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Literature in English of 13

Continual Renewal from Strength to Strength

New Academic Structure Medium-term Review and Beyond

Subject-level

Purpose and Design of the Questionnaire

The purpose of this questionnaire is to solicit views of the subject panel heads and teachers on the initial

recommendations at the subject level, as part of the New Academic Structure (NAS) Medium-term Review ongoing

consultation (with this School Survey ending on 6 January 2015). In parallel, a designated website will be in

operation from 24 November 2014 to 28 February 2015 to collect views and comments on NAS from a wider range of

stakeholders, as well as through different sources and channels. The feedback collected will be consolidated, in

conjunction with the feedback collected from other stakeholders and sources, to inform deliberations at the Joint Curriculum

Development Council–Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Public Examinations Board (CDC–PEB)

meeting on the last batch of recommendations to be announced in July 2015. Subject panel heads and teachers are

advised to exchange their views, and may also make reference to the School Leaders Questionnaire, before

responding to the questions. Your views are welcome even if your school does not offer this subject. This

questionnaire is designed to encompass the major principles, current implementation issues, considerations and

recommendations without overloading the respondents. The items are by no means exhaustive, and views on those that are

not included can be collected through other channels, e.g. written submissions, briefings, forums and interviews. Subject

panel heads and teachers are also welcome to express their views under ‘Other comments’ in this questionnaire.

Background

In 2000, the Government accepted the Education Commission's proposal to reform the education system of Hong Kong to

enable our students to succeed in the knowledge-based, constantly changing and increasingly globalised world. The

Learning to Learn reform was then launched in 2001/02 first in basic education, followed by the reform of senior

secondary education under the NAS in 2009/10. Building on the overall aims for whole-person development and

life-long learning in the basic education curriculum, the senior secondary curriculum continues to pursue the seven

learning goals for our students:

1. To be biliterate and trilingual with adequate proficiency

2. To acquire a broad knowledge base, and be able to understand contemporary issues that may impact on daily life at

personal, community, national and global levels

3. To be informed and responsible citizens with a sense of global and national identity

4. To respect pluralism of cultures and views, and be critical, reflective and independent thinkers

5. To acquire information technology and other skills as necessary for being life-long learners

6. To understand their own career/academic aspirations and develop positive attitudes towards work and learning

7. To lead a healthy life-style with active participation in aesthetic and physical activities

Owing to the changes and developments, e.g. economic, scientific, technological, since the last decade around the world, the

curriculum renewal of Learning to Learn 2.0 is conceived with a view to keeping our school education abreast of the

times so that our students will remain globally competitive in the future. Such renewal has commenced first in primary

education and will lead up to junior secondary and senior secondary education. The Basic Education Curriculum Guide

(Primary 1 – 6) in the context of Learning to Learn 2.0 can be found at the Education Bureau (EDB) website

https://cd.edb.gov.hk/becg/.

Guiding Principles

Following the completion of the Short-term Review in April 2013 and announcement of the 1st batch of recommendations of

the Medium-term Review in April 2014, the NAS Medium-term Review continues to adopt a student-centred approach

and the guiding principles below:

Gear all curricula towards achieving the overall learning goals for secondary education;

Keep abreast of the latest changes in the disciplines of knowledge, economic, social and technological contexts, etc. with

regular international benchmarking and recognition;

Strike a balance between breadth and depth in knowledge, skills, positive values and attitudes in school curricula

appropriate to secondary education and interface with further studies;

Cater for student diversity and build on strengths (e.g. personal effort, subject interest, teaching method, and curriculum

content are recognised by students as most important factors for success in senior secondary education);

Consider factors and concerns regarding implementation (e.g. workload of teachers and students, support to teachers);

Align assessment with curriculum aims, learning objectives, curriculum design and expected learning outcomes; and

Engage different stakeholders and consider the feedback collected from different sources to inform deliberations in relevant

CDC and Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) committees.

Literature in English


Return of Questionnaires

For each subject, schools are expected to return ONE questionnaire only. The panel head should consolidate all panel

members’ views on this questionnaire and return it to the Principal/coordinator, who will collect all relevant Subject

Level Questionnaires and return them together with the School Leaders Questionnaire by hand using the

self-addressed envelope enclosed, to the Council and Secondary Section of the EDB (Room 1302, 13/F, Wu Chung House,

213 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong) on or before 6 January 2015. For general enquiries, please contact Ms.

