Implementing Innovation: A Graded Approach to English Language Testing in Hong Kong

Abstract

This chapter outlines the key components of the ‘graded approach’ employed in two papers of the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) English Language examination and places the development of the new qualification in the context of recent educational policy changes. The HKDSE was implemented in 2012 and is taken by students in Form 6 (Grade 12), after 6 years of secondary education. It replaces two qualifications, the HKCEE and the HKALE, which were previously offered after Form 5 (Grade 11) and Form 7 (Grade 13), respectively. The HKDSE English Language has to cater for the wide range of candidate abilities previously covered by the two separate examinations. The response to this challenge has been to design an innovative graded approach in which examination papers contain optional parts of different levels of difficulty. This chapter traces the historical development of the HKDSE English Language examination and discusses the challenges of implementing the graded approach for the first time.

Appendix 1: Conversion Table Between the Easier Section and More Difficult Section of Papers 1B and 3B (2012)

1.1 Paper 1B

1B1 (easier)	1B2 (more difficult)
0	0
1	1
2	2
3	2
4	3
5	4
6	4
7	5
8	5
9	6
10	6
11	7
12	8
13	8
14	9
15	10
16	11
17	12
18	13
19	14
20	15
21	16
22	18
23	19
24	20
25	21
26	22
27	24
28	25
29	26
30	27
31	29
32	30
33	31
34	32
35	34
36	35
37	36
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	42
42	43
43	45

1.2 Paper 3B

3B1 (easier)	3B2 (more difficult)
0	0
1	0
2	1
3	1
4	1
5	1
6	2
7	2
8	2
9	2
10	3
11	3
12	3
13	4
14	4
15	4
16	4
17	5
18	5
19	5
20	6
21	6
22	7
23	8
24	8
25	9
26	10
27	11
28	12
29	14
30	15
31	16
32	18
33	19
34	21
35	22
36	23
37	25
38	26
39	28
40	29
41	31
42	32
43	34
44	36
45	39
46	42