(Sing Tao Daily) The Education Bureau (EDB) announced earlier that the sampling arrangement for the coming Pre-Secondary One Hong Kong Attainment Test (HKAT) would be cancelled and secondary schools would be allowed to decide whether or not to participate in the test according to their school-based situation. Some secondary school headmasters believe that the new epidemic has affected the learning of Primary 6 students, and it is more important for schools to understand the academic level of the new Secondary 1 students through the test to help formulate teaching strategies, while some schools intend to use school-based assessment as a substitute. With the increasing number of confirmed cases in schools due to the recurring epidemic, secondary schools have made reference to the immunisation arrangement of the Diploma of Education Examination (DSE) and required new students to complete a rapid test.

Secondary schools usually use the results of the Pre-S1 Hong Kong Attainment Test (Pre-S1) for the allocation of classes to new Secondary 1 students. This year, the test has been postponed to 2 August due to the special school holidays in March and April in Hong Kong. In response to the outbreak of the Newcastle epidemic, the Administration has cancelled the original arrangement of sampling for secondary school places allocation adjustment in every "odd-numbered year" after the year 2000, and secondary schools can decide on their own whether or not to take part in the examination. Although no sample answer books will be taken and no external invigilators will be set up, courier companies will be arranged to distribute question books, test administration reports and other items on the day of the examination, and it has been emphasised that the Pre-S1 is a confidential test.

The CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School in Chai Wan has decided to participate in the Pre-S1 this year, and the headmaster, Mr Mui Chi-yip, believes that since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic has affected the daily learning of the students, the school should make use of the Pre-S1 with credibility to grasp the data on the academic level of the freshmen, so that if it is found that the freshmen are not so good at certain subjects, such as reading in English, the school can formulate a strategy for them, and arrange for the students with different ability to participate in the "top and bottom" examination. In the past few years, schools have been involved in the examination process because of the outbreak of the epidemic," he said.

Mui Chi-yip said that completing three subjects in one day is indeed a burden for students, and suggested that parents and students should look at it with a normal mind, without the need to practise deliberately, and "start from the beginning when they enter secondary school, and deal with it with a positive attitude". He added that the immunisation requirements of the examination centres will be implemented in accordance with the specifications of the HKDSE Examination.
School-based Assessment (SBA) Alternative Examinations