Stephanie LAW at 2892 6381. For enquiries on implementation, and future development in the medium-term and beyond,

please contact Mr. Bill CHEUNG at 2892 5854. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential and will only be

used for the purpose of the NAS Review. No information on individual schools/teachers will be revealed.

Structure of the Questionnaires

As the senior secondary curriculum is built upon the basic education curriculum, the NAS Review should be contextualised within

the 6-year whole-school secondary curriculum. Each questionnaire consists of:

Updates on the implementation of curriculum and assessment at the junior and senior secondary levels and the interface

between the two; and

Recommendations on curriculum and assessment for the medium-term and beyond.


School Name: ____________________________________________________________ School Number:

Name of Contact Person: ______________________________ (Tel) _________________

Literature in English

Background

The Education Bureau (EDB), the Curriculum Development Council (CDC) and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment

Authority (HKEAA) have launched a joint review of the senior secondary Literature in English curriculum and assessment since

mid-2012 for improving and fine-tuning the learning, teaching and assessment of the Literature in English subject. A school survey

was administered in November 2012 to solicit schools’ views on the short-term recommendations in relation to the choice of set

texts, the examination time, the implementation of SBA and the provision of support measures for the subject.

Subsequent to the implementation of the short-term recommendations in the 2013/4 school year, the Medium-term Review is being

conducted with a view to addressing some unresolved issues identified in the Short-term Review and engaging various stakeholder

groups. This questionnaire serves to collect your views on the initial medium-term recommendations on the proposed mechanism

on replacement of set texts and support measures, which would enhance the implementation of the curriculum and assessment of

the subject.

A briefing session will be held to explain the proposed recommendations and to collect feedback. Details have been posted

through the Training Calendar System. Views collected from this questionnaire, together with views collected from the School

Leaders Questionnaire, and other views collected through focus group meetings, briefing sessions, liaison meetings, written

submissions etc. from all relevant stakeholders will be consolidated to inform deliberations on the recommendations for the

medium-term and beyond, and map out plans and strategies for the development of the subject in a holistic manner.

Please blacken the appropriate circle. State your comments and provide information in the

space provided when necessary.

1. Background Information: Please indicate the provision of this subject in your school:

○ This subject is offered in the 2014/15 school year and/or was offered in previous school year(s).

○ This subject has not been offered.


(A) Implementation of Curriculum and Assessment

2. Do you agree that the following measures are effective in preparing junior secondary students to study this subject at the

senior secondary level in your school?

Interface Measure Strongly

agree

Agree Disagree Strongly

disagree

N/A

(A) Curriculum planning for vertical (6-year) continuity ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(B) Building a solid knowledge base for junior secondary students to

study this subject at the senior secondary level ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(C) Enabling junior secondary students to master the relevant generic

skills (e.g. creativity, communication skills) to study this subject

at the senior secondary level

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(D) Nurturing positive values and attitudes in students to enable them

to study this subject at the senior secondary level ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(E) Adopting suitable assessment and reporting methods at the junior

secondary level by making reference to assessment practices at

the senior secondary level (e.g. School-based Assessment (SBA))

in this subject

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

.

3. Do you agree that the curriculum of this subject contributes to students’ achievement of the seven learning goals of senior

secondary education in your school?

Learning Goal Strongly

agree


disagree

N/A

(A) To be biliterate and trilingual with adequate proficiency ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(B) To acquire a broad knowledge base, and be able to understand

contemporary issues that may impact on daily life at personal,

community, national and global levels

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(C) To be informed and responsible citizens with a sense of global

and national identity ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(D) To respect pluralism of cultures and views, and be critical,

reflective and independent thinkers ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(E) To acquire information technology and other generic skills as

necessary for being life-long learners ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(F) To understand their own career/academic aspirations and develop

positive attitudes towards work and learning ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(G) To lead a healthy lifestyle with active participation in aesthetic

and physical activities ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

.

Not

Applicable


4. Do you agree that students have achieved the Strand Targets of this subject upon completion of their secondary education

in your school?

Strand Target Strongly

agree


disagree

N/A

(A) To acquire knowledge of literary forms and conventions:

- to appreciate and enjoy a wide range of literary and creative

texts and other related cultural forms; and

- to enhance their awareness of the relationship between

literature and society

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(B) To develop the ability to understand, appreciate and respond to

literary and creative texts:

- to develop their capacity for critical thinking, creativity,

self-expression, personal growth, empathy and cultural

understanding

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(C) To enhance language skills:

- to develop a greater sensitivity to the nuances of English

language; and

- to be adequately prepared for further study or work

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

.

