- The Chinese oral exam and Liberal Studies school-based assessment will be cancelled because of Covid’s impact on teaching
- Several changes have already been announced for the 2022 exam, with many school-based assessments being scrapped
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic means there will be a few changes to the DSE in 2023. Photo: SCMPThe 2023 Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) Chinese oral exam and Liberal Studies school-based assessment will be cancelled because of the impact Covid-19 has had on teaching, it was announced on Wednesday.
In a letter sent to the city’s secondary schools, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) said the two years of the pandemic have disrupted students’ learning, and that they decided to adjust the requirements for two core subjects on the city’s university entrance exams.
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The Chinese oral exam, which originally accounted for 14 per cent of the subject’s final grade, will be dropped for a third consecutive year. Meanwhile, school-based assessments for the subject will remain and account for 24 per cent of total marks.
Liberal Studies has already been revamped as Citizenship and Social Development for students just beginning the subject, but those already studying the subject will take the final Liberal Studies exam in 2023. While students were previously required to submit a school-based project known as the Independent Enquiry Study (IES) during their senior secondary years, the project will be scrapped.
The new adjustment means that students’ final Liberal Studies grades will rely on the exam’s two written papers.
The HKEAA said they will work closely with the Education Bureau and keep an eye on developments in school operations in the coming months. Further changes to the 2023 DSE may be announced in the future.
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The DSE is usually held from April to May, with results released in mid-July. However, the 2023 timetable has not yet been released.
The HKEAA has already announced several changes to the 2022 DSE exam. The Chinese oral exam will be cancelled, as well as the school-based assessments for 10 subjects, including Liberal Studies, Chinese Literature and English Literature. It has also adjusted the weighting of school-based assessments in subjects such as Chinese and English.