MT 29-DSE

ENG LANG
HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION
PAPER 4
MOCK TEST 29
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 4

PART A Group Interaction

This blog entry appeared on a website:

A homeless future?
In just over two weeks, I will graduate from secondary school. While many of my classmates are
continuing their studies at universities in Hong Kong or abroad, this is not an option for me. My HKDSE
scores were not quite high enough to get me into a local university, and my family simply cannot afford to
send me overseas.
My intention instead is to enter the job market. In fact, I’m rather looking forward to this, as I’ve never
been particularly interested in studying. But the problem is, moving into a university hall of residence is
really the only means I have of leaving my parents and getting a place to stay of my own. Renting a flat
simply isn’t an option.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. But I’ve lived with them for 18 years now, and I would like to
properly start my own life. What’s more, I don’t see this situation changing any time soon. Even with a
full-time job, I’m unlikely to have the money for my own place. What about when I meet someone and
want to start my own family? What options will I have then?
I know I’m not the only one facing this problem. It’s the same for most of my friends, and I also have an
older brother and sister—19 and 23—who are still living at home.
It would be interesting to hear some of your thoughts on this.

As part of your English class, your group has been asked to write a reply to this blog entry. You may
want to talk about:
 reasons why young people in Hong Kong usually live with their parents
 advantages and disadvantages of living with your parents
 ways to make housing available to young people
 anything else you think is important

PART B Individual Response

1. Would you like to live in your own flat?
2. Would you like to share a flat with other people?
3. What might be some of the problems with sharing a flat?
4. What do you think is the appropriate age to move out from your family home?
5. Where do you see yourself living in five years’ time?
6. In what ways is the Hong Kong’s attitude towards living with parents and other relatives different from
that of other countries?
7. If you were the government’s housing minister, what would you do about the lack of affordable housing
in Hong Kong?
8. Do you think the government has a responsibility to provide housing for all citizens?

(S5) MT 29-DSE-ENG LANG 4–1 1 © Oxford University Press

Written by Magnus Norberg (5.3/2016-17)
This mock test may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.
 DO NOT TAKE AWAY

