Students sitting the Diploma of Secondary Education examinations in April will, for the first time, receive their DSE Results through SMS in July this year.
The scheme is being introduced by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority after considering that more than 52,000 students taking the exams may not be able to collect their printout results at school amid the pandemic.
Director of public examinations Ricardo Mak King-sang said the HKEAA saw the need for a more convenient way to release the results following its experience last year and taking into account scenarios like lockdowns in the future.
“We think all people in Hong Kong have a smartphone, or at least a mobile phone, that’s why SMS is a very effective way to disseminate the results, so students can know them immediately and [if they need to] change their choices for university in time,” he said. The Standard Channel
Mak said if the feedback is good, the authority will stick to the scheme in the coming years. The exams will take place between April 23 to May 20, with 20,000 staff sharing exam duties – the highest number ever.
The authority earlier said students must possess a negative virus test result to enter the exam venue if they are under mandatory testing.
Mak said all exams will begin and end at the same time, meaning candidates will not get extra time if they arrive at the venue late because of waiting for virus test results.
But candidates can report their situation to the exam center supervisor and the HKEAA may make an assessment to adjust their grades.
Secretary-general Wei Xiangdong said preparations are being made to make sure the exams are conducted in a safe environment.
A total of 426 schools will be turned into exam centers – offering a total of 520 halls and 750 classrooms – to assure social distancing.
Candidates will leave the exam centers in batches and there will be designated toilets for them. Students will be able to sit core subject exams at their own schools, where face-to-face classes will be suspended.
Asked if it will be easier to cheat when invigilators are teachers known to candidates, head of school examinations and assessment Margaret Hui Yuen-ching said more teachers and invigilators from other schools will be tapped. There are other safeguards at exam centers, she added, and “teachers are professional and fair and will not be partial to their own students in the exams.”
sophie.hui@singtaonewscorp.com
Important Dates
| Registration | 29 June – 23 July |
| Payment of Exam Fee | By 11:59 pm on 29 July (Applicable to private candidates only) |
| Applications for Late Entry / Subject Amendment | 24 July – 6 August |
| Issue of Admission Forms and ‘Instructions to Candidates’ | Mid-September |
| Examination Periods: | |
| – Written exams | 1 – 27 October |
| – Oral exams | 1 – 18 October |
| Release of Results | Late-January (tentative) |
| Deadline for Applications for Rechecking and Remarking | 5 days after the release of results |
| Release of Rechecking and Remarking Results | To be advised by Cambridge Assessment International Education (Cambridge International) |
September Registration
[Category A, Category B subjects examinations]
| Registration | 28 September – 19 October |
| Payment of Exam Fee | By 11:59 pm on 23 October (Applicable to private candidates only) |
| Applications for Late Entry / Subject Amendment | 23 November – 7 December (Tentative) |
| Payment of supplementary fee & subject fees (if applicable) | By 11:59 pm on 11 December |
| Deadline for Withdrawal | 30 November |
| Uploading of ‘Handbook for Candidates’ on the HKEAA website | Mid-December |
| Issue of Admission Forms: – For Practical exams – For Category A subject exams | Late-January / Early-February Mid-March |
| Examination Periods: | |
| – Practical exams (Music and PE) | Mid-February – Mid-April |
| – Written exams (Category A subjects) | 23 April – 17 May 2026 |
| – Speaking exams | Canceled |
| Release of Results: | |
| – Category A & Category B subjects | 21 July 2026 (Tentative) |