St Margarets Coeducational English Secondary and Primary School

St. Margaret’s Co-educational English Secondary and Primary School 聖瑪加利男女英文中小學 New Senior Secondary Subject Selection 新高中選科 26 Feb 2011 (Sat)

A Comparison of the Current and the New Academic Structures Current Structure (3+2+2+3) 3 -year Undergraduate Degree HKALE New Structure (3+3+4) 4 -year Undergraduate Degree Secondary 7 HKCEE Secondary 6 Secondary 5 Secondary 4 Secondary 3 Secondary 2 Secondary 1 2016 1 st cohort of graduates 2012 New public examination leading to HK Diploma of Secondary Education New Senior Secondary 2006/07 school year

The New Senior Secondary Curriculum 4 Core Subjects: Chinese Language English Language Mathematics Liberal Studies Elective Subjects: 2 or 3 elective subjects chosen from NSS elective subjects, Applied Learning Courses and other language courses Other Learning Experiences Moral and Civic Education, Community Service, Aesthetic Development, Physical Development and Career-related Experiences % of Time Allocation : 45 -55% 20 -30% 15 -35%

Other Learning Experiences Suggested time allocation over the three years is as below: Suggested minimum time allocation (in percentage) Suggested minimum time allocation (in hours) 5% 135 Aesthetic Development 5% 135 Physical Development 5% 135 Other Learning Experiences Moral and Civic Education Community Service Career-related Experiences Total: 405 hours

Student Learning Profile Under the NSS education, students are encouraged to build up a profile to record and reflect on their learning experiences and achievements. The content may include brief information about: 1. 2. 3. Academic performance in school; Other Learning Experiences; Awards / achievements gained outside schools Student Learning Profile will be highly considered in some programmes e. g. Faculty of Communication (the Hong Kong Baptist University) Parents are welcome to browse the OLE website for more information. http: //www. edb. gov. hk/cd/OLE/

Four Core Subjects Replacement of Chinese Language by other languages for non-Chinese speaking students http: //www. edb. gov. hk/index. aspx? langno=1&node. ID=5877 Key Learning Areas Subjects Chinese Language Education • Chinese Language English Language Education Mathematics Education English Language Mathematics (compulsory part) Module 1 or Module 2 (extended part) Liberal Studies Students studying Mathematics may take (i) the Compulsory Part only; (ii) the Compulsory Part with Module 1 (Calculus ＆ Statistics) ; (iii) the Compulsory Part with Module 2 (Algebra ＆ Calculus)

Mathematics Extended Part Current Mathematics Curricula NSS Mathematics Curriculum

Mathematics Extended Part • The time allocation for one module is about half of that for an elective subject. • The levels awarded to candidates in the Extended Part will be reported separately from the Compulsory Part. Module 1 (Statistics and Calculus) • related to disciplines or careers which demand a wider scope and deeper understanding of mathematics • emphasize applications rather than mathematical rigour with a view to widening students’ perspectives on mathematics Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus) • related to mathematics-related fields and careers • emphasize understanding of mathematics for further progress in mathematically inclined disciplines

University Entrance Requirements Mathematics Extended Part (Module 1 or 2) is preferred for some programmes. Institution Faculty / School / Discipline The University of Hong Kong Science, Engineering, Bioinformatics, Business Administration, Actuarial Science The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business Administration, Engineering, Science The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Applied Science, Construction & Land Use, Engineering, Health Studies The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Science, Engineering

NSS Subjects offered by the School Key Learning Areas Personal, Social and Humanities Education Science Education Technology Education Elective Subjects Taken in S. 3 Chinese History Yes Economics Yes Geography Yes History Yes Tourism and Hospitality Studies No Biology Chemistry Physics Business, Accounting and Financial Studies Information and Communication Technology Yes Yes No Yes

Business, Accounting & Financial Studies (BAFS)

Travel & Hospitality Studies (T & H)

Changes on Public Assessment Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination One public exam - more time for learning Assessments emphasise thinking skills and application of knowledge (e. g. analysis and -solving) School-based Assessment is included Standards-referenced Reporting problem

Standards-referenced Reporting Standards-referenced levels 1 – 5 Use 5* and 5** to annotate the best performers among the level 5 candidates A set of descriptors is used to indicate the typical performance of candidates at each of the 5 levels Candidates’ results will only be compared with the prescribed standards, regardless of the performance of the other candidates taking the same examination

Promotion Requirements to S. 4 All core subjects including Chinese/French, English, Mathematics and Liberal Studies must reach 50%. The average mark of all subjects must reach 50%. Students must have GOOD CONDUCT.

Subject Selection Criteria Besides taking four core subjects, there are four alternatives for students in S. 4: 1. Taking 2 elective subjects; 2. Taking 2 elective subjects and Mathematics Module 1 or 2; 3. Taking 3 elective subjects; 4. Taking 3 elective subjects and Mathematics Module 1 or 2; *Students are recommended to choose TWO elective subjects only. Those who opt to take 3 elective subjects must meet the criteria set by the School

Subject Selection Criteria A. Students can study THREE elective subjects only if the average mark of all subjects reach 55% and with good results in all the corresponding subjects, if any. e. g. The corresponding subject for S. 4 Economics is S. 3 Economics B. Mathematics Module 1 or Module 2 are the extended parts of Mathematics and are NOT considered as elective subjects.

Subject Selection Criteria C. Two elective subjects will be allocated to all students first. D. Students will be ranked according to the assessment results of the chosen elective subjects. Priority will be given to those with better performance.

Timeline for Subject Selection Stage 31 March 2011 Event Complete “Subject Option Form for S. 4” in blue ball pen 22 June 2011 Amend “Subject Option Form for S. 4” in red ball pen 11 July 2011 Receive notification of the allocated elective subjects