Junior Secondary Level
Children characteristics
- Start stepping into puberty and experience physiological changes
- Easy to be influenced by peers
- Strong self-esteem and "self" consciousness
- Hope to get approval from others
Parental role
- Understand your child's interests, potential and abilities
- Understand your child's aspirations, goals and future careers
- Help your child to understand various professions, including providing relevant information
- Encourage your child to participate in extra-curricular activities and community services
- Encourage your child to set short-term and long-term goals, and then fulfil them step by step
- Communicate with the school to understand your child's learning and difficulties
- Provide suitable degree of freedom for your child and give them a free hand to develop their strengths
Secondary 3 Selection of subjects
Secondary 4 is a new stage of learning. For children who are attending Secondary 3, choosing elective subjects is very important in their life planning. Sometimes, parental expectation and unilateral decisions may put high pressure on their children, which may, in turn, affect their future performance. Parents can learn about relevant information and join the discussions with their children, listen to their opinions, and share their ideas.
The following is the senior secondary curriculum information:
The senior secondary curriculum consists of three parts, including core subjects, elective subjects, and other learning experiences (OLE). Students are required to take four core subjects and two to three elective subjects, as well as participating in other learning experiences.
Four Core Subjects
- Chinese Language
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Liberal Studies (Applicable until 2023 exam year)
- Citizenship and Social Development (Applicable from 2024 exam year onwards)
Two to Three Elective Subjects
Students can select two to three elective subjects from 20 elective subjects by Key Learning Areas (KLAs) (Category A subjects in HKDSE), Applied Learning (ApL) (Category B subject in HKDSE) or Other languages (Category C subjects in HKDSE).
The school will decide which elective subjects to offer depending on individual school contexts as well as students’ needs, interests and abilities. Some schools offer Applied Learning or Other Languages.
20 Elective Subjects
|
Key Learning Area |
Subject |
|
Chinese Language Education |
Chinese Literature |
|
English Language Education |
Literature in English |
|
Personal, Social and Humanities Education |
Chinese History Economics Ethics and Religious Studies Geography History Tourism and Hospitality Studies |
|
Science Education |
Biology Chemistry Physics Science (Integrated Science; Combined Science) (Applicable until 2023 exam year) |
|
Technology Education |
Business, Accounting and Financial Studies Design and Applied Technology Health Management and Social Care Information and Communication Technology Technology and Living |
|
Arts Education |
Music Visual Arts |
|
Physical Education |
Physical Education |
Applied Learning Subjects
Six areas of studies under ApL:
- Creative Studies
- Media and Communication
- Business, Management and Law
- Services
- Applied Science
- Engineering and Production
In addition, there are Applied Learning (Vocational English) and Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students).
Other Language Subjects
Other Languages include the following:
|
Subjects in the 2024 HKDSE and before |
Subjects in the 2025 HKDSE and beyond |
|
|
Detailed information about HKDSE subjects
Other Learning Experiences
- Values Education
- Aesthetic Development
- Physical Development
- Community Service
- Career-related Experiences
The School Curriculum Framework
Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (S1-6) (CDC, 2017)
Senior Secondary Level
Children characteristics
- Become mature and more responsible
- Start thinking about future
- Care about social current issues
- Have a certain level of self-understanding
Parental role
- Believe that children have the ability to make decisions independently
- Learn about information on further studies with your children and help to plan the career plan
- Encourage your children to participate in the work experience program
- Help your children to understand different prospects after graduation, career development trends and community resources
Form 6 Progressive Employment Information
Parents should learn and collect different information on career and employment aspects to help their children to choose the right path.For more information on career and employment, please refer to the study information or employment information on this website.