S.

2 English News Reading 1 Name:______________________( )

Read the following debate between two students and complete all the tasks.
Face off: should Hong Kong ban private tutoring?
For: Teresa Kwok, 16, South Island School
Many students benefit from private tutoring because they receive extra support for their studies. Many parents in Asian
countries push their children to attend private tutoring classes to stand out from their peers. The same phenomenon
happens in Hong Kong, so banning private tutoring here would help students take breaks from their schoolwork and
relieve their stress.
Banning private tutoring reduces pressure on parents and students in the city’s hypercompetitive education system. Hong
Kong students are often pressured to attend private tuition to do well on exams. Students often do lots of past papers to
build their exam skills, but this can cause them to lose motivation to study and discover new interests. This excessive
drilling is why private tutoring should be banned.
The city’s students are already studying in a rigid and competitive environment, with many homework assignments and
tests. Private tutoring sessions intensify the competition. If one student receives more training, others will apply for
tutoring sessions to improve their exam skills.
Attending these extra classes also keeps students from exploring other interests. For example, many primary students are
forced to attend tutoring sessions for every subject, rather than going to extracurricular activities such as sports and arts.
This then hinders their development as a well-rounded person.
Private tutoring harms students’ health, especially for primary and kindergarten students. While it is meant to benefit kids’
learning, students do not have time to rest, which affects their mental and physical health.
Banning private tutoring will stop the spiralling competitiveness in our city’s education, and help students be healthier and
more well-rounded.
Against: Alexander Bray, 17, Island School
Hong Kong should not ban private tuition. The move would be catastrophic and would put tutors out of work. Tutoring is
important for three main reasons: catching up to one’s peers, assisting with language acquisition and getting an edge for
university.
When a student is struggling with a subject in school, conventional wisdom says to give them more assistance so they can
understand the concepts.
Hong Kong’s school curriculum is tough, and the knowledge and skills needed to stay with the class level can often be
overwhelming. Extra assistance is often needed just to keep up with the class. Also, some students may have learning
difficulties, and need specialised tutors so they do not fall behind.
Another important benefit of tutoring is that it helps with language acquisition. The best way to acquire a new language is
through hours of practice, and the hours in a classroom at school are not nearly enough to gain fluency. Tutoring is
especially helpful for those who are studying difficult languages, such as French or Chinese.
Finally, Hong Kong has a competitive academic culture that is directly connected to the use of tutoring to get better grades
in preparation for university.
Many overseas schools see the city’s students as high-quality candidates because of their hard-working attitudes and high
academic standards. To keep up with Hong Kong’s existing reputation, it is imperative that tutoring continue to help
students excel. For many, private tuition also gives them the chance to explore subjects they enjoy at a more advanced
level than what might be offered at their schools.
The tutoring industry is a valuable asset to Hong Kong students for many reasons, and the government should not ban
private tuition.
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Part A Vocabulary
1. Choose at least 5 new words/ expressions from the article.
2. Highlight or underline the 5 words and expressions in the article
3. Fill in the following table with the new words / expressions.

Word/ Phrase Part of Meaning Example Sentence

Speech

Part B Summary
Use one sentence to summarise the main idea of the article.
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Part C Comments
You may choose one of the following questions to write about your comments.
Level 1 (10 marks)
1. Have you ever attended private tuition? Why or why not? Write about 100 words.
Level 2 (10 marks + up to 3 bonus marks)
2. Do you think banning private tutoring does more good than harm to students? Write about 150 words.
Level 3 (10 marks +up to 5 bonus marks)
3. It is always argued that the curriculum in Hong Kong is too exam-oriented. What changes should be made to provide
students with a happier and less stressful learning environment?Write about 200 words.

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