Secondary School Entrance Examination

The Secondary School Entrance Examination (Chinese: 香港中學入學考試) was an examination for primary six students in Hong Kong held by the Education Bureau. Its goal was to select students to enter secondary schools. It was established in 1962 to replace the Joint Primary 6 Examination.[1][2] It was last held in 1977 and subsequently replaced by Secondary School Places Allocation in 1978.

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Previous examination dates
Year Date Year Date
1962 11 May 1970 6 May
1963 3 May 1971 5 May
1964 6 May 1972 3 May
1965 5 May 1973 3 May
1966 4 May 1974 3 May
1967 3 May 1975 30 April
1968 3 May 1976 4 May
1969 7 May 1977 3 May

Overview

The examination included Chinese, English, and arithmetic. English students could choose to replace Chinese and English with English I and English II. The examination started on the first week of May. Each subject had one paper. The allowed time was 45 minutes. In 1962, the examination started at 13:30. There were two 30-minute recesses in between examinations.[3] From 1963, the examination started at 13:15. The recesses were extended to last 40 minutes.[4] From 1970, the examination started at 13:00. The recesses were extended to last 50 minutes.[5]

Timetable
1962 Time Subject
Time Subject 1963 1970
13:30-14:15 Arithmetic 13:15-14:00 13:00-13:45 Chinese (or English I)
14:45-15:30 English (or English I) 14:40-15:25 14:35-15:20 Arithmetic
16:00-16:45 Chinese (or English II) 16:05-16:50 16:10-16:55 English (or English II)

Each paper contains large amounts of questions with the intend of making most students unable to complete the entire paper. (For example, the 1963 arithmetic paper has 92 questions. The average answering time for each question is less than half a minute.)[6]

Initially, students who took part in the examination were chosen by primary schools. The maximum percentage of students that could be chosen by each school is double of students in that school that entered secondary schools last year or 60%, whichever is larger. Examination takers must not be 14 or more years old on 31 August on the year of the examination unless they were recommended by the principal. (14 was the minimum working age at that time in Hong Kong.) Students could not repeat the examination. From 1970, all primary school graduates were allowed to take the examination,[7] but the age and repeat requirements were unchanged.[8]

The rank was determined by the sum of adjusted scores of each subject. The grades of each subject could be classified in nine classes. The first class was the best, while the ninth class was the worst. Students who obtained the sixth class or better passed the examination.[9] The results of place allocation were announced in mid July. Students could obtain X1~3 or Y1~3 level. The X levels were given five-year secondary school places, while the Y levels were given three-year secondary places. Others were not allocated places.

From 1962 to 1964, each paper was separated into two parts. The first part can only be done in the first 20 minutes, while the latter part can only be done in the last 25 minutes. From 1965, each paper was no longer separated into parts. From 1969, multiple choice questions that were marked by computers were added, and each paper was separated into the A and B sections. The A section contained multiple choice questions with five options while the B section contained conventional questions.[10] In the same year, the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination also adopted multiple choice questions for the first time.[11]

Protests

In 1973, due to the unresolved salary problems, teachers initiated protest actions. After supervising the examination, teachers distributed "a letter to examination takers" (Chinese: 給升中試考生的信) and "the examination is bad" (Chinese: 升中試，壞制度) in red on white stickers. The letter heavily criticised the examination for forcing students to revise for a long time, depriving their happy childhood, and harming their health. It also criticised that the teachers were forced to train students for the examination and were harmed as well. It also requested the government to build more government schools in five years so that all primary school graduates can enter secondary schools and the examination can be disestablished.[12]

Adoption of metric units

Before 1974, arithmetic used imperial units and Chinese units so calculations were complicated. For example:

  • 1966 arithmetic questions[13]
    • 35th question (Chinese units): Multiply 2 zhàng by 2.7 and 4 chǐ. Answer: 6 zhàng, 4 chǐ, and 8 cùn.
    • 40th question (Chinese units): What is the average weight of 1 picul and 12 catty, 2 picul, and 2 picul and 16 catty? Answer: 1 picul and 76 catty.
    • 53rd question (imperial units): The area of a triangle is respectively 1 square yard and 1 square foot. The height is 2 feet. What is its base length? Answer: 3 yards and 1 foot
    • 63rd question (imperial units): If 1 gallon of water weights 10 pounds, how heavy is 1 pint of water Answer: 1 pound and 4 ounces.

