Some of Hong Kong’s best young minds plan to study in city after perfect scores in IB exams
- Of 130 local students who scored top marks, 21 so far have said they plan to study in home city
- Others are heading overseas to study politics, history and international relations in Britain and the US
Some of Hong Kong’s best and brightest young students plan to study in the city, despite having opted for an assessment that offers them an internationally accredited qualification to enter universities elsewhere.
Of the 130 perfect scorers in the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams this year, 21 so far said they were likely to stay in Hong Kong, although that number could rise as students consider their futures over the next few days.
The number of pupils in the city bagging a perfect 45 points in the exams more than doubled this year from 55 in 2020, despite the number of local candidates dropping by 131 to 2,193, according to the body headquartered in Geneva.
Some local educators expressed surprise at the surge in the number of top scorers, with most classes held online over the past year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In total, 1,155 candidates worldwide aced the exams, up from last year’s 339 when written tests in May were cancelled for the first time globally because of Covid-19.
