📚 HK DSE: Complete Guide to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education | 香港中学文凭考试（DSE）完全指南
The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE, usually shortened to "DSE") is the school-leaving qualification taken by students at the end of three years of senior secondary education in Hong Kong. It is the single most important academic benchmark for university entrance in Hong Kong, and it is also recognised by universities in the UK, Australia, Canada and the United States. This guide explains what the DSE is, who sits it, how it is graded, how JUPAS works, and how to prepare for it efficiently.
香港中学文凭考试（Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education，简称 HKDSE 或 "DSE"）是香港学生在完成三年高中课程后参加的离校公开考试。它既是香港本地大学收生的最重要学术指标，也获英国、澳洲、加拿大及美国等地大学认可。本文会说明 DSE 是什么、谁应考、如何评分、JUPAS 如何运作，以及如何高效备考。
1. What Is the HK DSE? | 什么是香港中学文凭考试
The HKDSE is administered by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). It was first held in 2012, when it replaced two older qualifications: the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, taken at the end of S5) and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, taken at the end of S7). The old system was split into two public exams; the DSE combined them into one diploma taken after six years of secondary education.
DSE 由香港考试及评核局（HKEAA，简称"考评局"）举办，首届考试于 2012 年举行，取代了以往两个公开考试：香港中学会考（HKCEE，中五应考）与香港高级程度会考（HKALE，中七应考）。旧制需要应考两次公开试，DSE 则把两者合并为一个在六年中学教育后应考的文凭。
A key feature of the DSE is standards-referenced reporting. Candidates are not graded on a fixed curve that forces a set number of passes each year. Instead, their performance is matched against level descriptors written in advance, so the meaning of a Level 4 does not change from year to year.
DSE 的一个重要特点是"水平参照"成绩汇报。考生成绩不是按固定百分比划线（例如强制每年只有一定比例的人及格），而是把表现对照事先订明的等级描述，因此"第 4 级"的含义不会年年改变。
The qualification serves three purposes at once: it certifies completion of secondary education, it acts as the main gateway to local undergraduate programmes through JUPAS, and it is accepted as an international entrance qualification for overseas study.
这个资历同时具备三重作用：证明完成中学教育、透过 JUPAS 作为升读本地大学本科课程的主要途径，以及作为获国际认可的海外升学入学资历。
2. Who Sits the DSE? | 谁应考 DSE
Most candidates are school candidates - students in their final year of senior secondary (Secondary 6) who are entered by their own school. In a typical year, around 50,000 candidates sit the DSE, though numbers have fluctuated with demographic changes and emigration.
大部分考生是"学校考生"，即由所属学校报名、就读中六的应届学生。一般来说，每年约有五万名考生应考 DSE，实际人数会随人口变化及移民潮而波动。
Private candidates make up the second group. They include repeaters who want to improve specific subject grades, students who have already left school, and learners who study independently or through tutoring. Private candidates register directly with the HKEAA and must meet the relevant eligibility requirements; they can choose to sit any combination of Category A subjects without attending a Hong Kong school.
第二类是"自修生"，包括希望重考以提升个别科目成绩的重读生、已离校的学生，以及以自学或补习方式备考的考生。自修生直接向考评局报名，须符合相关报考资格，并可自由选择应考任何甲类科目组合，无需在港就读学校。
Candidates who do not take Chinese Language - for example, students whose mother tongue is not Chinese - may apply for an alternative Chinese Language qualification, or be granted exemption and use another language subject in its place. Arrangements are set out in the HKEAA's annual regulations and should always be checked for the specific exam year.
非以中文为母语的考生，例如不报考中国语文的考生，可申请以替代的中文科资历（例如 GCSE 或其他认可的汉语考试）代替，或申请豁免并以其他语言科目替代。具体安排载于考评局每年的考试规则，报考前必须按当年规定核实。
3. The Core Subjects | 必修核心科目
Since the 2024 DSE, there are four core subjects that almost every candidate takes: Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and Citizenship and Social Development (CSD). From 2024, CSD replaced Liberal Studies as the fourth core subject.
自 2024 年 DSE 起，几乎所有考生都要应考四个核心科目：中国语文、英国语文、数学，以及公民与社会发展科（CSD）。CSD 由 2024 年起取代通识教育科成为第四个核心科目。
CSD is graded only as "Attained" or "Not Attained". It does not produce a 1-5 level and is not converted into a score for university admission, although attaining it is a condition of meeting the general entrance requirement. The change also reduced the total lesson time devoted to core subjects, giving schools room to let students take more electives.
CSD 只以"达标"或"未达标"汇报成绩，不设 1 至 5 级，也不会换算成分数计入大学入学总分，但"达标"是符合一般入学要求的条件之一。这项改动同时减少了核心科目的总课时，让学校有空间安排学生多修读选修科。
- Key adjustment: the familiar "3322" entrance formula is now written as "332A" - Level 3 in Chinese, Level 3 in English, Level 2 in Mathematics, and Attained in CSD.
关键改动：过去常说的 "3322" 入学公式，现改为 "332A"，即中文第 3 级、英文第 3 级、数学第 2 级，以及 CSD 达标。 - Why it matters: the minimum requirement is only a floor. Competitive programmes demand far higher scores, often Level 4 to 5** across several subjects.
为何重要：最低要求只是门槛。竞争激烈的课程要求的分数远高于此，往往需要多个科目取得第 4 级至 5**。
4. Elective Subjects and Subject Categories | 选修科目与科目类别
DSE subjects are organised into three categories. Category A covers senior secondary subjects with a public examination and, in many cases, school-based assessment. Category B covers Applied Learning courses, which are practical and vocational in nature. Category C covers other language subjects.
