Sha Tin school sweeps A-levels
Students at the Hang Seng School of Commerce celebrated once again yesterday as the school had the most students bagging at least five As for the sixth year in a row and the only students to snatch six As.
The jubilant atmosphere at the Sha Tin school accompanied an announcement from the school management that it was considering scrapping its senior secondary school curriculum after years of success.
The school's administrators have indicated it intends to become an elite private university.
Cheers and tears of joy filled the school as people learned four students obtained six As. In addition, nine of the 17 students in Hong Kong who obtained five As are from the Sha Tin school.
'I never expected this. It is like I am having a dream. I still cannot believe this,' one of the six-A students, Chiu Shing-fung, said.
Wong Kwong-on, another top scorer, said the key to doing well was to study past papers and understand how the questions were asked.
The school netted 507 As this year, some 70 less than last year, but president Chui Hong-sheung was upbeat when he talked to reporters after he handed out the score sheets to the top students.
'The result this year is outstanding,' he said.
With the 3+3+4 new academic structure coming into full force next year, the school said it was considering scrapping its secondary school curriculum to offer subdegrees and degree courses.
'We still do not know if we will offer senior high school places [after the last A-level examination next year]. The board of governors is still considering it,' Chui said.
Across the city, 4,875 A grades were awarded among the 174,814 papers sat.
A total of 42,069 students entered the exam, and among them, 18,972 students acquired results that satisfied the minimum requirement for university.
As competition for university places gets more competitive, educators said repeating Form Seven may not be the best choice because there were alternative routes for further education. This is increasingly so for next year, when students from the present A-levels system are to enter university along with the first batch of students who take the Diploma of Senior Education examination.
Hok Yau Club project co-ordinator Choy Ho-lun said that he expected fewer students would retake exams. 'The total number of university candidates is going to increase next year when the old and new schooling systems coincide.'
Vocational centres have opened their doors to students after the release of A-level results.
Lo Mei-yan, 18, rushed to the Institute of Vocational Education upon receiving her A level results.
'My goal was to get into Polytechnic University, however it is unlikely that I will get in with my current grades' she said. 'So instead of taking my Form Seven exams again, I will complete a higher diploma at the Hong Kong Design Institute then reapply in two years,'
