【Ming Pao News】The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) written exams will begin the day after tomorrow (21st). As the city returns to normalcy, schools serving as exam venues are following the latest epidemic prevention guidelines from the examination authority. The requirements for epidemic prevention for candidates entering the exam venue have been reduced. Last year, there were six inspection stations set up on the playground on rainy days, allowing candidates to temporarily remove their masks in front of invigilators to verify their identities before entering the exam venue. This has been reduced by about half. In response to the distance between candidates' seats being reduced from 1.8 meters last year to 1.5 meters, the school does not need to open the underground auditorium to accommodate candidates.

The CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School in Chai Wan is a venue for the DSE core subject exams. The school has made preparations for the exams. The principal, Mui Chi-yip, mentioned that the reduction in epidemic prevention requirements for candidates entering the exam venue aims to let students know that the city has returned to normalcy. Excessive requirements may make candidates feel uncomfortable or affect their exam performance.

As for the examination authority's requirement last year for a distance of 1.8 meters between each candidate's seat, this year it has been reduced to 1.5 meters. The school does not need to open the underground auditorium to accommodate candidates, and the first-floor auditorium can accommodate 101 candidates. The school still retains self-made epidemic prevention screens. If candidates need them, they can indicate to the invigilators present and move to the seats behind the screens in the auditorium for the exam.

Candidates still need to adhere to multiple epidemic prevention measures (see table). As in previous years, the school arranges for candidates to maintain social distancing on the playground on rainy days before entering the exam venue. They are required to temporarily remove their masks one by one in front of the transparent barrier at the inspection station for invigilators to verify their identities. After the inspection, invigilators will stamp the admission ticket, and candidates are required to disinfect their hands before leaving. Candidates must wear masks throughout the exam and break times.

Last DSE Liberal Studies Exam - Candidates worry about switching to Civic Education

This year's DSE will be the last exam for the Liberal Studies subject, which will be replaced by Civic and Social Development next year. The school prepared students for the exam by analyzing past exam questions and teaching answer techniques. A student, Tam, said he would face the exam with a calm mind, believing that a calm mind leads to better performance. When asked if he felt nervous about the absence of a makeup exam for Liberal Studies next year, he expressed some concern. If he were to make a mistake in the Liberal Studies exam and had to take the Civic Education exam next year, it would mean one less subject to boost his grades, as Liberal Studies has seven grading levels. He believes that there is not much difference between Liberal Studies and Civic Education, and canceling Liberal Studies would reduce the pressure for some students, as Civic Education only has a pass or fail grade. Another student, Cheng, believes she will not make a mistake and is not nervous. She mentioned that she had looked at the Civic Education textbook and found that both subjects cover topics related to Chinese history, so she does not see much difference between the two.