XN000022-1975-07-11 — Page 7

FRIDAY, JULY 11, 1975

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SSEE RESULTS TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT THURSDAY

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THE RESULTS OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION ARE EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS FROM NEXT THURSDAY (JULY 17), BARRING UNFORESEEN DIFFICULTIES, THE SECRETARY OF THE EXAMINATION ANNOUNCED TODAY.

HEADS OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS ARE BEING ADVISED WHEN AND WHERE TO COLLECT THE RESULTS.

THIS YEAR INDIVIDUAL RESULTS WILL NOT BE ISSUED TO NEWSPAPERS. +THIS IS BEING DONE TO SAVE TIME AND PARENTS WILL BE ABLE TO LEARN THEIR CHILDREN'S RESULTS AT LEAST TWO DAYS EARLIER THAN WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE IF THE PRESS LIST HAD TO BE COMPILED AND CHECKED,+ THE SECRETARY SAID.

THIS YEAR RESULTS ALSO TAKE ON A DIFFERENT GROUPING SYSTEM. FOR MANY YEARS IT HAD BEEN THE PRACTICE TO GROUP CANDIDATES INTO BLOCKS' ACCORDING TO THEIR EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE. THOSE CANDIDATES IN BLOCKS ONE TO SEVEN WERE ELIGIBLE FOR FIVE-YEAR PLACES AND THOSE IN BLOCK EIGHT WERE ELIGIBLE FOR THREE-YEAR PLACES. THE REMAINDER WERE GROUPED INTO A FURTHER TEN TO TWELVE BLOCKS.

THE PRINCIPLE WAS GENERALLY FOLLOWED THAT BLOCKS HAD EQUAL MARK-RANGES (THE EXCEPTIONS BEING THE FIRST, EIGHTH AND LAST BLOCKS). THIS RESULTED IN SOME BLOCKS BEING EX- TREMELY LARGE (E.G. 29,107 IN BLOCK EIGHT LAST YEAR) OTHERS VERY SMALL (ONLY 148 IN BLOCK ONE).

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AFTER VERY LONG AND CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. THE S.S.E.E. COMMITTEE ADVISED, AND THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION ORDERED, THAT THE BLOCK-SYSTEM SHOULD BE MODIFIED.

THIS YEAR, WINNERS OF FIVE-YEAR PLACES WILL BE GROUPED INTO FIVE BLOCKS, CALLED X1, X2, X3, X4 AND X5, EACH HAVING APPROXIMATELY 3,600 PUPILS WINNERS OF THREE-YEAR PLACES WILL FORM TWO BLOCKS, Y1 AND Y2, EACH HAVING ABOUT 15,000 PUPILS- AND THE REMAINDER WILL BE IN FIVE BLOCKS, Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 AND Z5, EACH HAVING ABOUT 9,600 PUPILS.

+THE LETTERS 'X' "Y" AND "Z HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE NEW BLOCKS DO NOT CORRESPOND TO THE OLD,+ THE SECRETARY SAID.

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A MEASURE OF CONTINUITY WILL BE PROVIDED, HOWEVER, BY MAINTAINING THE OLD GRADE-SYSTEM FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SUBJECTS CHINESE ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS. THESE GRADES WILL BE BASED, AS FORMERLY, ON THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUAL MARK-INTERVALS.

+IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE COMBINATION OF THE NEW BLOCK- SYSTEM WITH THE TRADITIONAL GRADE-SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE A MORE USEFUL AND INFORMATIVE PICTURE OF EACH PUPIL, THE SECRETARY SAID.

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