Perfect IB exam scorers from HK down to just 23 amid world-trending slide

Twenty-three Hong Kong students have attained the full 45 points in the International Baccalaureate exams this year, down drastically from last year's 93 top scorers.

A total of 2,275 Hong Kong students took the IB exam in May, 62 more than last year. They were among more than 179,900 students around the world who sat the exam, up 6,100 on last year.

More than one-tenth - 12.8 percent - of the world's 179 full-mark top scorers were from Hong Kong. Last year that figure was 14.5 percent - 93 from Hong Kong out of 640 worldwide.

The English Schools Foundation - the largest English-medium international school organization in Hong Kong - had eight top scorers from its seven secondary schools, down from last year's 36.

Three who earned full marks were from Diocesan Boys' School in Mong Kok, while St Paul's Co-educational College in Mid-Levels saw two top scorers.

Singapore International School (Hong Kong) had two students achieve 45 points, and Canadian International School of Hong Kong had one.

The average score of Hong Kong students is 30.24 this year - lower than last year's 31.98 - but surpassing the global average of 30.2.

In a statement yesterday, IB said its grade-awarding system was similar to the pre-pandemic one in 2019. The exam body introduced "appropriate grade boundaries" in the past three years due to Covid.

"In line with other international awarding bodies, IB had decided that the distribution of grades awarded for our qualifications returned close to those of May 2019," it said.

Olli-Pekka Heinonen, IB director general, said: "This year again, IB students in Hong Kong have shown outstanding resilience, adaptability and dedication to their learning. Their academic results reflect the IB family's shared commitment to excellence."

Education consultant Ruth Benny, founder and head girl of Top Schools in Wan Chai, said it was too early to analyze the reasons behind the drop in top scorers but stressed Hong Kong students' average scores remained high and exceeded the global average.

IB coordinator from Diocesan Boys' School, Charles Wu, said the drop in top scorers was a worldwide situation. He added: "In the past three years, we've had quite a bit of inflation in the scores."

Besides three students getting 45 points, DBS had five receiving 44.

Among the three full-mark students, Anson Lam Yuk-ching, 18, will depart for London next month and pursue piano performance at the Royal College of Music.

"Exposure is indeed important for a musician," Lam said. "I think studying abroad in an English-speaking country can help me connect with other musicians."

Schoolmate Max Kwok Shun-wang, 17, said he will study medicine in Hong Kong and pursue orthopedics.

"Growing up I had never thought of studying medicine - until the past few years. I had always dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player," said Kwok, the captain of the DBS tennis team and a member of the national team.

Kwok said tennis courts were closed during the pandemic, which allowed him to be more focused on revision.

Selwyn Saw Zi-hong, 18, said he will study law in Hong Kong. He added: "I have read different articles about sports athletes. I learned that they often have different legal contracts, or they might be criminalized for certain reasons."

The two full-mark scorers at St Paul's said they will study in America.

Stefanie Lee Wing-hay, 18, who will take up economics at the University of Pennsylvania, said: "I used to want to study in Hong Kong, but I found that there are plenty of options overseas. I want to go out there and explore."

Ian Chang Chun-lam, 18, will attend a triple degree offered by University of Southern California, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Bocconi University in Italy.