Hong Kong Primary Three pupils’ English competency rebounds to record high 83.2%
Improvements in English proficiency across Primary Three, Six and Form Three, but mixed results for Chinese and mathematics competency
The English competency level of Hong Kong’s Primary Three pupils has reached a record high in a citywide assessment by authorities, marking a recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Results for this year’s Territory-wide System Assessment, released on Thursday, showed that English proficiency for Primary Three, Primary Six and Form Three pupils has improved from last year, reversing a downward trend since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Notably, 83.2 per cent of the city’s Primary Three pupils have attained basic competency in the language, the highest passing rate since the test began in 2004, and up from 78.7 per cent last year.
It was also the first time that the passing rate for English outperformed that for Chinese in any student group, as 81.4 per cent of Primary Three pupils achieved basic competency in Chinese in 2025, an increase of half a percentage point from last year.
Announcing the results, the Education Bureau (EDB) said the data remained generally steady and similar compared with the results of the previous assessments.
“The EDB expresses its gratitude to the school sector for continuously adopting diversified teaching strategies and measures to cater for the different needs of students and raise teaching effectiveness,” it said.