5. Building on the school curriculum offered in basic education curriculum, do you agree that the following strategies are

implemented effectively through this subject at the senior secondary level in your school?

Strategy Strongly

agree


disagree

N/A

(A) Moral and civic education (including the seven priority values

and attitudes, e.g. perseverance, respect for others) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(B) Reading to learn (e.g. reading across the curriculum) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(C) Project learning (e.g. investigative and design projects) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(D) Information technology for interactive learning (e.g. e-learning

and mobile learning) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(E) Assessment for learning ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

.


6. Do the following factors have positive or negative effects on the implementation of the subject curriculum in your school?

Factor

Strong

positive

effect

Positive

effect

Negative

effect

Strong

negative

effect

N/A

System/School Factor

(A) Lesson time allocated by school to this subject ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(B) Requirements of public examination ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(C) Workload of SBA ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(D) Leadership of the school management ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(E) Availability of learning and teaching resources ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Teacher Factor

(F) Curriculum planning across the junior secondary and senior

secondary levels ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(G) Curriculum adaptation to cater for learner diversity ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(H) Adopting different pedagogies to cater for learner diversity ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(I) Implementation of assessment for learning ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(J) Collaboration among teachers of this subject ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(K) Collaboration among teachers across subjects/ Key Learning

Areas ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(L) Professional capacity of teachers ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Student Factor

(M) Motivation of students (including personal interests) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(N) Knowledge foundation of students developed at the junior

secondary level ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(O) Peer influence ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

(P) Parental involvement ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

.

7. Other comments:


(B) Recommendations for the Medium-term and Beyond

This section collects views of subject panel heads and teachers on the recommendations for future development of the senior

secondary curriculum and assessment for this subject. Some of the recommendations are proposed to be implemented with a

specific time frame while others serve to set the direction for future exploration and discussion. The time frame for each

recommendation is clearly indicated in the respective items.

Curriculum

(Teaching at S4 in the 2015/16 school year, leading to the 2018 HKDSE Examination)

The following mechanism on replacing set texts is proposed to enhance the implementation of the curriculum and assessment of the

subject.

The set texts for the three genres offering options (i.e. Novel, Play, Film) to be on the list for at least FOUR years but no

more than SIX years before replacement;

For the three genres offering options (i.e. Novel, Play, Film), only ONE genre to be affected by the text replacement in each

examination year;

TWO short stories to be replaced in each examination year; and

ONE poet (about 3 poems) to be replaced in each examination year.

For details, please refer to the proposed Assessment Framework in the Annex.

8. Do you agree with the above proposed mechanism for the replacement of set texts?

○ Agree

○ Disagree

○ No opinion

Other comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Do you agree with the implementation of the above proposed mechanism for the replacement of set texts from the 2018

HKDSE Examination (i.e. S4 students in 2015/16)?

○ Agree

○ Disagree

○ No opinion

Other comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


10. Based on the teachers’ views collected, two major areas that require support have been identified as follows. What types

of support measures (e.g. professional development programmes) can best address your needs and concerns in connection

with these two areas?

(A) The learning and teaching of film

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

(B) The learning and teaching of poetry

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other areas that require support and the related support measures: ____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Other recommendations on the curriculum of this subject:

Public Assessment: School-based Assessment (SBA)

In the NAS Short-term Review, the SBA of this subject was deferred to 2019 HKDSE Examination.

SBA is not a duplication of the examination papers in terms of task design and format. The skills required could not

be assessed in the public examination papers.

As the SBA design was streamlined to one task (in the form of an extended essay/review/creative work) in 2012, no

further streamlining is proposed in the Medium-term Review.

For details, please refer to the proposed Assessment Framework in the Annex.

Schools are being consulted regarding the SBA implementation plan for the deferred subjects. Details are provided in the School

Leaders Questionnaire. Related subject panel heads/coordinators should confer with the principal and relevant teachers, and

indicate their views in question 7.2 of the School Leaders Questionnaire.

12. The SBA requirements have already been streamlined to one single task. Do you agree that no further changes to the SBA

requirements are needed?

