Record 24 DSE students score perfect marks as university eligibility rate dips

A record 24 students from 15 schools have scored perfect marks in Hong Kong’s university entrance exams, up from 17 last year, with 36.8 per cent of day-school candidates meeting the minimum admission requirement.The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority released the results of the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) on Tuesday.Most DSE subjects are graded on a seven-level scale from Level 1 to Level 5**, with Level 5 subdivided into 5, 5* and 5**.This year, 14 boys and 10 girls attained Level 5** in six subjects, along with an “Attained” result in Citizenship and Social Development.Among them, six boys and five girls were “super top scorers”, having also achieved 5** in the extended mathematics module.Level 5** is awarded to the top 10 per cent of candidates who achieve Level 5 or above, followed by Level 5* for the next 30 per cent, and Level 5 for the remainder.Most DSE subjects are graded on a seven-level scale from Level 1 to Level 5**. Photo: Handout