On Tuesday, about 48,000 candidates sat the citizen and social development (CSD) paper in Hong Kong’s university entrance exams.
Students were asked to discuss the city’s strengths in promoting Chinese culture and the influence of China’s foreign aid.
A teacher who reviewed the paper in this year’s Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination said it offered more global perspectives. Some students who took the test described it as “easy”. The inaugural exam in the subject was held last year.
The subject replaced liberal studies, which was revamped and renamed following criticism by pro-establishment lawmakers who blamed it for “fuelling youth violence during the 2019 social unrest”. They also said some teaching materials were biased.
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The new subject focuses on understanding “national security” and strengthening pupils’ sense of national identity.
This year, one question asked candidates to discuss how China could expand its international influence through foreign aid based on materials provided and their own knowledge.
Another question asked them to explain how such aid could improve the lives of those who received it.
The materials provided included a photo of trainees learning about caring for newborn babies in a programme organised by China in Tanzania in 2017.
“The variety of source texts this year is a bit bigger, and the photo section actually provided more global insights,” said a secondary school teacher surnamed Liu, with more than 10 years of experience teaching liberal studies.
Another section of the exam covered the multicultural characteristics of Hong Kong society under the “one country, two systems” governing principle.
Students were asked to select one aspect from food culture, architecture or festivals to illustrate how Chinese and foreign cultures combine in Hong Kong and explain the benefits of cultural convergence.
The paper also required students to discuss Hong Kong’s strengths in promoting Chinese culture, considering its unique systems, culture and economy.
The other section of the paper touched on low-carbon travel and the exercise habits of Hong Kong people. Students were asked to apply their knowledge of sustainability, environmental conservation, public health and personal health.
Liu said this year’s paper was not “particularly difficult”.
“It’s pretty much the same as last year. The foreign relations part had slightly more challenging material, but there were no questions about the constitution, so it wasn’t too unfamiliar for students,” she said.
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Kiangsu-Chekiang College student Shahzad Ahmed said the questions on foreign aid and physical activity were “unexpected” but “easy”, as he had anticipated topics such as artificial intelligence or technology-related questions.
“But instead, it was more about how foreign aid benefits both China and recipient countries, and the impact of physical activity on public health,” he said.
The 18-year-old said the exam was easy, as it tested students “basic analytical and social understanding skills”.
“I was genuinely expecting it to be a bit harder since the maths and English exams had a higher level of difficulty,” he added.
The DSE exams end on April 30, with results expected to be released on July 16.
Unlike the seven-level grading system of the DSE, the citizen and social development exam only has two grades: “attained” and “not attained”.
More than 45,000 students took the exam last year, with a pass rate of 94 per cent.
