The HKDSE SBA component consists of two parts:

Part A: A reading / viewing programme in which students:

• select and read / view at least four texts (‘text’ encompass print, non-print, fiction and non-fiction material) over the course of three years;
• keep a log book or brief notes of comments / personal reflections;
• take part in discussions with classmates and make individual presentations on the books / videos / films that they have read / viewed; and
• respond to questions from their teacher, which will be derived from the student's written notes / personal responses / comments in their logbook.

For Part A, teachers need to conduct and submit separate marks for at least two assessments: one in the second term of S5 and one in S6. One assessment must be a group interaction and one an individual presentation. If more than one assessment is conducted in S5 or S6, teachers should ensure that one mark submitted is based on a group interaction and one on an individual presentation.

Note that the assessment will be based on the student’s oral performance, that is, the reading / viewing / writing will only serve as the means to this end and the specific content of the texts (i.e. names and places, story lines, other factual information, etc.) will not be directly assessed as such, so it is not necessary for teachers to have a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of every text read by their students.

Click here to view the HKEAA list of recommended texts for Part A which teachers can use as a starting point for choosing an appropriate text for their students.

Part B: An elective programme in which students:

• take part in discussions with classmates and / or make individual presentations as part of their work in the Elective part of the curriculum.

For Part B, teachers need to conduct at least one assessment either in the second term of S5 or anytime during S6, with the mark to be submitted at the end of S6. The assessment can be either a group interaction or an individual presentation. The assessment will be based on oral performance and focus on the ability of students to reflect on, make use of and speak about the knowledge, skills and experience gained in the Elective Module(s).

To view teachers' view about doing Part B of the SBA component.

The assessment tasks for Part B can be based on an individual elective module or a combination of elective modules taught and developed for the HKDSE. If the assessment task is based on a text, the text should be different from the ones used in Part A of the SBA component.

Note: The SBA component in the HKDSE English curriculum is designed to assess only the students' oral language skills. It is NOT designed to assess any of the following: a student's attitude or effort; the number of texts the students has read / viewed (beyond the minimum requirements); the student's ability to provide highly specific factual details about what s/he has read / viewed; the student's ability to conduct literary analysis of the texts; the student's skills in drama or debate; the student's ability to use the specialist jargon associated with specific elective areas, for example, technical terminology relating to a particular workplace, or low-frequency sporting terms.

The requirements for the HKDSE SBA are summarised in Table 2: SBA Requirements

Requirements	S4	S5	S6	Total
Number and type of texts to be read / viewed	ONE or TWO texts	ONE or TWO texts	ONE or TWO texts	FOUR texts, one each from the following four categories (print fiction, print non-fiction, non-print fiction, non-print non-fiction) in the course of three years
Number and timing of assessment tasks to be undertaken for Part A		ONE task, group interaction or individual presentation, to be undertaken during the second term of S5	ONE task, group interaction or individual presentation, to be undertaken anytime during S6	TWO tasks, each on a text from a different category; one mark should be based on a group interaction and one on an individual presentation
Number and timing of assessment tasks to be undertaken for Part B		ONE task, group interaction or individual presentation, to be undertaken during the second term of S5 or anytime during S6		*ONE task, based on the Elective Module(s) taught
Number, % and timing of marks to be reported		One mark for Part A to be reported at the end of S5 (5%)	Two marks, one from part A and one from Part B to be reported at the end of S6 (10%)	Three marks, 15% of total English mark

* The assessment task for Part B can be based on an individual Elective Module or a combination of Elective Modules taught.

Note: When planning their SBA programmes, and well before making any assessments, all teachers should read the HKEAA School-based Assessment Teachers' Handbook to ensure they are up to date with all requirements and timelines. Click here to view the 2012 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination 2012 English Language School-based Assessment Teachers' Handbook produced by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). Click here to find answers to the most recent questions about the SBA component.

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