas and information
• to get things done
Knowledge Strand (KS)
• to provide or find out, interpret and use information
• to explore, express and apply ideas
• to solve problems
Experience Strand (ES)
• to respond and give expression to real and imaginative experience
To develop an ever-improving capability to use English
Design and Development :
Territory-wide System Assessment
Moderation Group
• Tertiary staff members
• CDI staff members
• Serving teachers (including NET teachers)
• Examination and Assessments staff members
Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA)
• Ensure coverage across different contexts, text & item types
• Endorse items
• Administer research test
• Analyze research test results
• Redesign inapplicable items
• Administer the Territory-wide System Assessment
S.3 Students (BC)
Strengths
Students could …
Reading
Listening

locate and extract

specific information
from more than one text

recognize key words in
a sentence

combine listening and
reading skills to
complete simple tasks
(filling in forms,
charts)
Writing

write letters,
narratives and
descriptive passages

use familiar
vocabulary and
simple language
patterns

develop paragraphs
with supporting
details
extract specific
information
S.3 Students (BC)
Reading

understanding
unfamiliar expressions

inferring simple
information

Difficulties
Listening


Writing
understanding meaning 
from contextual clues
(but, next, also, etc…)
using varied language
patterns

with grammar and
spelling mistakes that
affect meaning

paragraphing
identifying main ideas
from supporting details
with reference skills
S.3 Best Performances (BC)
Students could …
Reading

infer ideas from
longer texts

interpret and evaluate
information –inference

predict future
developments

identify details to
support the main idea

distinguish fact from
opinion

deduce the meaning
of unfamiliar words
and expressions

identify pairs of
rhymes in poems
Writing
Listening



express ideas
effectively and
clearly (relevant
content)

develop paragraphs
with supporting
details

use a good range of
vocabulary and
language patterns
deduce the meaning of
unfamiliar words and
expressions
integrate/combine
listening and reading
skills to complete
simple tasks
S. 3 (BC) Speaking
Strengths
Students could …
Individual Presentations

speak clearly and audibly (some errors in pronunciation)

express ideas relevant to the topic when prompted (written or oral) and
provide some elaboration

express ideas coherently and provide supporting details

display an awareness of their audience (eye contact with oral assessors)
S3 (BC) Speaking
Difficulties
Individual Presentations and Group Interaction

extending ideas further - giving short, simple responses to questions

expressing ideas - lacking sufficient vocabulary – using awkward wording
that makes understanding unclear

