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HKDSE - Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

HKDSE - Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination is administered by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Most candidates take four core subjects (Chinese and English languages, mathematics and liberal studies) and two or three elective subjects.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Students who first received dependant visas or entry permits when they were under 18 years old are considered local under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (Jupas). Photo: Photo: Handout
Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong may require minimum stay to obtain ‘local student’ university status

Minister says she will take reference from overseas as government responds to claims of talent schemes being abused to secure cheaper tuition.

Education in Hong Kong

Letters | Why so many Hongkongers have a phobia of speaking English

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Books and literature

Letters | Multilingual writers enrich the world’s literary canon

Education in Hong Kong

University in Macau to expel 24 students who used fake Hong Kong DSE credentials

Hong Kong education chief Christine Choi says use of bogus university entrance exam certificates ‘outrageous’.

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The Diploma of Secondary Education refers to Hong Kong’s university entrance examination. Photo: Dickson Lee
Education in Hong Kong

Letters | DSE a waste of time for Hong Kong youth not cut out for academics

Readers discuss the call for a bigger push on vocational studies in Hong Kong, the contributions of the late Po Chung, and the government’s eHealth upgrade.

Good Schools Guide

Cambridge International Education digital exams start in June 2026

Mark Williams, head of secondary in the International Stream at French International School, is eager to see the results of exams marked by AI.

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Hong Kong society

Letters | Better grasp of halal needs will boost Hong Kong’s tourism sector

Readers discuss improving Hong Kong’s allure for Muslim visitors, how the city can raise its English test scores, and the need for flexible work schedules in today’s job market.

A Muslim family buys a meal at a halal-certified KFC store, on November 4, 2022, in Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Education in Hong Kong

Students can use Hong Kong exam results to apply to university’s Shenzhen campus

CUHK Shenzhen will consider applications for admission from Hong Kong students taking Diploma of Secondary Education exams.

Education in Hong Kong

Less pressure on Hong Kong students if university language rule axed, group says

Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools has proposed universities adopt points system based on exam results of candidates’ best five subjects.

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Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong court remands educator in custody after guilty plea for DSE exam leak

Court hears Lau Kwun-hei leaked questions from university entrance exam’s English test on Xiaohongshu, breaching confidentiality terms.

Hong Kong invigilators are required to sign a confidentiality agreement are only allowed to keep answer books for teaching purposes, as long as they do not publicise them. Photo: Handout
Education in Hong Kong

IB examiners’ plan to tackle ‘time zone cheats’ will fail: Hong Kong expert

Ex-Examinations and Assessment Authority manager Hans Yeung says start time changes of 30 minutes to an hour will make little difference.

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Plans to crack down on IB exam “time zone cheats” will be unsuccessful, Hong Kong education expert says. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong society

Letters | How Hong Kong primary schools can nurture happier and healthier pupils

Readers suggest steps to promote children’s holistic development at school, and discuss efforts to cultivate patriotism in the young.

Hong Kong economy

Letters | Hong Kong must not mix up ‘check-in’ and ‘in-depth’ tourism

Readers discuss the limits of social media-driven ‘check-in tourism’, the real reason some Hong Kong businesses don’t take digital payments, and breaking up the DSE exam into two.

Education in Hong Kong

Fewer Hong Kong students secure university spots, offers from top 3 choices

An education consultant attributes decline to more applicants attaining the minimum entry requirements.

15,776 JUPAS applicants were offered a place in universities in Hong Kong this year, compared with 16,149 last year. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong’s STEAM curriculum must empower students and teachers playing

To enhance students’ interest, skills and awareness in science and technology, the city’s schools must go beyond preparing them for exams.

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Students showcase their creations at the 26th Primary STEAM Project Exhibition, themed around climate change, at the Hong Kong Central Library Exhibition Gallery in Causeway Bay on May 8. Photo: May Tse
Hong Kong youth

Opinion | Let’s listen well to Hong Kong students’ mental health woes

A student advisory council in every secondary school would let young people be heard. We don’t need to settle for reductive understandings.

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Hong Kong youth

Letters | Hong Kong students without a university offer should look to their passion

Readers discuss the path forward for students to whom the Jupas route to university is closed, and how schools can better cultivate student well-being.

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Hong Kong youth

Letters | 2 ways Hong Kong can build a healthy education system

Readers discuss curriculum changes that could tackle student stress, the importance of giving all children a chance to take parts in sports, and the screening process for sporting competitions.

Students take the DSE Chinese language exam at a school in Tai Po on April 11. Photo: Handout
Education in Hong Kong

How a 9-year-old boy aced Hong Kong’s DSE exams and what’s next

Bryan Leung only decided to take the tests as a challenge after watching a YouTube tutorial and says he’s in no hurry to skip more grades

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Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong pupils from ethnic minority groups set for university after DSE exams

Angela Cabido Dela Cruz and Scott Norton surmount racism and identity issues to attain strong grades, will pursue biomedicine or nursing degrees.

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Hong Kong’s all-important public exam results revealed

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Education in Hong Kong

‘Achieve what you want’: Hong Kong students with special needs revel in DSE results

Students overcome adversity to pass Diploma of Secondary Education exams with flying colours.

Pang Ching-ka, who has cerebral palsy, had difficulty sitting still for a long periods without having to stretch his muscles, which affected his ability to study. Photo: Sun Yeung
Education in Hong Kong

8 of 10 DSE top scorers want to be doctors, make Hong Kong ‘better place’

High-fliers among 49,000 day-school and private candidates who receive university entrance exam results.

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Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong DSE: 8 elite schools produce 10 top students – as it happened

Culmination of hours of hard work for the 49,026 candidates in this year’s Diploma of Secondary Education exams.

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Education in Hong Kong

10 students attain perfect scores in Hong Kong university entrance exams

About 94 per cent of candidates who sit for citizenship and social development core subject pass the test, introduced after 2019 social unrest.

Ten students have attained perfect scores in the DSE exams. Photo: Handout
Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong NGO predicts results needed to win university spots for DSE students

Students have ‘very high chance’ of getting university spot if they score 20 out of 35 in their five best subjects for entrance exam, NGO says.

Students sit their university entrance exams. Official figures show 39,300 have applied to study at publicly funded universities through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System, with 15,000 places up for grabs. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong youth

Letters | Lesson for Hong Kong’s dream chasers in DSE documentary

Readers discuss a film about a student’s struggles, and the importance of inculcating financial literacy at school.

Education in Hong Kong

Opinion | No relief for Hong Kong students unless our test-mad education system changes

If we know critical thinking skills and the quality of students’ schoolwork are important, we must make the educational system reflect that.

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