Many students arrived early for the second day of Hong Kong’s university entrance exams on Thursday as the test for the first core subject got underway.

Though the exam was not scheduled to begin until 8.30am, dozens of secondary school students had already gathered at a test centre in Siu Sai Wan more than half an hour early, hoping to settle their nerves before the first paper.

A total of 51,342 candidates have signed up for the Chinese language exam – one of four core subjects of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) alongside English language, mathematics and citizenship and social development.

As students filed one by one into the exam hall, many were seen flipping through textbooks and notes for one last review.

One candidate, Ng, said he had prepared intensively as he was particularly worried about the difficulty of the vernacular Chinese passages in the first paper.

"Chinese language is the hardest subject. Everyone calls it the 'paper from hell' so if I can prepare better for the test, I will," he said.

Ng added that for the writing section of the second paper, he had prepared a range of specialised sentences tailored to different moods and scenarios to help him stay on topic.

Another student, Siu, said he arrived much earlier than he normally would for school.

"I checked my belongings many times before leaving home. I’m a little nervous, so I woke up earlier to give myself time to calm down before heading out," he said.

He added that he hoped to do his best and not let his family down.

One female student described feeling both very nervous and eager.

After so many years of schooling, she said, she felt ready for this moment and was looking forward to seeing her results.

"I’m really nervous...but my teachers and friends taught me some deep breathing techniques to calm myself. I will definitely be using them during the exam," she said.

The Chinese language written exam consists of two papers: the first focuses on reading comprehension while the second tests writing skills.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden