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【2026 Latest Policy】How Secondary School Internal Assessments Are Calculated: New Subject Weightings and Band 1 Score-Boosting Strategies (Part 1)

Hawkeye Education · 2026-07-30 · 2 min read

A primary school student preparing for the SSPA internal assessments

In Hong Kong's Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) System, the three internal assessments directly affect a student's school ranking and Banding. Starting from second term of Primary 5 in the 2026/27 school year, subject weightings will be adjusted. Parents should understand the new calculation method early.

Weighting of the Three Internal Assessments

The Education Bureau assigns the same weighting to all three internal assessments, with each accounting for 1/3:

  1. First assessment: Primary 5, second term (around May to June)
  2. Second assessment: Primary 6, first term (around November to December)
  3. Third assessment: Primary 6, second term (around February to March)

That means the first assessment in Primary 5 is no dry run — it's where the real competition begins. That said, a weak first result isn't the end of the story: the two remaining assessments in Primary 6 still leave plenty of room to bounce back.

Subject Weightings for the 2026/27 School Year

Key Learning Area / SubjectCurrent WeightingRevised WeightingShare of Total Score
Chinese Language Education9821.1%
English Language Education9821.1%
Mathematics Education9821.1%
Former General Studies6—0%
Science (split from General Studies)—410.5%
Humanities (split from General Studies)—410.5%
Visual Arts325.3%
Music225.3%
Physical Education025.3%
Total3838100%

Note: Schools may include Putonghua and Religious Studies as optional subjects, with weightings of 1 and 2 respectively.

Why Are School Marks Different from the Final Banding?

The Education Bureau refers to the Pre-Secondary One Hong Kong Attainment Test (Pre-S1 HKAT) when adjusting each primary school's internal assessment results:

  1. School ranking matters more than raw marks: Banding mainly depends on a student's relative position within the school.
  2. Past Pre-S1 performance affects the adjustment: Results achieved by previous cohorts influence how the school's overall results are adjusted.
  3. Students are re-ranked across Hong Kong: After adjustment, students are divided into three Bands, with each accounting for approximately one-third.

Summary

Students can prepare using the strategy: secure the core subjects, strengthen Science and Humanities, and maintain stable results in PE and the arts.

  • First, secure Chinese, English, and Mathematics, which account for 63.2%.
  • Strengthen Science and Humanities to widen the ranking gap.
  • Maintain stable results in PE and the arts to avoid losing marks.
  • Pay attention to school ranking and the Pre-S1 adjustment mechanism, rather than focusing only on raw exam scores.

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