23rd March 2023 – (Hong Kong) The DSE English Speaking Exam will be held next Tuesday (28th), marking the resumption of the DSE after a 3-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The written exams for subjects including Chinese and English will begin on 21st April. The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) has announced the epidemic prevention measures for the written exams. Candidates will be required to wear masks in the examination room, fill in a health declaration form daily to confirm they are not experiencing symptoms such as fever or acute respiratory illness, and take their temperature before entering the exam room. Candidates with a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher or who are feeling unwell will be required to take a rapid test. If the test shows that they are infected, they will not be allowed to enter the general exam room but can choose to take the exam at a designated venue, the former campus of Cognitio College (Kowloon), or apply for a grade assessment.
According to Professor Ricardo Mak King-sang, Director of Public Examinations, candidates who are symptom-free will not need to take a rapid test. Candidates’ temperature will be checked when they enter the examination room, and those who have a fever will need to show their rapid test results before being allowed to enter. To avoid having to go to the designated venue, the HKEAA suggests that candidates take a rapid test as early as possible and change their exam venue if they test positive. During the exam period, the HKEAA’s examination hotline will be open from 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday and from 7am to 12pm on Saturday to help candidates arrange to be transferred to a designated venue. Candidates must call the hotline before 7.30am. Otherwise, they will only be accommodated if space is available.
The HKEAA reminds candidates that if they are diagnosed on the day of the exam, they must call the examination hotline before 7.30am and arrange to go to the designated venue themselves, showing their diagnosis certificate upon arrival. If a candidate is unable to attend due to infection and decides to miss the whole exam, they can apply for a subject assessment score, with a maximum score of level 5. The HKEAA previously announced that candidates must wear masks in all exams, or they will be considered to have violated the rules. Candidates will also be required to measure their body temperature and complete and sign a “Candidate Health Declaration Form” on each exam day.