HKDSE tutors
The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) is set by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). Students take four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and Citizenship and Social Development) plus electives, and most results are reported in levels 1 to 5, with the best level 5 candidates awarded 5* or 5**.
Practise HKDSE between lessons, free
We also build cookie, the revision app, and every student and every tutor here gets it at no extra cost. This is what it has for HKDSE to use between lessons.
- Practice questionsExam-style questions from your notes or the specification, marked with partial credit and a worked solution.
- Past papersThe boards’ own papers and mark schemes, with grade boundaries, and you can do one in cookie with a timer.
- FlashcardsCards that come back just before you would forget them, including decks other students have shared.
- NotesRevision notes people have shared, to read, download or add to your own and turn into flashcards.
- Revision planSpreads your topics and papers out over the weeks before each exam, around your lessons.
Four core subjects and up to eight in all
The core is Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and Citizenship and Social Development. The electives include Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Geography, History, ICT, Literature in English and Business, Accounting and Financial Studies, and the regulations allow up to eight subjects in all, from the senior secondary subjects, Applied Learning and other languages.
Mathematics has a compulsory part and an optional extended part: a student takes the compulsory part alone or with one extended module. The extended module is reported separately and does not count as an extra subject.
How the levels work
Subjects other than Citizenship and Social Development are graded from level 1 to level 5, with 5 the highest. The top candidates within level 5 receive 5* and, above that, 5**, and work below level 1 is unclassified. Citizenship and Social Development is reported only as Attained or Unattained.
The examination is held once a year, mainly from March to May, and results are released in July.
Using the HKDSE for a UK university
UK universities that accept the HKDSE set their own requirements, course by course. Manchester accepts it for direct entry, looks mainly at three electives (or two electives and compulsory Maths) and usually recognises an extended Maths module as an elective. Edinburgh asks for the core subjects plus three electives at 5, 5, 5, and where Maths is required, level 5 in both the compulsory and extended parts.
At both, HKDSE English Language can count towards the English requirement, usually at level 4 or above, so it is worth checking before booking a separate English test.
Our HKDSE tutors
Common questions
What do 5* and 5** mean?
They are awarded to the top candidates within level 5, with 5** the highest result in a subject. Below level 1 a result is unclassified.
Does extended Maths count as a subject?
Not as an extra HKDSE subject; HKEAA reports it separately from the compulsory part. Manchester usually treats it as an elective, and courses that need Maths may ask for a level in both parts.
Do UK universities accept the HKDSE?
Universities such as Manchester and Edinburgh accept it for first-year entry, with requirements set by course and usually stated as elective levels, for example 5, 5, 5.
Does Citizenship and Social Development count?
It is reported only as Attained or Unattained, with no 1 to 5 level. Manchester expects applicants to attain it, and Edinburgh accepts it as one of the four core subjects it asks for.
When is the HKDSE exam?
HKEAA runs the examination once a year, mainly from March to May, with results released in July.
How much does an HKDSE tutor cost?
From £30 an hour, set by each tutor. Most tutors offer a free 15-minute intro, and their profile says so.
What happens in a lesson?
A lesson is live and one to one, in a room in your browser: video both ways, a shared whiteboard with proper maths notation, a graph plotter and screen sharing, on a laptop, tablet or phone with nothing to install. The tutor can put questions, notes and past papers on the board, and you can photograph your written work with your phone to put it there. The board is kept for 365 days, so either of you can open it again, print it or make notes, flashcards or questions from it, and the tutor writes a short report afterwards.
Related
How it works here
We are selective about who teaches here: we look for tutors at top universities, everybody is interviewed by us, and everybody completes an identity check before they are listed. Lessons run in the browser with live video and a shared whiteboard. Rates start at £30 an hour, most tutors offer a free 15-minute intro and their profile says so, and every student gets cookie's study software at no extra cost.