A new choice in DSE's Chinese history paper
發佈日期: 2026-04-29 21:43
TVB News
The DSE Chinese History exam began today.
This year's candidates are given choice of taking one paper instead of two, but in that case the highest attainable grade is limited to level 5.
This year, students can choose to skip Chinese History Paper 2, but their final grade will be capped at level 5,
meaning they will never reach the highest distinction levels 5* or 5**.
Some candidates who only took the first paper say this flexibility helps relieve examination stress.
Candidate Mr. Yuen said "When I'm skipping the paper two, I can use more time on the other subject and paper one part. I choose economics as my another elective."
Another student Kong told us that she wasn't aiming for the highest grade, so she mainly focused on Paper 1.
She explained if she underperformed on Paper 2, it might drag down her overall results.
This year's Paper 1 covers Ming Dynasty centralisation and the Chinese Civil War.
In Paper 2, candidates could choose one from six modules, ranging from the Spring and Autumn period
to Self-Strengthening Movement during the late Qing dynasty.
While educators found the questions straightforward, they warned that achieving a high score solely through Paper 1 could be challenging.
Ms. Cheng, a secondary school Chinese History teacher said if the exam is easy, the grading curve will rise.
Students need to have very good performance to secure a high grade.
Just for some context, we have 7,184 students sitting for Chinese History this year,compared to 6,807 last year.
A sign, perhaps, that student interest is finally turning a corner.
