Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination


The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination, or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, was taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong between 1979 and 2012. It was originally the entrance examination in University of Hong Kong until the introduction of the Joint University Programmes Admissions System in 1992, which made it the major university entrance examination for all local universities until academic year 2011/2012.
The examination was conducted from March to May, and the results were routinely released in the first week of July. There were altogether 17 A-level and 17 AS-level subjects in the HKALE. AS-level was commonly known as Hong Kong Advanced Supplementary Level Examination, which was first held in 1994. AS-level subjects were taught within half the number of periods compared to that required for A-level subjects, but they demanded the same level of intellectual rigour. Most day school candidates took four or five subjects in the HKALE. Apart from Chinese Language and Culture and Use of English which were taken by almost every school candidate, and other language-related subjects, all subjects could be taken in either English or Chinese. The same standards were applied in both marking and grading; the instruction medium is not recorded on the results notices nor certificates. The examination of an A-level subject generally consists of two 3-hour papers taken in the morning and afternoon of the same day.
The results of the HKALE are expressed in terms of six grades A – F, of which grade A is the highest and F the lowest. Results below grade F are designated as unclassified. The abolishment of fine grades used in 2001, A, B, B was in force from 2002. Historically the Hong Kong A level grade C has been aligned by NARIC to GCE grade A.
It was well-criticized that AL subjects demand substantial memorization and clarification of difficult concepts such as Chinese History, Biology, and Economics which have their syllabus partly equivalent to first-year undergraduate courses in terms of the length and depth. Research-level knowledge is also required in specific AL subjects such as Pure Mathematics and Chemistry. Actually, it was thought that the examinations were intentionally designed to be difficult by stakeholders for different reasons such as UK-imposed elitism as well as limited university seats dated back to 1992. It was even conspired that the past stakeholders intentionally made it difficult to hinder the growth of local people, in contrast to their well-funded stakeholders who usually went for overseas education but returned to manage their family businesses. However, such world-class exams do lead to the births of different famous local professors, resulting in the golden era of higher education in Hong Kong since the 2010s.
With the introduction of the Early Admissions Scheme in 2001, top scorers in HKCEE could skip the HKALE and enter universities directly after Form 6. Therefore, the HKALE in 2002 was the last one which all HKCEE top scorers needed to take for university admission in Hong Kong.
As a part of the educational reform in Hong Kong, the examination was abolished after academic year 2012/2013. The final HKALE in 2013 was only offered to private candidates who had taken the HKALE before, and the exam results could not be used to apply for universities through the JUPAS as before, but only through the Non-JUPAS system.

Background

Prior to 1993, students needed to choose among two university entrance examinations, the HKALE or the Hong Kong Higher Level Examination. The former originally led to a three-year course in the University of Hong Kong at the end of Form Seven, mainly for students in English-medium schools. The latter led to a four-year course in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, then operated in Chinese, at the end of Form Six for students in Chinese-medium schools.
Later on, the majority of education authorities considered that the "dual-band" examination system had become practically unsuitable and that a unified matriculation system would be urgently needed, as stated in a report presented to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as early as in 1981. In the report, the "dual-band" system was found to be the crux that caused confusion and anxiety among Hong Kong students, in addition to the inevitably keen competition for tertiary places.
Through considerable debates, programmes in CUHK switched to three-year systems as those launched in HKU in 1991. Consequently, the Hong Kong Higher Level Examination was abolished and was finally merged with today's HKALE. Advanced Supplementary Level subjects were also implemented at the same time to cater for different needs of candidates.

HKALE and UK A-Levels Equivalence

The results of the HKALE were expressed in terms of seven grades: A – U. Historically the Hong Kong A level grade C has been aligned by NARIC to GCE grade A. This decision seems to have been based upon the portion of candidates passing the HKALE at different grades – just under 25% achieved a grade C or higher in Hong Kong A levels overall in 2008. This compares to just under 26% achieving a GCE grade A in 2008. In setting standards for the HKDSE, levels 4 and 5 will be set with reference to the standards achieved by students awarded grades A-D in the current HKALE.
As an additional reference, the entrance requirements for universities and government positions in Hong Kong officially aligned 3 as an E in the corresponding HKALE subjects. For example, according to the document from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, a candidate attaining Level 3 in NSS subjects in the HKDSE will be regarded as having met the requirement of Grade E in the HKALE or Grade C in the HKCEE in similar subjects for grades or posts with specific subject requirements.
HKALE Grade UK A-Level Grade EquivalenceUCAS Tariff
A A*145
B A130
C A120
D/E B/C80
E/F D/E40
U Unclassified, a grade lower than F

Use of English examination

The AS-level examination, which is commonly taken with the A-Levels, tests the ability of students to understand and use English at a level that is required for tertiary education.
The Use of English examination was introduced in 1989 as an independent subject instead of an A level subject, as an entrance requirement of HKU. It was divided into four sections to test students' listening, writing, reading and language skills and practical skills for work and study.
From 1994, the UE examination became an AS-level subject and a requirement for JUPAS degree-level programme, and a 20-minute oral examination was added in the reform.
There are five sections in the UE Examination:
  • Section A – Listening Test
It lasted for 1 hour and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. The recording was played once only, divided into two continuous dialogues based on a situation until 2002 and three from 2003. Candidates were required to follow what they hear to take notes or interpret pictures. The recorded exam material was broadcast on RTHK and candidates had to use their own radios to listen. RTHK Radio 2 broadcast a version of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Greensleeves played by the Sinfonia of London, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli before and during the intermissions of the test. After the end of exam materials, candidates were given 10 minutes to tidy up their answers and the radio station broadcast Johann Strauss's The Blue Danube, played by the orchestra of Vienna Volksoper and conducted by, which was then followed by the end-of-exam announcement, also on the radio.
  • Section B – Writing
It lasted for 1 hour and 15 minutes and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. Candidates were required to choose a topic out of four options and write an expository essay of approximately 500 words.
  • Section C – Reading and Language Systems
It lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. The reading part had multiple-choice questions based on a passage taken from a publication. A third of the total mark of the entire paper is allocated to this section. Types of questions were multiple-choice questions on cloze passage and continuity. There were also matching, cloze summary and proofreading exercises to test candidates' overall language skills.
It lasted for 20 minutes and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. There should be a minimum of three candidates and a maximum of four candidates in each group. Candidates were given 10 minutes to read a passage of 300 words and prepare a presentation based on the passage of up to 2 minutes. After each candidate gave a presentation, the group was given two minutes to prepare mentally for a discussion of eight minutes for 3 candidates and ten minutes for 4 candidates.
It lasted for 1 hour and 45 minutes and was allocated 28% of the total subject mark. Candidates were given a situation, a role and 2–3 tasks to perform. They were given a data file containing information in various formats and with the data file and were to select the kind of relevant information needed to fulfill the tasks required. Writing tasks involved could be a report, an article, a letter, a proposal or a newsletter.
A pass in the UE was considered essential to being accepted to any degree program under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System, but some universities accepted a band 6 in IELTS or similar as an alternative of HKALE English pass.