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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

Writing as a non-native speaker is a journey of growth and discovery. Photo: Shutterstock

Books and literature

Letters | Multilingual writers enrich the world’s literary canon

Readers discuss the challenges and rewards of writing in a non-native language, the decline in student performance in Hong Kong and hiring civil servants with disabilities.

24 Nov 2024 - 11:30AM

HKDSE - Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

Letters | Multilingual writers enrich the world’s literary canon

Readers discuss the challenges and rewards of writing in a non-native language, the decline in student performance in Hong Kong and hiring civil servants with disabilities.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Hong Kong’s all-important public exam results revealed

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Letters | What’s a university degree really worth in today’s Hong Kong?

Readers discuss the decline in university teaching amid the pursuit of high global rankings, patriotic education, and subdivided flats.

Letters | Listen to undergraduates’ mental health concerns

Readers discuss how to improve university students’ mental health, the Diploma of Secondary Education exam, and traffic penalty notices.