(S5) MT 29-DSE-ENG LANG 4–2 2 © Oxford University Press

This mock test may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.
 Possible answers
Part A
S1: Hi, everyone. So, we’ve been asked to respond
to this blogger’s post about the problems of
finding a place to stay as a young Hongkonger.
My guess is that all of you still live at home
with your parents as well—I know I certainly
do.
S2: Yes, of course. Speaking for myself, I don’t
think I’m anywhere near old enough to move
out on my own yet. But even if I wanted to,
there’s no way I could. As the blogger said,
flats in Hong Kong are simply too expensive.
S1: Yes, it’s hard to argue with that. And he—or
she—is also correct to point out that even with
a full-time job, renting your own flat really isn’t
an option. Any job you can get right out of
secondary school—or even as a fresh
university graduate—is unlikely to pay a high
enough salary for that. You would have to
spend, at the very minimum, half your monthly
salary just on rent.
S3: There’s no question that the high rent is one of
the reasons why most young people in this city
stay with their parents for such a long time.
But it’s not the only reason. Family is very
important in our culture, and I know that my
parents wouldn’t be entirely happy about me
moving out—certainly not any time soon—
unless it was to go to university. I have a
feeling it’s the same for most of you.
S4: I’m actually moving out after graduation. I was
fortunate enough to get offered a place at the
University of Canberra, so I’ll be living in
Australia for three years. But my parents
definitely expect me to move back in with them
after my studies—they’ve made that very clear
indeed …
S2: Yes, it seems to me that it’s still rather
uncommon for young Hongkongers to properly
leave the nest before they get married and start
a family of their own. And of course, many stay
on even after that—which isn’t all that
surprising, really, as there are certainly some
benefits to living with your parents.
S1: Well, I can think of precisely one: it’s cheaper!
S3: Yes, there’s that, of course. Though I know that
once I start making money, my parents will
expect me to start paying my way to some
degree. But yes, it’ll still be cheaper than
getting my own place. However, I also rather
enjoy having the company.
S2: I agree. I don’t think I’d be very happy living on
my own. I’ve grown up with three siblings, so
I’m used to being surrounded by people and
always having someone to talk to. Of course,
there are times when that gets a bit stressful,
but I’m pretty sure I would miss it if I were to
move out.
S4: In most cases, though, you probably wouldn’t
be alone in your first place after leaving the
family home. As for me, I’ll be sharing a large
flat in Canberra with four other Hong Kong
students, two of whom I know quite well
already. So I won’t have a problem finding
people to chat with, that’s for sure.
S3: Yes, but the connection you have with your
family is very different from the relationship
you have with your friends. A major advantage
(S5) MT 29-DSE-ENG LANG 4–3
This mock test may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.
of living at home with family is the feeling of
comfort and safety that it brings. I have no
problem admitting that.
S4: Sure, comfort and safety are of course
important as you’re growing up. But don’t you
think being so comfortable and safe can be a
problem for your development as you get
older? Eventually, you really do need to start
taking care of yourself, and maybe taking
some risks. That’s what I’m really looking
forward to most about the move to Australia.
S3: But surely you can become your own person
even if you live at home with your parents?
There are all sorts of other ways to push
yourself and try new things—in the workplace,
for example, where you’ll need to learn to get
on with different people and develop new
skills.
S4: Yes, that’s true. But I still think there are some
valuable life skills that you’re unlikely to pick
up until you’re really standing on your own two
feet. I have quite a few friends who don’t even
know how to tidy their own rooms—their
domestic helpers have been doing that for
them their whole lives. If they don’t start
developing those types of skill, imagine what
will happen when they finally move in with
their wife or husband—they won’t know how to
cope.
S1: You all make good points, and it seems there
are indeed both benefits and drawbacks to
living with your parents. We should make sure
to mention a couple of each in our reply to the
blogger. Moving on, though, if you do want to
move out, how can you do it? What options are
available to young people at the moment?
S2: You mean, besides university halls of
residence?
S1: Yes, those aren’t exactly long-term solutions,
are they? You’d only live there for three or four
years, most likely.
S2: And they’re only available to a lucky few. I
expect most young people would have to look
into sharing a flat. That’s maybe not a long-
term solution either, but it’s certainly more
affordable than getting your own place. And
you wouldn’t have to be alone, if you’re
worried about that. Your flatmates would be
there for chats, and maybe to help you out in
different ways—assuming you’ve got nice
flatmates, that is!
S4: My point exactly! Saving money is important,
of course—especially for my parents—but the
main reason I wanted to share was to have a
bunch of people there for support. And to have
fun with!
S3: I think sharing a flat could be a good option for
the blogger, at least in the short term. He or
she does seem very eager to move out as soon
as possible, and this could be a way to achieve
that.
S1: Yes. The blogger did mention wanting to find a
place of his or her own, but sharing is probably
more realistic. It would be a first step, at least.
Unfortunately, though, it’s still a step that’s out
of reach for a lot of young people. Even
sharing a flat is incredibly costly.
S2: Yes, there’s no question that affordable
housing is badly needed in Hong Kong—and
not just for young people, either.
3 © Oxford University Press
 S4: Yes, no doubt. Why do halls of residence have
to be for the benefit of students only? I think
what we need is something similar, but
available to the general public, and to young Part B, Question 5
people especially. I actually have a pretty good idea where I’ll be living
S1: You mean something along the lines of a in five years’ time. This autumn, I’ll be starting a
hostel? degree programme at the University of British
S4: Well, yes, sort of. But for long-term stays and Columbia, and if everything goes to plan, I’ll stay in
with individual rooms for everyone, like in a Canada for the foreseeable future. My grandparents
proper university hall of residence. That way, on my mother’s side live on Vancouver Island, and
the rents could be kept lower, and more young I’ve spent many happy summers in their lovely
people would get the chance to experience a seaside house. I’ve got to know Canada and
fun university lifestyle—but without having to
Canadian culture quite well over the years, and it’s
study!
a place where I really feel at home—perhaps more
S2: That’s actually not a bad idea. But if we wanted so than in Hong Kong, if I’m being honest. My plan
to sell it to the government, we probably
is to stay in the university halls of residence during
shouldn’t put too much stress on the ‘fun
university lifestyle’ aspect … my studies, as my grandparents’ place is too far
from the university for me to be able to commute.
S3: That’s the real problem, though, isn’t it? For
But once I’ve graduated, I have a feeling I’ll be
this situation to improve, we would need the
government to act in some way. The blogger moving in with them, assuming I can find the right
wasn’t worried just about the short term, but type of job. My grandparents live in a beautiful
about his or her long-term living arrangements house in Nanaimo—which is known, for very good
after marriage. A hostel is a good idea, but it reason, as ‘the Harbour City’. I speak to my
would hardly be a place for the blogger to grow grandma every weekend, and every single time she
old with their kids, would it? asks me when I will be moving in with them. So I
S1: So in other words, at the end of the day the know I’ll be welcome! My best friend is dying to
problem with housing for young people is no move out of her parents’ flat and find a place of her
different from the problem with housing for own, so when I told her about my plans to go live
everyone else: we just need more of it. with my grandparents, she thought I was crazy! But
Housing, I mean—not problems! I couldn’t imagine living in a better place. So that’s
S2: Yes, and as I mentioned, what we need in where I see myself living in five—and probably ten
particular is affordable housing. I can’t say I and fifteen—years’ time.
know very much about this, but I don’t see why
the government couldn’t put some sort of
limits on the rents that landlords are allowed to
charge. I mean, as it is, the situation is just
absolutely crazy. If you can’t afford to rent a
decent flat even on a relatively high salary,
then something is clearly wrong.
S1: Yes, and that’s often true even in a family
where both adults are working full-time. And of
course, we’ve only talked about renting so far.
Buying a flat is even less achievable,
especially for young people.
S3: Yes, and I think that was one of the points the
blogger was making.
S1: Yes, and I’m sure we can all agree with her—or
him—on that, as well as on most of the other
points in the entry. I think we have some good
ideas now for our reply. Thanks, everyone!

(S5) MT 29-DSE-ENG LANG 4–4 4 © Oxford University Press

This mock test may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.