Due to Hong Kong promoting the use of metric units in the 1970s, from 1975, arithmetic fully used metric units.[14]

In the first few years of the examination, as pound sterling had not undergone decimalisation, even though Hong Kong does not use pounds, arithmetic tested students' ability of calculating with pounds. For example:

  • 1963 arithmetic questions[15]
    • 24th question: Multiply 1 pounds, 3 shillings, and 4 pence by 36. Answer: 42 pounds.
    • 24th question: What is two-thirds of 1 pound? Answer: 13 shillings and 4 pence.
    • 52th question: If 16HKD equals to 1 pound, how much money in pound sterling can 30HKD be exchanged for? Answer: 1 pound, 17 shillings, and 6 pence.

Disestablishment

The last examination was held on 3 May 1977.[16] Starting from 1978, the government has implemented 9-year free education scheme and the examination was disestablished. The first Hong Kong Academic Aptitude Test was held on 6 December 1977. It replaced this examination.[17]

See also

References
  1. 中學入學試，五月中舉行 [Secondary School Entry Test to be Held in Mid May]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 21 February 1962. p. 1.4.
  2. 新聞檔案 [News Files]. Television Broadcasts (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 17 October 2013.
  3. 首屆小學升中考試，今天下午分區舉行 [First Secondary School Entry Test Held Today in each District]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 11 May 1962. p. 1.4.
  4. 升中試今舉行 [Secondary School Entry Test Held Today]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 6 May 1964. p. 1.4.
  5. 中學入學試今下午舉行 [Secondary School Entry Test Held This Afternoon]. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 6 May 1970. p. 4.3.
  6. 三萬學生昨考升中試，算術科竟達九十二題 [Thirty Thousand Students Took the Secondary School Entry Test Yesterday, the Arithmetic Paper has Ninety-two Questions]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 4 May 1963. p. 1.3.
  7. 放寬升中試考生數字限制後，中學位更不足 [After Relaxing Requirements of Secondary School Entry Test, the Deficit in Secondary School Places Increases]. Wah Kiu Yat Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 26 January 1970. p. 6.2.
  8. 一九七七年中學入學試，明年五月三日舉行 [1977 Secondary School Entry Test to be Held on 3 May Next Year]. Wah Kiu Yat Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 13 November 1976. p. 6.4.
  9. 升中試卷評閱，下星期三開始 [Secondary School Entry Test Paper Review Starts Next Wednesday]. Wah Kiu Yat Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 10 May 1964. p. 4.1.
  10. 小小年紀要為升學搏命，升中試有如枷鎖 [Of Little Age but Working Hard for Entering Secondary School, the Secondary School Entry Test is like Shackles]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 10 May 1969. p. 2.5.
  11. 參加本屆英文中學會考，要先學填格子 [Need to Learn to Fill in the Boxes to Participate This Year' Secondary School Entry Tests]. Wah Kiu Yat Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 15 April 1969. p. 5.4.
  12. 教師促增辦官津小學，五年以後取消升中試 [Teachers Urging the Government to Build More Government Schools to Cancel the Secondary School Entry Test Five Years Later]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 4 May 1973. p. 2.5.
  13. 第五屆升中入學試各科試題及答案 [The Fifth Secondary School Entry Test Questions and Answers for Each Subject]. The Kung Sheung Daily News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 5 May 1966. p. 9.
  14. 計劃全面性改用十進位制 [Plan to Use the Metric System Fully]. Wah Kiu Yat Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 23 February 1975. p. 2.1.
  15. 二屆升中入學試各科試題及答案 [The Second Secondary School Entry Test Questions and Answers for Each Subject]. The Kung Sheung Daily News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 4 May 1963. p. 9.
  16. 升中試昨最後一次舉行，數十萬小學生如釋重負 [The Last Secondary School Entry Test Held, Hundred Thousand Primary School Students Relieve]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 4 May 1977. p. 2.5.
  17. 初中學位分派辦法決定，全港中小學分廿四個網 [Secondary School Place Allocation Decides to Split All Primary and Secondary Schools in Hong Kong into Twenty-four Networks]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 1 November 1977. p. 2.5.
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