Territory-wide System Assessment (全港性系統評估)

The TSA is supposed to be a low-stakes test, aiming to measure the overall level of achievements in basic abilities in Chinese, English and Mathematics in classes and schools. It is not aimed at measuring the performance of individual students. Theoretically there should be no incentive for a student to study specifically for the test.

However, the reputation of the class, its teachers, and the school, consequently its admission statistics, potential allocation of resources, and ultimately, survival, in this day of declining birth rates and student population, are all at stake. Hence there is strong motivation for teachers and headmasters to ensure that their students perform well.

There is now a new business of producing books, exercises, training courses, etc., targeting at preparations for these TSA tests. There is a supply of such things because there is a demand. Many schools have regular “supplementary” classes and exercises to prepare their students.

Hong Kong is supposed to be trying to reduce the number and severity of public examinations and moving away from an examination-driven education culture. But the reality, sadly, seems quite different.