Liberal Studies

Learning Community

Liberal Studies

Rationale

Liberal Studies is one of the core subjects in the three-year senior secondary curriculum. The subject aims to broaden students’ knowledge base and enhance their social awareness through the study of a wide range of issues. 
 
The modules selected for the curriculum focus on themes of significance to students, society and the world, designed to enable students to make connections across different fields of knowledge and to broaden their horizons. The learning experiences provided will foster students’ capacity for life-long learning, so that they can face the challenges of the future with confidence.

 

Curriculum Aims

The aims of Senior Secondary Liberal Studies are:

(a) to enhance students‘ understanding of themselves, their society, their nation, the human world and the physical environment; 

(b) to enable students to develop multiple perspectives on perennial and contemporary issues in different contexts (e.g. cultural, social, economic, political and technological contexts); 

(c) to help students become independent thinkers so that they can construct knowledge appropriate to changing personal and social circumstances; 

(d) to develop in students a range of skills for life-long learning, including critical thinking skills, creativity, problem-solving skills, communication skills and information technology skills; 

(e) to help students appreciate and respect diversity in cultures and views in a pluralistic society and handle conflicting values; and 

(f) to help students develop positive values and attitude towards life, so that they can become informed and responsible citizens of society, the country and the world.

Overall Structure

Liberal Studies builds on what students have learnt in basic education. Through exploring themes important to the modern world, it helps students to extend their breadth of knowledge, depth of understanding, independent thinking skills and ability to make connections.

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Areas of Study
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Public Assessment Design

There are two components of the public assessment of LS, including Public Examination and School-based assessment (SBA). For details, please refer to the table below outlining the various components of the public assessment of LS:

Public Examination

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School-based assessment (SBA)

The Independent Enquiry Study (IES) is adopted as the mode of SBA in Liberal Studies. The IES is an investigative study in which students are required to demonstrate various skills such as problem-solving, data gathering and analysis, and communication. Each IES project should include a certain amount of subject matter based on students’ reading, research and personal experiences. Students can carry out an enquiry-based project, and the main body of the project can be in written or non-written form. 


Liberal Studies

Curriculum and Assessment Guide

(Secondary 4 - 6)

https://ls.edb.hkedcity.net/file/C_and_A_guide/201511/LS_CAGuide_e_2015.pdf


Citizenship and Social Development / Liberal Studies

Web-based Resource Platform

https://ls.edb.hkedcity.net/en/index.php

Citizenship and Social Development

Optimizing Arrangements can be implemented at S4 in the 2021/22 school year leading to the 2024 HKDSE Examination at the earliest.

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