Hi, Sarah,
This is my tenth practice. This article may be strange for you too as it is about a local educational issue. Anyway, please give me some feedback.
Thanks!
Question: There has recently been an increase in the number of Secondary 6 students granted early admission to university on the basis of their outstanding Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination results. Write an article for your school newspaper from your perspective as a Secondary 7 student. Give your views as to the benefits and drawbacks of the Early Admissions Scheme for secondary schools, Secondary 6 students who have been admitted, and for students doing the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination.
The Early Admission Scheme: Good and Bad
The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations (HKALE), is coming very soon. As a candidate of this year's, I need to study very hard for this infamously difficult exam. However, there are some students who can enroll in the local universities without taking this exam. It is not because they are gifted students, but they had got 6 As or more in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) with above average language skills. Though the Early Admissions Scheme, they can enjoy campus life one year earlier than their normal peers. Yet, this scheme not only affects them but also secondary schools and students like me.
In one hand, secondary schools with 'jumpers' can more efficiently use their resources. With the outstanding students who leave their schools after their Secondary 6, the standards of the students in the classes would be less varied. Therefore, the teachers can teach their students with less concern that some of their students are not beneficial to their lessons just because the lessons would be too simple for them, as the teacher need to concern the majority of their students.
In the other hand, those schools would lose the chance to gain more honor from the students. The students who can get 6As or more in the HKCEE are likely to get outstanding results in the HKALE too if they need to take it. Lucky to other secondary schools, as the jumper's absent to sit for the HKALE, the chance for their form 7 students to get outstanding results is increased. That explain why traditionally famous schools do not usually produce students with outstanding HKALE results.
For the jumpers, there are benefits for them. Firstly, they need not spend so much energy to prepare another public exam. Secondly, they can save their money which would originally be used in their form 7. Thirdly, they can save one year from finishing the secondary levels.
However, there is potential downside for them. They may lose half year's secondary schools life and several months' break time, of which normal senior secondary students will have. Some precious experience would be lost, including shots of graduation photos, fighting for another public exam together with their peers or just things that would happen in their daily school life.
In addition, some of them may have problems in their campus life. Having the ability to get many As in HKCEE does not necessarily mean that they can also get good grades in HKALE, because the two exams are very different in its scope and difficulty. Plus they have one-year-less experience in education. It would be hard for them to keep up with their university classmates.
For students like me who need to sit in the HKALE, I admit that the less outstanding students taking to the exam, the more opportunities for me to get a good grade. However, it seems to be a paradox and whenever the grades that are easier to get, the grades required to be admitted by the local universities is higher, as the space for local students to enroll in the universities remains changed. The only thing different is that I need to take two public exams and they just need to take one.
The implementation of the Early Admission Scheme comes with benefits and drawbacks. The students who have been admitted in their form 6 must be greatly affected by this scheme. There may be some downside for them, but at least they have the freedom to choose. For normal students like me, the effect of this scheme is too little. So, students, just go for your future!
Greetings!
You've written a good essay! Here are some editing tips:
It is not because they are gifted students, but because they got six As or more
Through the Early Admissions Scheme, they can enjoy campus life one year earlier than their normal peers.
On the one hand,
On the other hand,
Luckily for other secondary schools, as the jumpers are absent to sit for the HKALE, the chance for their form 7 students to get outstanding results is increased. That explains why traditionally famous schools do not usually produce students with outstanding HKALE results.
However, there is a potential downside for them.
They may lose half a year's secondary school life and several months' break time, which normal senior secondary students will have.
because the two exams are very different in their scope and difficulty.
I admit that the less outstanding students taking the exam,
However, it seems to be a paradox and whenever the grades that are easier to get, the grades required to be admitted by the local universities is higher, as the space for local students to enroll in the universities remains changed. - This sentence did not really make sense to me.
Best of luck in your studies!
Thanks,
Sarah, EssayForum.com
