Cross-border DSE candidates stumble on question about fencer Edgar Cheung

The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) English speaking exam kicked off on Tuesday (Mar 11), with some mainland candidates finding themselves puzzled by questions about the city's star fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long.

A number of cross-border students were spotted studying outside the examination venue in Tseung Kwan O at the last minute, while some were accompanied by their parents for support.

One of the candidates, surname Shi and is currently studying in Shenzhen, mentioned after the exam that she would head back to Shenzhen shortly. 

Despite feeling a bit out of the loop regarding details about Edgar Cheung -- which was a focus of her exam question -- Shi remained confident. 

One of the exam questions asked the group to discuss how they would interview the celebrity and related activities as part of a school council project.

While Shi was hoping for more general topics like AI technology and environmental issues, she noted that the exam's structure gave her enough room to express her thoughts even without in-depth knowledge of Cheung. 

She also shared her usual practice routine of speaking with classmates to improve her fluency and expressed her aim to achieve a level 4 in the oral exam.

Another mainland candidate, Zhu, echoed similar sentiments and admitted that he was not well-acquainted with Cheung. However, he said he could contribute to the group discussions and was optimistic about his performance in the exam.

Reflecting on his experience, Zhu advised other cross-border students to keep calm during the exam, emphasizing that everything would work out just fine as long as they engaged in conversation.