The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), is normally taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong between 1979 to 2012. It was originally being the entrance examination in University of Hong Kong until the introduction of Joint University Programmes Admissions System(JUPAS) in 1992, which made it being the major university entrance examination until academic year 2011/2012.
The examination is conducted from March to May, and the results are routinely released in the first week of July (or late June). There are altogether 17 A-level and 17 AS-level subjects in the HKALE. AS-level is commonly known as Hong Kong Advanced Supplementary Level Examination (HKASLE). AS-level subjects are taught within half the number of periods compared to that required for A-level subjects, but they demand the same level of intellectual vigour. Most day school candidates take four or five subjects in the HKALE. Apart from Chinese Language and Culture and Use of English which are taken by almost every school candidate, and other language-related subjects, all subjects can be taken in either English or Chinese. The same standards are applied in both marking and grading; the instruction medium is not recorded on the results notices nor certificates.
The results of the HKALE are expressed in terms of six grades A - F, of which grade A is the highest and F the lowest. Results below grade F are designated as unclassified (UNCL). The abolishment of fine grades used in 2001 (i.e. A(01), A(02), B(03), B(04), etc.) was in force from 2002.
Some subjects which demand substantial memorisation and clarification of difficult concepts, such as Chinese History, Biology and Economics, have their syllabus partly equivalent to first-year undergraduate courses in terms of the length and depth on the syllabuses.
As a part of the educational reform in Hong Kong, the examination will be abolished after academic year 2012/2013. The final examination in 2013 is only available to candidates examination and no longer be able to use the result to apply for tertiary institutes through JUPAS.
Read more about Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination: Background, HKALE, HKDSE and UK A-Levels Comparison, The Use of English Examination, The Chinese Language and Culture Examination, List of Subjects (2007), Past Results, Future Development
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