expressing ideas - limited/disjointed
School Report
School Report – Paper: Skill or Dimension
Item Analysis – (Sorted by Sub-papers)
(specific info)
(contextual clues)
(theme)
Item Analysis – Sorted by Sub paper
題號
題號
Item no.
P2 Q02
選項
Option
得分/
等
級
Score
學校百分
率
School %
全港百分
率
25.0%
62.9%
B
12.5%
16.0%
C
50.0%
13.6%
D
12.5%
6.3%
U#
0.0%
1.2%
Score
School
%
全港百分率
Territory
wide
%
Item no.
Option
P2 Q04
A
0.0%
8.8%
B
37.5%
16.4%
C
25.0%
28.2%
D*
37.5%
45.7%
U#
0.0%
0.9%
學校百
分
率
全港百分率
School
%
Territory
wide %
Territory
wide
%
A*
選項
得分/ 學校百
等
分
級
率
題號
選項
得分/
等
級
Item no.
Option
Score
P2 Q08
A
25.0%
21.7%
B*
25.0%
45.0%
C
37.5%
16.5%
D
12.5%
16.0%
U#
0.0%
0.8%
Item Analysis – (Sorted by Sub-papers)
(main idea)
(inference/contextual clues)
Item Analysis – (Sorted by Sub-papers)
題號
選項
得分/
學校百分
等
率
級
Score
School %
全港百分
率
‘A Busy Day’
題號
選項
得分/
等
級
學校百分
率
全港百分
率
School %
Territory
wide
%
Territory
wide
%
Item no.
Option
P1 Q03
A
37.5%
26.6%
Item no.
Option
Score
P1 Q01
A*
62.5%
85.7%
B
12.5%
6.4%
B*
25.0%
43.8%
C
25.0%
4.6%
C
25.0%
17.9%
D
0.0%
2.4%
D
12.5%
10.6%
U#
0.0%
0.9%
U#
0.0%
1.1%
Devised after Pretests
Report 2007 - Interpreting Data
Writing (9EW2)
Sub-paper 9EW2 Writing
Report 2007 - Interpreting Data
Item no.
1. Content
2. Organisation
3. Language
4. Features
Option
Score/Grade
0
1
2
3
4
U#
0
1
2
U#
0
1
2
3
4
U#
0
1
2
U#
School percentage Territory-wide percentage
37.5%
13.2%
56.3%
17.9%
6.3%
41.5%
0.0%
22.0%
0.0%
5.4%
0.0%
0.0%
62.5%
15.7%
37.5%
29.5%
0.0%
54.8%
0.0%
0.0%
50.0%
13.9%
50.0%
23.4%
0.0%
45.7%
0.0%
14.6%
0.0%
2.5%
0.0%
0.0%
43.8%
12.2%
50.0%
15.4%
6.3%
72.4%
0.0%
0.0%
Report 2007 - Interpreting Data
Writing (9EW3)
Sub-paper 9EW3 Writing
Report 2007 - Interpreting Data
Item no.
1. Content
2. Organisation
3. Language
4. Features
Option
Score/Grade
0
1
2
3
4
U#
0
1
2
U#
0
1
2
3
4
U#
0
1
2
U#
School percentage Territory-wide percentage
43.8%
11.0%
43.8%
19.1%
12.5%
42.5%
0.0%
22.6%
0.0%
4.8%
0.0%
0.0%
56.3%
11.9%
18.8%
26.3%
25.0%
61.9%
0.0%
0.0%
56.3%
10.8%
43.8%
24.4%
0.0%
48.2%
0.0%
14.5%
0.0%
2.2%
0.0%
0.0%
50.0%
20.1%
25.0%
16.5%
25.0%
63.4%
0.0%
0.0%
Item Analysis – (Sorted by Basic Competency)
Listening task 9EL2, Part 1
(contextual clues/inference)
A conversation between Mrs.
Chan, her daughter, Judy and
son, Peter.
(details supporting main idea)
Judy wanted a credit card and
was afraid to ask her mother for
one. So she asks Peter to help
convince their mother to let her
have a credit card.
(intonation)
Item Analysis – (Sorted by Basic Competency)
Skill
Basic
Subpaper Item no. Option Score
School %
Competency
Listening
L5-L-2-S3BC
Using an
increasing
range of
strategies to
understand the
meaning
of simple texts
on
familiar and less
familiar
topics which are
delivered clearly
and in
generally
familiar
accents (IS, KS,
ES)
Territory wide
percentage
9EL2
P1 Q04
A*
41.7%
68.7%
B
20.8%
10.0%
C
29.2%
13.3%
D
8.3%
6.7%
U#
0.0%
1.3%
Item Analysis – (Sorted by Basic Competency)
Skill
Basic
Subpaper Item no. Option
Score
School %
Competency
Listening
L5-L-2-S3BC
Using an
increasing
range of
strategies to
understand the
meaning
of simple texts
on
familiar and less
familiar
topics which are
delivered clearly
and in
generally
familiar
accents (IS, KS,
ES)
Territory wide
percentage
9EL2
P1 Q09
A*
29.2%
55.6%
B
37.5%
24.9%
C
20.8%
8.1%
D
12.5%
9.9%
U#
0.0%
1.4%
Item Analysis – (Sorted by Basic Competency)
Skill
Basic
Subpaper
Item no. Option
Score
School %
Competency
Listening
L5-L-1-S3BC
Understanding
the use
of a range of
language
features in
simple
literary /
imaginative
spoken texts
(ES)
Territory wide
percentage
9EL2
P1 Q10
A
12.5%
5.8%
B
20.8%
8.5%
C
33.3%
5.6%
D*
33.3%
78.6%
U#
0.0%
1.4%
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