DSE 科目分为三类。甲类科目设有公开考试，部分科目另有校本评核；乙类是应用学习课程，偏重实务与职业导向；丙类则是其他语言科目。
| Category | Examples | Reporting |
| Category A | 甲类 | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Geography, History, Chinese History, BAFS, ICT, Visual Arts, Music, PE, Mathematics Extended Part M1/M2 | 生物、化学、物理、经济、地理、历史、中国历史、企业会计与财务概论、资讯及通讯科技、视觉艺术、音乐、体育、数学延伸部分 M1/M2 | Levels 1-5, 5*, 5** | 第 1 至 5 级、5*、5** |
| Category B | 乙类 | Applied Learning courses in hospitality, design, sport, media and business | 酒店服务、设计、运动、媒体及商业等应用学习课程 | Attained, Attained with Distinction | 达标、达标并表现优异 |
| Category C | 丙类 | French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu | 法语、德语、西班牙语、日语、印地语、乌尔都语 | Grades A-E (set by the administering body) | A 至 E 级（由主办机构评定） |
Most students take two or three electives alongside the four core subjects. Mathematics Extended Part Module 1 (Calculus and Statistics) and Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus) are extremely useful for engineering, physical science, actuarial and quantitative business programmes, and many universities treat them as a full elective.
大部分学生会在四个核心科目之外修读两至三个选修科。数学延伸部分单元一（微积分与统计）及单元二（代数与微积分）对工程、物理科学、精算及量化商科课程尤其有用，不少大学也把它视为一个完整选修科计算。
5. How DSE Grading Works | DSE 评分制度详解
Category A subjects are reported on a scale of Level 1 to Level 5, with Level 5 subdivided into 5* and 5**. Performances below Level 1 are reported as "Unclassified" (U). The subdivision exists because a simple 1-5 scale does not separate the very strongest candidates at the top.
甲类科目以第 1 级至第 5 级汇报，第 5 级再细分为 5* 与 5**。低于第 1 级的表现会以"不予评级"（U）汇报。之所以要细分，是因为单靠 1 至 5 级无法区分最顶尖的一批考生。
Within the candidates who attain Level 5 in a subject, roughly the top 10% receive 5** and the next 30% receive 5*, so 5** represents a very small proportion of all candidates in that subject. Because reporting is standards-referenced, these proportions are a description of what happens in practice rather than a quota that examiners must fill.
在该科取得第 5 级的考生中，大约最顶尖的 10% 获 5**，随后约 30% 获 5*，因此 5** 只占全科考生中极小的比例。由于采用水平参照，这些比例只是对实际情况的描述，而非考评员必须填满的配额。
then apply their own rules - for example counting the best five subjects, or giving extra weighting to English, Mathematics or a relevant elective.
大学收生时会把等级换算成分数。常见的换算是 5** 得 7 分，依次递减至第 1 级得 1 分，然后各院校再套用自身规则，例如计算最佳五科成绩，或对英文、数学或相关选修科给予更高加权。
5** = 7 | 5* = 6 | 5 = 5 | 4 = 4 | 3 = 3 | 2 = 2 | 1 = 1
Level 2 is broadly regarded as a basic pass, Level 3 is the usual minimum for university entrance in the core subjects, and Level 4 or above is where competitive programmes begin. It is worth remembering that a Level 3 in English is a hard requirement for almost every local degree programme.
第 2 级一般被视为基本及格，第 3 级是核心科目升读大学的最低要求，而第 4 级或以上才是竞争性课程真正起作用的区间。值得牢记的是，英文取得第 3 级几乎是所有本地学位课程的硬性要求。
6. Exam Format and Papers | 考试结构与试卷
The DSE is not a single paper but a collection of papers per subject, spread across several weeks. Understanding the paper structure is one of the fastest ways to improve a grade, because each paper rewards different skills.
DSE 并非一张试卷，而是每科由多张试卷组成，考试横跨数周。了解试卷结构是提升成绩最快的方法之一，因为每张卷考核的能力并不相同。
- English Language: Paper 1 Reading, Paper 2 Writing, Paper 3 Listening and Integrated Skills, Paper 4 Speaking, plus school-based assessment.
英国语文：卷一阅读、卷二写作、卷三聆听及综合能力、卷四说话，另设校本评核。 - Chinese Language: Paper 1 Reading, Paper 2 Writing, Paper 3 Listening and Integrated Skills, Paper 4 Speaking.
中国语文：卷一阅读、卷二写作、卷三聆听及综合能力、卷四说话。 - Mathematics: Paper 1 conventional long questions, Paper 2 multiple choice. Extended Part M1 and M2 are separate papers.
数学：卷一长题目、卷二选择题；延伸部分 M1 与 M2 为独立试卷。 - Citizenship and Social Development: one written paper, reported as Attained or Not Attained.
公民与社会发展：一张笔试考卷，以达标或不达标汇报。 - Electives: usually one or two written papers, with a practical or portfolio component in subjects such as Visual Arts, Music and Physical Education.
选修科：通常设一至两张笔试考卷，视觉艺术、音乐、体育等科目另设实习或作品集部分。
Speaking examinations for English and Chinese normally take place in the spring, sometimes before the written papers, and are conducted in small groups with two examiners present.
英文科与中文科的说话考试一般在春季举行，有时早于笔试，以小组形式进行，并由两位主考员评分。
7. School-based Assessment (SBA) | 校本评核
School-based assessment is internal assessment carried out by the student's own teachers and moderated by the HKEAA. It is designed to assess skills that a timed written paper cannot easily measure, such as sustained research, laboratory work, oral interaction and portfolio development.
校本评核（SBA）由学生所属学校的教师进行校内评核，再由考评局调节分数。它的作用是评核限时笔试难以衡量的能力，例如持续研究、实验操作、口头互动及作品集制作。
In subjects with a laboratory component, such as Biology,
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