What is SBA?
SBA = School-based Assessment. It is the speaking component of HKDSE English Language, marked by your own teachers and moderated by the HKEAA. For S.5 in 2025-26, the First SBA is a Group Interaction.
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Component | Paper 4 (Speaking) — School-based Assessment |
| Type (this round) | Group Interaction (not Individual Response) |
| Group size | Typically 3–4 students |
| Source text | Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbit — three stories: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice |
| Date | 6 July 2026 (Monday) |
| Time slot | 08:30 – 12:30 (you'll be given an exact slot) |
| Venue | 4/F & 5/F (Preparation rooms: 401 & 402) |
| Preparation time | 15 minutes (in the prep room) |
| Discussion time | 8–12 minutes |
| Weighting | Counts towards your final HKDSE English grade |
| Recorded | ✅ Yes — every group is recorded |
Why does SBA exist?
The HKEAA introduced SBA so that your English speaking is judged across a longer period of preparation and rehearsal, not in a one-shot, high-pressure exam. The trade-off:
- ✅ You get to read the material in advance and prepare.
- ⚠️ You're expected to show depth, reflection and fluent group interaction — not memorised monologues.
Group Interaction vs. Individual Response
There are two SBA task types. You're doing Group Interaction this round:
| Group Interaction (this round) | Individual Response (next round) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who speaks? | 3–4 students together | You alone with a teacher |
| Length | 8–12 min | 3–4 min |
| Focus | Listening + responding + building on others | Sustained personal answer |
| Biggest trap | Speaking too much or too little; not listening | Running out of ideas in the second half |
Why this matters
Group Interaction rewards listening, not just talking. If you deliver a beautiful monologue and never react to anyone, you'll lose marks under II. Communication Strategies, even if your English is perfect.
What "Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare" is
A children's prose retelling by Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) of Shakespeare's plays. The three stories in your booklet are:
- Macbeth (P.1–6) — ambition, prophecy, guilt, downfall
- Romeo and Juliet (P.7–11) — love, hatred between families, tragedy
- The Merchant of Venice (P.12–15) — friendship, money, justice, mercy
You'll read all three, but you'll almost certainly only discuss 1 or 2 during the 8–12 minute interaction — see How to Choose Your Book(s).
What examiners DO NOT want
- ❌ Reciting plot summaries — they have the book too.
- ❌ Reading full sentences off your notecard or logbook.
- ❌ Dominating the discussion so others can't speak.
- ❌ Saying "I agree" and then adding nothing new.
- ❌ Quoting Shakespeare's original Elizabethan English (this is a Nesbit prose retelling — you don't need "thou" or "wherefore").
What examiners DO want
- ✅ Listening cues: "I like your point about…", "Building on what Aisha said…"
- ✅ Specific examples from the booklet (page numbers help).
- ✅ Reflective links to your own life or to modern Hong Kong.
- ✅ A range of vocabulary: "ambition" not "wanting things"; "remorse" not "feeling bad".
- ✅ Confident self-correction: "She — sorry, he — was the one who…"
How this site helps
Each section of this site maps to one of the four scoring domains:
- I. Pronunciation & Delivery
- II. Communication Strategies
- III. Vocabulary & Language
- IV. Ideas & Organisation
Read Exam Format next to see the minute-by-minute walkthrough of 6 July.