○ Agree

○ Disagree

○ No opinion

Other comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


13. Do you agree with the following measures to support the implementation of the SBA for Literature in English?

(A) To provide a set of criteria for SBA

○ Agree

○ Disagree

○ No opinion

Other comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

(B) To provide a manual on citations and referencing

○ Agree

○ Disagree

○ No opinion

Other comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

(C) To provide sample SBA work to illustrate different levels of performance after the trial in the 2018 HKDSE

Examination

○ Agree

○ Disagree

○ No opinion

Other comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Other recommendations on the SBA of this subject:


Public Assessment: Public Examination

15. As one of the Short-term Review recommendations, the design of the examination papers will be revised and implemented

from the 2016 HKDSE Examination. Only one set of question papers will be provided. The paper number will be

changed to Paper 1: Essay Writing and Paper 2: Appreciation. The examination time for Paper 2 Appreciation will be

reduced from 2.5 hours to 2 hours.

Do you agree that there should be no further changes to the revised design of the Literature in English public examination

papers, subject to regular review and continuous improvement in light of feedback from live examinations?

○ Agree

○ Disagree

○ No opinion

Other comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Other recommendations on the public examination of this subject:

17.a Teachers’ needs and concerns will be continually identified through different channels, such as curriculum development

visits and focus group interviews, to inform the future direction in the development of the Literature in English subject.

Suggestions for future development of the curriculum of this subject:

17.b Suggestions for future development of the public assessment of this subject:

– T he End –

Thank you very much!

2018-HKDSE-LIT ENG (Proposed) of 13

PROPOSED 2018 HKDSE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

INTRODUCTION

The public assessment of this subject is based on the Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary

46) Literature in English jointly prepared by the Curriculum Development Council and the Hong

Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Candidates should refer to the Guide for the

knowledge, understanding, and skills, etc. they are required to demonstrate in the assessment.

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES

The assessment objectives of Literature in English are to evaluate the following:

(a) candidates’ familiarity with the background and content of literary and film texts as well as the

techniques employed by the writers/filmmakers in their works;

(b) candidates’ ability to articulate an informed personal response;

(c) candidates’ ability to write clear, succinct answers which demonstrate critical and analytical

skills; and

(d) candidates’ ability to express themselves freely, informally and imaginatively in Portfolio

work, which relates topics of literary significance to issues of importance in contemporary

culture.

MODE OF ASSESSMENT

The table outlines the various components of the public assessment of Literature in English in the

2018 HKDSE:

Component Weighting Duration

Public

Examination

Paper 1 Essay Writing

Paper 2 Appreciation

Paper 3 Portfolio

50%

30%

20%

3 hours

2 hours

-

PUBLIC EXAMINATION

Paper 1 Essay Writing (3 hours) (50%)

This paper will be divided into two parts. Candidates must answer three questions from the two parts

of the paper, two from Part I (taken from different sections) and one from Part II, which must cover

those genres the candidate has not already covered in Part I. Part I (30% of the subject mark) will

comprise four sections, A – D. Candidates may choose to answer a question on one of two novels in

Section A, one of two plays in Section B, and one of two films in Section C. Section D will cover

eight short stories from a single volume. In Part I there will be two questions on each text. Part II

(20% of the subject mark) will be comprised of eight questions requiring comparisons of two or more

of the set texts from Part I. All questions will require essay-type answers, with some inviting

imaginative expansion of texts.

Annex


Paper 2 Appreciation (2 hours) (30%)

This paper will be divided into 3 sections. Candidates must choose one question from a choice of four in Section A, one

question from a choice of two in Section B and one question from a choice of two in Section C. Multi-part questions will

invite critical analyses of a single passage from either of the prescribed novels or the prescribed plays in Section A (10%

of the subject mark), two or three set poems either by the same or different poets in Section B (12% of the subject mark),

and one or two unseen poems in Section C (8% of the subject mark). For the Unseen Poetry section, candidates should

study a broad range of modern poetry, including themes such as love, nature, war, death and animals. Candidates will be

expected to show an ability to understand the thought and feeling in the poetry, and the ways in which these are conveyed.

Copies of the set and unseen poems will be included in the question paper.

Paper 3 Portfolio (20%)

The portfolio component of Literature in English constitutes 20% of the total weighting for the subject. It involves the

preparation of an extended essay on a theme/work/writer connected to the learner’s study in the subject, OR an analytical

study/review of a film/play/performance, OR (a) piece(s) of creative writing, of around 2000 to 2500 words.

