32 Hong Kong students attain perfect score in IB amid exam time-zone cheating controversy

Seventeen of Hong Kong’s top scorers are from English Schools Foundation, city’s biggest international school group

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Seventeen of Hong Kong’s top scorers are from the English Schools Foundation, the city’s biggest international school group. Photo: May Tse

Published: 11:28am, 6 Jul 2024Updated: 12:54am, 7 Jul 2024

At least 32 Hong Kong students have attained perfect scores in the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme this year, up from 23 in 2023, amid a controversy over time-zone cheating in exams.

Among the top scorers announced on Saturday were 17 pupils from the English Schools Foundation, the city’s biggest international school group.

The remaining students comprised four from the Diocesan Boys’ School, two each from the Victoria Shanghai Academy, Singapore International School (Hong Kong), Yew Chung International School of Hong Kong and the Independent Schools Foundation Academy, and one each from St Paul’s Co-educational College, St Stephen’s College and Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School.

A total of 2,406 students in Hong Kong took part in the IB programme this year.

Medicine continued to be one of the most popular prospective career paths for the young high-achievers, some of whom had their sights on studying abroad, while others said they would stay in the city.

According to the latest results, the number of pupils who achieved perfect scores this year had increased to 28 from the 23 logged in 2023, although the figure remained significantly lower than the 93 recorded in 2022.