Goethe-Zertifikat as official German exam in HKDSE

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) announced new arrangements for Category C (Other Languages) subjects commencing from the 2025 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) onward:

HKDSE candidates who take Category C subjects will be required to take stipulated official language examinations. The stipulated official examination of German Language is the Goethe-Zertifikat examination, provided and issued by the Goethe-Institut*.

The level of Goethe-Zertifikat and its reporting of results are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Therefore, instead of taking the same exam paper for all candidates, candidates will have their designated examination according to their level of proficiency. 

Under the new arrangement, if a candidate takes the language exam multiple times, regardless of the same or different levels, the HKEAA will only include the candidate's highest grade and result in the DSE Category C subject results. Candidates must report the relevant results to the HKEAA by the specified deadline, which will be announced when registering for the DSE.


*The Goethe-Institut is the official cultural institution of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Designated CEFR levels in HKDSE

According to European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the level of proficiency starts the lowest with A1 (Beginner, 60-150 learning hours), A2 (Basic, 150-260 learning hours), B1 (Independent, 260-485 learning hours), B2 (Advanced, 450-600 learning hours), while the proficient learners at levels C1 and C2 require 600 learning hours or above.

Students who would like to take the German language as a Category C subject have to take the Goethe-Zertifikat examination in level A2 or above within the two years preceding the HKDSE they sit, i.e. for 2025 HKDSE candidates, the exam has to be taken in 2023 and/or 2024.

The Goethe-Zertifikat exam has 4 modules in total: listening, writing, speaking and reading, where candidates have to participate in all of them.

Score Conversion for University Admission

This conversion table provides an overview of the score conversion for the HKDSE German Language (Category C) for admissions to UGC-funded universities starting in 2025.

	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2
HKU	4	5.5	7	8.5	8.5
CUHK^	3	3	4	5.5	7
HKUST	3	4	5.5	7	8.5
CityU	3	3	4	5.5	7
PolyU	3	4	5.5	7	8.5
HKBU	4	5.5	5.5	7	7
LingU	4	5	6	7	7
EduHK	3	4	5	6	7

^except JS4501/4502 MBChB (GPS)

Please note: The conversion table is intended for reference purposes only. There may be discrepancies between this table and the actual score conversions used by individual universities. It is strongly recommended to consult the respective university admission offices directly for the most up-to-date information.