Work for the Portfolio should be related to, but not exclusively or extensively based on, the set texts. Learners can use the

texts they study as an inspiration for their Portfolio work, but they should not include detailed analysis of those works.

Instead they should focus on other arts-related materials. In the context of this subject, ‘arts’ refers to activities such as

literature, cinema, television, music, painting and dance, which people can take part in for the purposes of enjoyment, or to

create various impressions and/or meanings.

The main prose or film works chosen for study should be written or made originally in English. Studies of other cultural

mediums should centre on the works of English-speaking artists or performers. Candidates should be encouraged to make

connections between what they read and things occurring in Hong Kong and around the world. Cross-cultural references can

be made in the work, e.g. comparing the set film with local films/television. Extended essays which deal exclusively with

such subjects as history, sociology, psychology, scientific or liberal studies are not appropriate.

Submissions for Portfolio work should not exceed the word limit, which includes footnotes. Work should be typed on A4

paper with the task type(s) clearly indicated on the front cover(s) and presented in a folder. Portfolios will be collected at

the end of January of the year of the examination.

SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT (SBA)

The implementation schedule of SBA in Literature in English has been revised as follows:

Year of

examination

Implementation of SBA

2018 Optional trial – Schools can opt to submit SBA marks for feedback from the HKEAA. The

marks submitted will not be counted towards the subject result. Public examination results will

constitute 100% of the final subject results.

Starting

from 2019

Full implementation – All schools will implement SBA and submit marks to the HKEAA.

The SBA marks will contribute 20% to the final subject mark.

The design of the SBA is the same as that of Paper 3 Portfolio, following the short-term review of the new senior secondary

curriculum and assessment conducted in 2012-13. The SBA design may be subject to further updates after feedback from

schools and experience gained during the transition years. The detailed requirements, regulations, assessment criteria and

guidelines will be provided in the revised SBA Handbook for HKDSE Literature in English to be published by September

2015. During the transition years, the curriculum for Literature in English will remain as it is and schools are expected to

conduct the SBA activities as an integral part of learning and teaching and internal assessment, as recommended in the

Curriculum and Assessment Guide.

Private candidates need not complete the SBA component. Their subject result will be based entirely on the public

examination result.


THE SYLLABUS

The syllabus is based on the study of one set of texts, which will vary over time. The set offers a choice of one of two

novels, one of two plays, one of two films, a set of short stories selected from a given volume and a set of poems selected

from a given volume. The texts will be examined as follows:

Genre Paper(s)

Novels Paper 1 Part I Section A, Part II & Paper 2 Section A (text analysis)

Plays Paper 1 Part I Section B, Part II & Paper 2 Section A (text analysis)

Films Paper 1 Part I Section C, Part II

Short stories Paper 1 Part I Section D, Part II

Poetry Paper 2 Section B (comparison of works by one or more poets)

Set texts

Novels: Lord of the Flies, William Golding OR To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Plays: The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare OR The Crucible, Arthur Miller

Films: The Painted Veil (2006) Dir: John Curran OR Life of Pi (2012) Dir: Ang Lee

Short stories: Fiction: A Pocket Anthology (Seventh Edition) ed. R.S. Gwynn. Penguin Academics (2014).

C. P. Gilman: The Yellow Wallpaper

Edith Wharton: Roman Fever

Flannery O’Connor: Everything that Rises Must Converge

Shirley Jackson: The Lottery

Hisaye Yamamoto: Seventeen Syllables

Raymond Carver: Cathedral

Alice Walker: Everyday Use

L. Erdrich: The Red Convertible

Alice Munro: The Bear Came Over the Mountain

Margaret Atwood: Happy Endings

Poetry: From The Rattle Bag ed. S. Heaney & T. Hughes, Faber and Faber

Elizabeth Bishop:

‘The Bight’, ‘The Fish’, ‘Sandpiper’

Robert Frost:

‘Desert Places’, ‘Gathering Leaves’, ‘Stopping by Woods

on a Snowy Evening’

John Keats:

‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’, ‘Ode to a Nightingale’,

‘To Autumn’

Philip Larkin: ‘At Grass’, ‘Cut Grass’, ‘Days’

Sylvia Plath: ‘Crossing the Water’, ‘Mushrooms’, ‘Poppies in July’

Dylan Thomas:

‘Do not go gentle into that good night’, ‘Poem in October’,

‘The hand that signed the paper felled a city’.

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