Alice Wu

Opinion | Hong Kong’s education system must go beyond acing standardised tests

If we know critical thinking skills and the quality of students’ schoolwork are important, we must make the educational system reflect that

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Students sit for the DSE Chinese Language examination at a secondary school in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on April 11. Photo: Handout

Alice Wu

Published: 6:00am, 8 Jul 2024Updated: 9:16am, 8 Jul 2024

International Baccalaureate (IB) test scores were released over the weekend, and Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) scores will be released on July 17. I hope those who have received their results can breathe a sigh of relief. No matter the scores you receive, this marks a new and exciting beginning for you.

For those still waiting for their DSE scores, this is for you as well. The anticipation can sometimes feel overwhelming. So much seems to ride on these results. However the results turn out, know that you’re not defined by your scores.

The difference between being proud of standardised test results and allowing yourself to be defined by it – to let numbers be part of your identity – is huge. For years, we have been told that “learning is more than scoring”.

The fact that this adage is translated this way is telling. The original Chinese actually reads “learning is not about scoring points”. The English translation is less hypocritical, admitting that it is “not only” about that.

The use of “scoring” reflects the worrying mentality that has been instilled in our students: education is about competition, “winning” by beating the next person with a higher score. The problem is that winning inevitably means there are losers. Winning in tests and university placements are no guarantee we will “win” later on in life.

Most of us know there isn’t an end point. When it comes to learning, no one loses if one keeps at it. The learning process doesn’t end, and life offers new lessons to learn every day.