Hong Kong delays 2021 DSE exam to April 23

HONG KONG - The 2021 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination will be postponed to April 23 from late March due to extended class suspension which has adversely affected learning and teaching, the examination authorities announced on Tuesday.

The examination period will be shortened to three-and-a-half week while all speaking exams and nine school-based assessments (SBA) will be canceled to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) announced in a press release.

The nine subjects are physics, chemistry, biology, science, Chinese literature, English literature, technology and living, information and communication technology, health management and social care.

The assessments of these subjects often take place in a laboratory or during field trips, which require close monitoring and teachers' guidance.

The tentative date for the result announcement is July 21, according to the release.

If the pandemic situation worsens, the DSE test – the city's university entrance examination – may be further delayed till June 3 in the latest while results will be announced in August, said So Kwok-sang, secretary-general for the HKEAA.

So said he hopes the special arrangements could help reduce candidates' stress during the epidemic.

Classes in Hong Kong have been suspended for months as the city battled the coronavirus. Authorities have imposed strict social distancing measures and an early summer holiday for schools that started on July 13 to contain the surge in cases.

On Monday, the Education Bureau announced the resumption of on-site classed at schools in two phases starting Sept 23.