Fancy moves pay off for young genius

Teenager Ian Chiu Yi-nap danced and played video games to relax - and didn't go for private tutorial classes - on his way to becoming a "super scorer'' in the Diploma of Secondary Education examinations.

The 17-year-old is the first DSE super scorer from subsidized school Po Leung Kuk Tang Yuk Tien College in Tuen Mun and is among the seven top scorers in this year's exam.

Chiu scored eight 5** in the four core subjects of chemistry, physics, economics and mathematics extension module - results he said were beyond his expectations.

He said his achievement was just beginning to sink in, adding: "It is like a dream."

Chiu attributed his success to having a structured study plan and paying full attention during classes, while spending some time to relax as well.

Dancing and music were his go-to activities for relieving stress.

"Even though I am not good at singing, I still sing sometimes," he said.

"The most important thing is not to confine yourself to just studying because this may induce a huge amount of stress."

Described as a well-rounded student by teachers, Chiu is skillful in contemporary and Chinese dances. He won the gold award in the ensemble category in the Bauhinia Cup International Dance Championships in 2018.

"The school has also provided me with an abundant amount of study resources like past papers," said Chiu, explaining why he refused his mother's request to attend private tutorial classes.

"Some teachers made videos or arranged extra Zoom classes for us and some classmates and I would use online meetings to revise together to help and encourage each other," he added.

The highflier hopes to study quantitative finance at the University of Hong Kong to follow his interest in mathematics and economics.

Ying Wa College in Sham Shui Po, Queen Elizabeth School in Mong Kok and St Stephen's Girls' College in Mid-Levels produced top scorers for the first time.

Both Diocesan Girls' School in Jordan and St Mary's Canossian College in Tsim Sha Tsui, as usual, had their share of top scorers. Two DGS students and a St Mary's teenager achieved perfect scores.

Super scorer Serena Yu Sheung-wing, St Mary's fifth top scorer in the DSE exams' 10-year history, said she had not thought about emigration and would stay in Hong Kong.

"I feel a great sense of belonging and I really love this place," she said. "I hope that I can give whatever I can back to society because it has nurtured me so much, and I want to help make it a better city."

She plans to study medicine in Hong Kong, but she is still deciding whether to apply to HKU or Chinese University.

Super scorer Emily Chan Hoi-ying of Diocesan said she was thrilled to see all her hard work finally paying off.

"My plan now is to take my time to seriously look into options available to me for my university education and decide what would suit me best in terms of personal interest and aspiration," she said.

Her schoolmate, Lee Cheuk-lam, who attained seven 5** in the DSE exam, said she will study law at the University of Cambridge in England but hopes to return to Hong Kong to work in the future.

Jodie Chan Lok-yung of St Stephen's, Sunny Ching Long of Ying Wa and Martin Leung Pok-yin of Queen Elizabeth School all want to get into the medical school at CUHK.

This year's DSE examination saw a record low of 49,976 candidates sitting for the exams.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com

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