- What are the entry qualifications for the 2024 HKDSE?
School Candidates –
Only bona fide Secondary 6 students of registered schools approved for participation in the 2024 HKDSE may be entered as school candidates. The students must be studying at the registered address of the schools.
Private Candidates –
A person may enter for the 2024 HKDSE as a private candidate provided he/she has satisfied one of the following requirements:
(a) Sat the previous HKDSE or an equivalent examination, or
(b) Reached the age of 19 by 1 January 2024, or
(c) Completed or is currently pursuing a non-HKDSE curriculum equivalent to Secondary 6 in 2023/2024.
The Authority may consider applications from persons possessing other qualifications or pleading special circumstances. Persons who have sat other public examinations are expected to demonstrate a suitable level of competence in the same subject(s) entered for the Examination and may be required to provide supporting documents from their schools, if applicable. Persons who are currently pursuing an HKDSE curriculum will not normally be considered for special entry to the Examination. Exceptional cases may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applications under this regulation must be made in writing to the Secretary General before 5 October 2023.
All candidates should ensure that they can comply with necessary statutory requirements for sitting the HKDSE in Hong Kong, such as applicable visa or stay conditions before the examinations. For details, please refer to Section 5.2 and 5.3 of the HKDSE Examination Regulations.
- What subjects does the September registration of the 2024 HKDSE cover?
The September registration covers:
- Category A – 23 Senior Secondary subjects
- Category B – 52 Applied Learning subjects (for school candidates only)
(Remark: The registration for the Category C November 2023 series was closed in July 2023.)
- When will the September registration be accepted?
Registration of school candidates and private candidates is accepted from 11 September 2023 to 5 October 2023. All entries of school candidates must be approved by and made through the school via the Registration System at the HKDSE Examination Online Services .
Private candidates are required to submit their application via the HKDSE Examination Online Services during the registration period.
For more registration details, please check out the HKEAA website .
- Can a private candidate enter for a subject which requires laboratory/workshop facilities such as Biology or Chemistry in HKDSE?
A private candidate may enter for a subject which requires laboratory/workshop facilities (i.e. Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Technology and Living) only if the candidate can produce evidence of having sat the subject in a previous HKDSE or in an equivalent public examination, or having completed or is currently pursuing the study of the subject up to the HKDSE / an equivalent level to the HKDSE in the year preceding the Examination. [Notwithstanding this provision, the Authority will not accept entries from private candidates for Design and Applied Technology.]
- Some Category A subjects have an SBA component. Are private candidates required to complete the SBA part?
For Category A subjects with an SBA component, private candidates are not required to complete the SBA component of the subjects entered (except Visual Arts). Their subject marks will be based entirely on their public examination results. For Visual Arts in which the SBA component carries a weighting of 50%, they will be required to submit a portfolio in lieu of the SBA.
- Are school candidates who repeat S6 in schools required to complete the SBA part as required in some of the Category A subjects?
School repeaters have to submit their SBA marks for S6. As they are under their teacher's guidance and curriculum time is provided for completing their SBA tasks, they are expected to complete their assessment work during the repeating year in accordance with their school’s S6 requirements.
For more information on SBA, please check out the HKEAA website .
Regarding the interim resumption arrangement for public examinations and School-based Assessment of 2024 HKDSE elective subjects, please refer to the revised Assessment Frameworks for the 2024 HKDSE on the HKEAA website.
- Are school candidates who repeat S6 in schools required to complete the SBA part as required in some of the Category A elective subjects which the schools do not offer?
School candidates who repeat Secondary 6 in schools have to be re-assessed in S6 and meet the SBA requirements of the respective subjects entered. If the schools do not offer the elective subject(s) that the candidates wish to re-take in the examination, the candidates may apply for exemption from the SBA for the particular subject(s). The candidates’ subject result will be based entirely on their public examination result (see also Regulation 7.9). This special exemption does not apply to the core subjects, Chinese Language and English Language. Application for exemption must be submitted to the Authority on or before 11 September 2023. Schools should fill in the application form (available for download from the main page of HKDSE Examination Online Services) and submit it to the Authority for consideration together with the relevant supporting documents.
For more information on SBA, please check out the HKEAA website .
- Can school candidates who repeat S6 in schools retake the same Category B Applied Learning (ApL) subject(s) which they have taken in the 2023 HKDSE in the 2024 HKDSE?
An S6 repeater may re-take the same ApL subject(s) as a school candidate in the 2024 HKDSE with the support of the course provider(s) concerned, subject to the proviso that the Y2 ApL assessment results to be submitted to the HKEAA for moderation should form at least 50% of the subject total. Schools should register these candidates for the ApL subjects as well as other subjects via the Registration System within the registration period.
For more information on ApL, please check out the HKEAA website .
- How can I settle the examination fee for the September registration?
The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council has approved a financial commitment for the Government to pay the examination fees for eligible school candidates sitting the 2024 HKDSE, hence school candidates need not pay the examination fees (except for supplementary fees, if any).
Private candidates may choose to pay the examination fee online by credit card or by downloading a Demand Note and making the payment at any 7-Eleven or Circle K convenience stores in Hong Kong, via PPS or via internet banking.
Private candidates should pay all examination fees by 11:59 pm on 12 October 2023 for the September registration.
If candidates fail to settle the examination fees by the payment deadline, a supplementary fee of $286 will be charged. Candidates will receive an email with the demand note attached on 16 October 2023. The payment of examination fees and supplementary fee of $286 must be made at any 7-Eleven or Circle-K Convenience Stores in Hong Kong by cash before 11:59 pm on 19 October 2023. A copy of the Demand Note must be produced at the time of payment. Payment after 19 October 2023 will not be accepted and the registration entry of the candidate concerned for the Examination will be cancelled.
For more details about the payment methods, candidates may download the ‘Instructions for Payment of Examination Fees’ from the HKEAA website or from the HKDSE Examination Online Services .