Among the 23,600 day school candidates who achieved level 3 or above in both Chinese and English Languages and level 2 or above in Mathematics Compulsory Part and Liberal Studies, some 15,000 have been offered places at local government-funded universities on 8 August.

39,000 day school candidates who attained level 2 or above in five subjects including Chinese Language and English Language are eligible to apply for sub-degree courses and relevant civil service posts in Hong Kong.

This year there was an improvement in English Language across the board with 55.1% day school candidates acquiring level 3 or above, while 10.3% achieved level 5 or above. Many overseas institutions have accepted HKDSE English Language as a proof of English proficiency for admission.

Please read more about the overall results of the 2016 HKDSE.

It has confirmed that level 3 to level 5** of the HKDSE remain comparable to grades E to A* in the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A level) examination according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service of the United Kingdom (UK).

Starting from 2017 the UCAS will adopt a different number system for their new Tariff. Level 5** in Category A Senior Secondary subjects is awarded the highest possible 56 points, which is the same as the new Tariff for grade A* in GCE A level, while level 3 in the HKDSE is awarded 16 points, which is comparable to grade E in GCE A level.

Level 5** in the Compulsory and the Extended Parts of Mathematics are awarded 28 points each, so candidates taking both parts of Mathematics can achieve tariff points that are on par with other HKDSE Category A subjects. Check out the details of the new UCAS Tariff for the HKDSE.

According to our HKDSE recognition database, most universities and colleges in the UK recognise HKDSE results as their general admission requirements while only one third of them set UCAS Tariff requirements as reference for admission. Visit our international recognition database for details.

2016 saw a record high on the recognition of HKDSE qualification. 245 overseas higher education institutions have accepted HKDSE results for admission purposes.

This worldwide acceptance of the HKDSE qualification signifies that senior secondary students in Hong Kong are presented with multiple pathways. Based on the Education Bureau’s survey in 2015, among the HKDSE graduates who chose to study abroad, 31% were admitted to higher education institutions in Taiwan, followed by 19% to the UK and 17% to the Mainland. Click here for an overview of the international recognition of HKDSE.

Information seminars are held from time to time to update the education community regarding the latest development of the HKDSE. More than 30 education consultants joined the recent information session on 15 August to exchange ideas on the recognition of HKDSE and education opportunities overseas. For details, please click here.