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Candidates Do Better in Getting Right Answers Than in Explaining Reasoning Process

Date : 2010-03-18

World Class Tests in Mathematics and Problem Solving administered by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have found that Hong Kong students aged 8 to 14 performed better in arriving at the right answers in tests, but less well in explaining each step in the process of calculation.

The difference is particularly significant in the younger age group between 8 and 11. For instance, in the Algebra questions, the average score for the "answers" part was 67, but the average score for the "calculation process" part was 42. Meanwhile, in the Measurement questions, the average score for "answers" was 68 while that for "calculation process" was only 38.

"Hong Kong students are in general well trained in doing examination papers, especially in answering multiple choice questions that do not require the candidate to explain his reasoning process," said Prof Wong Man-Yu of the HKUST Mathematics Department, who has conducted a detailed analysis on the test results.

Added Prof Edmund Chiang of the same department, "In general, being able to arrive at a correct answer is only part of the learning process. It is equally important that one can understand the topic in a holistic manner and be able to explain clearly the thinking process behind. The latter is particularly important to a person's lifelong development. However, as the candidates taking part in the World Class Tests are not randomly selected, the analysis results may not necessarily reflect the overall situation in Hong Kong."

The above results were derived from the Mathematics papers for both the 8 to 11 age group, in which 1,480 students took the test, and the 12 to 14 age group, involving 305 students. As for the Problem Solving papers, a total of 683 and 210 candidates are from the 8 to 11 age group and the 12 to 14 age group respectively.

The World Class Tests

Since the launch of the World Class Tests in 2001 by the British Government's Department for Education and Skills for assessing and nurturing gifted youngsters, the Tests have become an international benchmark for Mathematics and Problem Solving. The questions in the tests are designed by professors of renowned universities in the UK, USA and Australia.

The Tests were first introduced in Hong Kong in 2004, and since then, nearly 30,000 students from about 400 primary and secondary schools have taken the Tests. In 2008 HKUST was commissioned to promote and administer the Tests in the Asian region.

World Class Tests are organized throughout the world in April and November each year, and the results announced today are of the November 2009 tests conducted at various school test sites in Hong Kong.

附錄 1
Appendix 1

中學組數學科最傑出表現學校獎
Most Outstanding Group Performance in Mathematics (Aged 12-14)
金文泰中學 Clementi Secondary School
沙田崇真中學 Shatin Tsung Tsin Secondary School
聖保羅男女中學 St Paul's Co-Educational College
東華三院黃笏南中學 TWGHs Wong Fut Nam College
英華書院 Ying Wa College

中學組解難分析科最傑出表現學校獎
Most Outstanding Group Performance in Problem Solving (Aged 12-14)
拔萃女書院 Diocesan Girls' School
沙田崇真中學 Shatin Tsung Tsin Secondary School
聖保羅男女中學 St Paul's Co-Educational College
英華書院 Ying Wa College

小學組數學科最傑出表現學校獎
Most Outstanding Group Performance in Mathematics (Aged 8-11)
華德學校上午校 Bishop Walsh Primary School (A.M.)
聖公會田灣始南小學 S.K.H. Tin Wan Chi Nam Primary School
聖方濟各英文小學 St. Francis Of Assisi's English Primary School

小學組解難分析科最傑出表現學校獎
Most Outstanding Group Performance in Problem Solving (Aged 8-11)
華德學校上午校 Bishop Walsh Primary School (A.M.)
啟思小學 Creative Primary School
聖公會田灣始南小學 S.K.H. Tin Wan Chi Nam Primary School
聖方濟各英文小學 St. Francis Of Assisi's English Primary School

附錄 2
Appendix 2

12-14 歲	中學組數學科 - 各級最佳表現獎 Most Outstanding Candidate in Mathematics (Aged 12-14)
	聖保羅男女中學	劉振庭	Lau Chun Ting	Secondary 1 Level	St. Paul's Co-Educational College
	拔萃女書院	王詩雅	Wong Sze Nga	Secondary 2 Level	Diocesan Girls' School
	順德聯誼總會梁銶琚中學	賴雋喬	Lai Chun Kiu	Secondary 3 Level	Shun Tak Fraternal Association Leung Kau Kui College
	越級挑戰數學科最佳表現獎 Most Outstanding Challenger in Mathematics (Aged 12-14)
	聖方濟各英文小學	陳梓瑜	Chan Tsz Yu	St. Francis Of Assisi's English Primary School

12-14 歲	中學組解難分析科 - 各級最佳表現獎 Most Outstanding Candidate in Problem Solving (Aged 12-14)
	聖保羅男女中學	劉振庭	Lau Chun Ting	Secondary 1 Level	St. Paul's Co-Educational College
	喇沙書院	許百楠	Hui Pak Nam	Secondary 2 Level	La Salle College
	聖保羅男女中學	曾煦德	Tsang Hardy Hui Tak	Secondary 3 Level	St. Paul's Co-Educational College
	越級挑戰解難分析科最佳表現獎 Most Outstanding Challenger in Problem Solving (Aged 12-14)
	佛教中華康山學校	李瑋樑	Lee Wai Leung	Buddhist Chung Wah Kornhill Primary School

8-11 歲	小學組數學科 - 各級最佳表現獎 Most Outstanding Candidate in Mathematics (Aged 8-11)
	聖瑪加利男女英文中小學	陳星宏	Chan Mannix	Primary 3 Level	St. Margaret's Co-educational English Secondary & Primary School
	聖公會田灣始南小學	陳曉諾	Chan Hiu Lok	Primary 4 Level	S.K.H. Tin Wan Chi Nam Primary School
	聖方濟各英文小學	鄭子浚	Cheng Tsz Tsun	Primary 5 Level	St. Francis Of Assisi's English Primary School
	拔萃男書院附屬小學	莊洛霆	Chong Lok Ting James	Primary 6 Level	Diocesan Boys' School Primary Division

8-11 歲	小學組解難分析科 - 各級最佳表現獎 Most Outstanding Candidate in Problem Solving (Aged 8-11)
	聖瑪加利男女英文中小學	陳星宏	Chan Mannix	Primary 3 Level	St. Margaret's Co-educational English Secondary & Primary School
	香港道教聯合會圓玄學院陳呂重德紀念學校	何浚銘	Ho Tsun Ming	Primary 4 Level	H.K.T.A.Y.Y.I. Chan Lui Chung Tak Memorial School
	天主教善導小學	嚴耀華	Yim Yiu Wa	Primary 5 Level	Good Counsel Catholic Primary School
	合一堂學校	黎新禹	Lai San Yu	Primary 6 Level	Hop Yat Church School

中學組最年輕雙優生 Youngest Outstanding Candidate (Aged 12-14 Test)
英皇佐治五世學校	關瑞駿	Kwan Sui Chun Sampson	King George V School
小學組最年輕雙優生 Youngest Outstanding Candidate (Aged 8-11 Test)
聖瑪加利男女英文中小學	陳星宏	Chan Mannix	St. Margaret's Co-educational English Secondary & Primary School

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