Hong Kong saw at least 26 students attain the perfect score of 45 in the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams this year as results were released on Saturday, including 17 students from English Schools Foundation (ESF).

Among the top scorers, four were from Diocesan Boys’ School, two from Victoria Shanghai Academy, two from Singapore International School (Hong Kong), and one from St Paul’s Co-educational College.

Bernard Siu from Diocesan Boys’ School was earlier admitted to the history and politics program of the University of Cambridge. Speaking to reporters today, he said he hopes to work in the media industry or join government bodies and international organizations to do research.

“There has been chaos across the globe these past few years which inspired me to study politics, and I hope I can apply my knowledge to help solve some of the most urgent global issues,” he said.

Another top scorer, Geoffrey Wong, admitted to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), believes the previous time-zone cheating incidents were not fair to some of the candidates.

Wong confessed that his mind was affected to a certain level but he soon threw himself into preparing for the exams.

Top performer Jenson Tham from St Paul’s Co-educational College also said his mood was affected by the incidents in the early stages of the exams and suggested the exam organizers consider unifying the starting time for all regions to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Tham will be studying medicine also at the University of Cambridge, saying he finds the research atmosphere there to be more fitting. He said it’s still too early to say if he will practice in Hong Kong or the UK but noted that he is more inclined to return home.

“The healthcare sector of Hong Kong is pretty understaffed, and Hong Kong is where I grew up,” he added.

A press conference will be held by ESF on Sunday to announce the results and outstanding students will be invited to share their experiences and future plans.

Hong Kong sees at least 26 students attain perfect score in IB exams