'Plan some big eat club.' That may not tell you much, but it is clear enough to secure the lowest ranking in the new HKCEE English exam.
Further details of the new Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations English and Chinese syllabuses and exams were released yesterday by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. The first batch of students to sit the exams will get their results on Wednesday.
Under the new system, there is no pass or fail, but candidates will be ranked from Level 1 to Level 5. Those who don't achieve these levels will receive a U or ungraded. A book of sample exam papers and answers sets out what students face in reading, writing, listening and speaking tests and the expected standard.
A Form Five student's answer of 'Serve Japanese food, have many sushi to choic. Some jules, it good for drink and helpful' as a suggestion for changing a restaurant's menu would be considered Level 1 standard, according to the sample answers.
While the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, which came up with the new exam and syllabus, insists it is a move in the right direction, entrepreneur David Tang, who also owns a free English-language school, is unimpressed.
He said accepting 'nonsensical' answers even at Level 1 reflected the 'dumbing down' of the education system in Hong Kong. 'I speak to vice-chancellors of universities who tell me that their most elite students simply cannot understand what is going on in class because the classes are in English,' he said. 'It is about time somebody ... said let's spend some real money on getting it right.'
