- Beacon College tutor Andy Yeung notes that Paper 1 for the BAFS exam was easy compared to the one from 2022
- The new question formats could hint at what the exam will test next year as the syllabus changes
This is the last year that the business, accounting and financial studies exam will follow the current syllabus. Photo: HandoutThe last week of Hong Kong’s month-long university entrance exams kicked off with the business, accounting and financial studies (BAFS) papers on Monday, with about 9,900 candidates sitting for the subject.
Beacon College’s tutor Andy Yeung said that this year’s Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam candidates should fare well in the elective as it was fairly clear-cut and predictable. This is also the last year the current syllabus will be tested.
“This year’s exam is especially symbolic, but it is also a very happy ending because most of the questions in Paper 1 are straightforward. It is almost ridiculous how easy they are compared to 2022’s BAFS exam,” Yeung said.
According to the tutor, most BAFS candidates choose accounting as their elective subject.
DSE 2022: ‘Manageable’ BAFS exam this year, students and tutor agree
This year, cost accounting only appeared as a compulsory question in Paper 2 Section A, and students could opt out of this topic in Section B. Thus, Yeung noted that students who did not prepare much for cost accounting could still achieve a good score if they had adequately prepared for other topics.
He added that this would likely be the last year candidates could take advantage of the Covid exam arrangement, which allows students to choose only two questions to answer in Paper 2 Section B instead of the mandatory three.
Still, accounting students might have found Paper 2 slightly challenging because of some new question types. One of these was in Question 1, which tasked candidates with matching transactions to their corresponding accounting errors.
“While some students might be bewildered by this at first glance, this new matching question type only requires understanding of basic concepts,” Yeung said.
He noted that these “new” question types were used in exams before 2012, which was when the DSE replaced the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination and Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination.
The tutor pointed out that the new question formats might have been altered in preparation for the new BAFS syllabus next year: “This provides some hints about the new syllabus that will be tested next year.”
Yeung explained that from next year onwards, BAFS students will be split into two strands: accounting and business management. Each strand will have its own version of Paper 1 instead of the combined paper they are currently taking.
Next year’s candidates should also note that parts of the old syllabus will be removed, such as accounting principles and dissolution of partnerships.
The DSE exams will end on May 4, with results scheduled to be released on July 17.