French

French

Students taking French in G9 may continue to take French as an elective subject.

EDB encourages Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) students to sit for the HKDSE Chinese Language examination if they are capable of doing so. However, for NCS students having fulfilled the specified conditions¹, they may choose to sit for relevant examinations such as IGCSE or the GCSE examinations administered by the HKEAA to obtain alternative qualification in Chinese.

Starting from 2015 cohort, NCS will have an additional alternative, i.e. taking Applied Learning Chinese course, to satisfy the Chinese qualification to enhance their further studies and employability. The duration of this Applied Learning course is 270 contact hours, extending over three school years at the senior secondary level. For further details, please refer to EDB Circular no. 174/2014.

¹The specified conditions are:

(a) The student has learned Chinese Language for less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education. This caters specifically to students who have a late start in the learning of Chinese Language (due to their settlement in Hong Kong well past the entry level) or who have been educated in Hong Kong sporadically; or

(b) The student has learned Chinese Language for six years or more in schools, but has been taught an adapted and simpler Chinese Language curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of the students in our local schools.

Individual tertiary institution – Chinese Language requirement for admission

New Academic Structure Bulletin - Frequent questions:

http://334.edb.hkedcity.net/doc/eng/FAQ_on_UER_Eng.pdf

FAQ: Q15 and Q16

Will institutions accept alternative Chinese Language qualifications (GCSE, IGCSE,

GCE) for students fulfilling the specified circumstances?

Under the current system, as stated in the LegCo paper in Feb 2008, institutions have already confirmed their acceptance of alternative Chinese Language qualifications (GCSE, IGCSE, GCE) for students fulfilling the following specified circumstances.

This will be continued under the new academic system:

a) The student has learned Chinese Language for less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education. This caters specifically students who have a late start in the learning of Chinese Language (e.g. due to their settlement in Hong Kong well past the entry level) or who have been educated in Hong Kong sporadically; or

b) The student has learned Chinese Language for six years or more in schools, but has been taught an adapted and simpler Chinese Language curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in our local schools.

Please also refer to the following:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeID=8631&langno=1

http://www.jupas.edu.hk/upload/pdf/ACL_4_year_Eng.pdf

Examination arrangement – French in HKDSE

Examination offered by the University of Cambridge International Examination (CIE) and administered by HKEAA

http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/DSECirculars/sch-letter-HKDSEE-LANG.pdf

The HKDSE (Category C subjects) French exam can be taken in November or June. The school has opted to take the exam in June². CIE has confirmed with HKEAA that the result release date will be in late July in 2015. JUPAS has agreed to make special arrangements for students concerned to make choice change shortly after the results release of the Other Language subjects.

²HKEAA had notified all schools offering Category C (Other Languages) Subjects that from 2016 and beyond, CIE would not be able to release the June Series results for HKDSE candidates earlier than their normal schedule. In another word, the result release schedule for these candidates will be mid-August and this cannot catch-up with the JUPAS schedule. Hence, starting from 2014-15 cohort onward, boys taking French have to enroll their HKDSE French exam in November of their third year (i.e. November 2016 for the 2014-15 cohort). Their French exam results will be available in late January / early February 2017.

GCSE (Chinese) Examination (updated on 19 November 2009)

EDB has administered the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)(Chinese) Examination through the HKEAA in Hong Kong since 2007.

Reduction of examination fee level of the GCSE (Chinese) Examination – 2010 onward

EDB Circular 23/2009:

“As an incentive to encourage non-Chinese speaking students to learn the Chinese Language, the EDB has made arrangements with the HKEAA to reduce the GCSE (Chinese) examination fee for eligible school candidates to a level on par with the HKCEE(Chinese) or the future Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)(Chinese) starting from 2012 when HKCEE is no longer in place by then. Taking the 2010 HKCEE (Chinese) examination fee as an instance, the reduced examination fee for eligible school candidate sitting for the 2010 GCSE (Chinese) Examination is $194. Please note that the examination fee of the HKCEE and HKDSE in future is subject to annual adjustment by HKEAA.”

Eligibility

To be eligible for the reduced examination fee, the candidates should be studying at Secondary 5 to Secondary 7 under the current academic structure or Secondary 4 to Secondary 6 under the New Academic Structure pursuing the local curriculum and are presented by their school to the GCSE (Chinese) examination as school candidates. These candidates should also have met either of the specified circumstances below:

(1) The student has learnt Chinese language for less than 6 years while receiving primary and secondary education; or

(2) The student has learnt Chinese Language for 6 years or more in schools, but has been taught an adapted and simpler curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in our local schools.

Eligible candidates will still be subsidized if they participate in the GCSE (Chinese) for more than once, and irrespective of whether they will take the HKCEE (Chinese) or the HKDSE(Chinese) in the future.

School –based Assessment for GCSE (Chinese) Examination starting from 2011 (June 2010)

Circular memorandum 97/2010

The GCSE (Chinese) Examination consists of 4 Units, i.e. Listening (Unit 1), Speaking (Unit 2), Reading (Unit 3) and Writing (Unit 4). Starting from 2011, the Edexel International (Edexcel), the awarding board of the London GCSE Examination, will implement the revised examination specification for the GCSE(Chinese) Examination. Teachers in candidates’ respective schools will assess the candidates’ speaking performance and submit candidates’ speaking recordings and assessment results for moderation by the Edexcel for Unit 2 on Speaking and collect candidates’ coursework for marking by the Edexcel for Unit 4 on writing. Regarding Unit 1 on Listening and Unit 3 on Reading, the current mode of assessment with candidates taking the terminal examination administered by the HKEAA will continue.

(A school presenting school candidates for the GCSE (Chinese) Examination has to register with the Edexcel as sub-centre attached to the HKEAA.)