The Education Bureau today announced that specific language proficiency results in Urdu and Hindi under the Category C Other Languages (OL) subjects of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination will be accepted as meeting entry requirements for relevant civil service grades.
New arrangements for Category C OL subjects, including French, German, Japanese, Korean and Spanish, have been implemented by the Examinations & Assessment Authority starting from the 2025 HKDSE. Candidates are required to take the stipulated language examinations administered by the respective official organisations in Hong Kong.
Results obtained at the stipulated examination grades/language proficiency levels or above will be included in HKDSE Examination Category C results and recorded on HKDSE certificates.
Starting from the 2026 HKDSE, Urdu will be included in Category C OL subjects, and Hindi will be included starting from the 2028 HKDSE. The arrangements are the same as those for the existing OL subjects.
In light of the latest arrangements, the Civil Service Bureau accepts the specific language proficiency levels attained in Urdu and Hindi in the HKDSE Category C OL examination as meeting the requirements of “Level 2/Level 3 in one of the five subjects in the HKDSE Examination” for the purposes of civil service non-degree grade appointments.
Existing acceptance arrangements remain unchanged for OL results obtained in the 2024 HKDSE Examination or earlier.
Offering the OL subjects as elective subjects at the senior secondary level is intended to foster multilingualism and broaden career options for students.
