Applied Learning - Quality Assurance, Reporting of Performance, Recognition and Articulation

Quality Assurance

The Education Bureau (EDB) has institutionalised an Applied Learning (ApL) quality assurance mechanism involving the Curriculum Development Council Committee on ApL, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority to ensure that courses are developed according to the design principles; the curriculum is delivered as designed; and the learning outcomes of students can meet the set standards.

Reporting of Performance

ApL courses are offered as elective subjects under the senior secondary curriculum. The results are recorded on the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) certificate.

Effective from the 2018 HKDSE*, the reporting of students' performance in ApL subject is by three levels, namely, "Attained", "Attained with Distinction (I)" and "Attained with Distinction (II)".  Performance of "Attained with Distinction (I)" is deemed comparable to Level 3 of Category A subjects of the HKDSE; and "Attained with Distinction (II)" is deemed comparable to Level 4 or above of Category A subjects of the HKDSE. As for Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students) (ApL(C)), students' performance is reported as "Attained" and "Attained with Distinction". 

 * For the 2012-2017 HKDSE, ApL results were reported as "Attained" and "Attained with Distinction" on the HKDSE certificate. 

Recognition

In addition to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education qualification, students who have successfully completed ApL courses that are registered in the Qualifications Register (as certificate programmes at Qualifications Framework (QF) Level 3) will obtain QF certificates issued by the course providers. Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students) (ApL(C)) is pegged at QF Level 1 to Level 3, whereas Applied Learning (Vocational English) (ApL(VocE)) is pegged at QF Level 2 to Level 3. Students taking ApL(C)/ApL(VocE) will obtain the respective QF certificate(s) issued by the course providers upon meeting the assessment and attendance requirements of different QF levels of the courses. Details are available at the Qualifications Register website (www.hkqr.gov.hk).

Articulation

Applied Learning (except for Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students))

Student admission in post-secondary institutions has followed the principle of institutional autonomy. For further studies in undergraduate programmes – Institutions value the learning experiences that students acquire in ApL.  ApL subjects are recognised as elective subjects, or considered for award of extra bonus or additional information, varying by individual institutions, faculties or programmes. 

Recognition of Applied Learning by University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded Universities Undergraduate Programmes
Source: UGC-funded Universities websites

Please refer to the websites of individual institutions for details:
 

City University of Hong Kong    Hong Kong Baptist University     Lingnan University     The Chinese University of Hong Kong    

The Education University of Hong Kong     The Hong Kong Polytechnic University   

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology     The University of Hong Kong

For further studies in sub-degree programmes – The Updated Revised Common Descriptors for Associate Degree (AD) and Higher Diploma (HD) Programmes (Effective since the 2024/25 academic year) set out that, the minimum entrance requirements for Associate Degree or Higher Diploma Programmes are Level 2 in five HKDSE subjects (including Chinese Language and English Language). Applicants are allowed to use ApL subjects ^Note . The updated Revised Common Descriptors were announced to schools through the EDB Circular Memorandum No. 44/2023 issued on 5 July 2023. Please refer to the websites of individual institutions for details. 

 
For further studies in the Diploma of Applied Education Programme – If students successfully completed the ApL course(s) and achieved the result of “Attained” or “Attained with Distinction”, they can be exempted from taking up to two elective subjects related to the study category when studying the Diploma of Applied Education Programme. Institutions will examine in detail the Applied Learning courses and relevant elective subjects of Diploma of Applied Education Programme, and determine the exemption or the number of exemption. If the exemption is granted, students are required to take other supplementary subjects or elective subjects to make up for the exempted contact hours. All students must complete 600 contact hours under the Diploma of Applied Education Programme. Please refer to the website of Diploma of Applied Education Programme for details (https://www.dae.edu.hk).

Information on multiple pathways for senior secondary graduates is available at the "One-stop Portal on Articulation to Multiple Pathways‧Transition to Senior Secondary and Post-secondary Education" (https://amp.edb.edcity.hk/en/overview.php).

For further studies in the Mainland/abroad, details are available at the "One-stop Portal on Articulation to Multiple Pathways‧Transition to Senior Secondary and Post-secondary Education" (https://amp.edb.edcity.hk/en/beyonds6.php).

For work - On 28 June 2011, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) announced that results in the HKDSE will be accepted for civil service appointment purposes from 20 July 2012 onwards as follows:

• A combination of results in five HKDSE subjects of Level 2 in New Senior Secondary (NSS) subjects, "Attained" in Applied Learning (ApL) subjects (subject to a maximum of two ApL subjects) and Grade E in Other Language subjects will be accepted as having met the existing requirement of "five passes in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE)" and
  
• A combination of results in five HKDSE subjects of Level 3 in NSS subjects, "Attained with Distinction" in ApL subjects (subject to a maximum of two ApL subjects) and Grade C in Other Language subjects will be accepted as having met the existing requirement of "two passes at Advanced Level in the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) plus three credits in the HKCEE" (commonly known as "2A3O").

For details, please refer to the website of the CSB (www.csb.gov.hk/english/info/2170.html).

Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students) (ApL(C))

ApL(C) provides non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students with an additional channel to obtain an alternative Chinese Language qualification.   For the purpose of admission to post-secondary education programmes, ApL(C) is in general accepted as an alternative Chinese Language qualification, but it is not considered an elective subject.  Currently, University Grants Committee-funded universities and most post-secondary institutions accept ApL(C) as an alternative qualification in Chinese Language for the admission of NCS students with “Attained” as the minimum grade required.

For work – CSB accepts "Attained" and "Attained with Distinction" in ApL(C) as meeting the Chinese language proficiency requirements of relevant civil service ranks.