Our Family’s Journey in 2024 生活之旅 2024

close up photo of diploma
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

2024 has been the busiest year for my family since moving to the UK. My son had to take his first public exam and apply for Sixth Form, while I was busy preparing for the Life in the UK Test. On top of that, several close friends visited the UK and stayed with us, which was wonderful but left me with little time to update my blog. As a result, the blog’s traffic has dropped to its lowest point ever!

2024 可算是我和家人到了英國後最忙的一年,兒子要考第一次的公開試,接著要報讀 Sixth Form,我亦要預備考 Life in UK Test。另一方面今年亦有多位好朋友到英國遊玩順便探望我一家,因此很久也沒有更新我的網誌,令流量大幅滑落,是有史以來的最低點。


My Son’s GCSE Examination

In the UK, children are placed in school years based on their age. Before leaving Hong Kong, my son was in Form One, but under the UK system, he had to “skipped a grade” and joined Year 8. Summer break came shortly after less than a month of school, and by early September, he officially started Year 9. This meant he would need to sit his GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exam in May and June this year.

Although he has spent three years in secondary school here and has adapted well to the learning environment, this is his first public exam, so it’s natural for him to feel a bit of pressure. As parents, there’s not much we can do except getting him with extra study materials, support him, and encourage his efforts—it ultimately depends on him to work hard.

If he wants to get into a good Sixth Form or university in the future, GCSE results are crucial.

Looking back on my own time, academic achievement was almost the only way for people like me from lower-income families to improve our lives, and doing well in public exams was essential. But for today’s generation, the idea of “Escaping Poverty” feels more abstract. On top of that, most British students don’t take GCSEs very seriously, which makes it harder to push my son to study more diligently.

Many people think studying abroad is more relaxed and less stressful, but from what I’ve observed over the past few years, that’s not entirely true!

Unlike Hong Kong, where public exams are taken very seriously, many students and parents in the UK are more relaxed about GCSEs. They see university as just one of many options and believe that society values a variety of roles. Many think it’s more important to pursue careers that match their interests and skills. To be honest, becoming an electrician, plumber, or builder might even lead to a better quality of life!

英國的教育一般來說會根據學童的年齡分配到相對的學年,雖然兒子離港前就讀中一,但基於此理念,他被跳級讀 Year 8。讀了不到一個月就是暑假,九月初更正式開始他的 Year 9 學年,故此今年五、六月便要考 GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)。雖然在英國讀了三年中學,基本上已融入整個學習環境,但不竟是第一次參加公開試,難免有點壓力,其實父母可做的不太多,為他多找些溫習的材料及盡力去支持他,最重要還是靠他自己的努力。

如果要選擇較好的 Sixth Form 或日後上大學的話,GCSE 的成績就不容忽視。

回想我那一年代,對於像我這些低下階層,努力提升學歴差不多算是脫貧的唯一出路,公開試的表現尤其重要。但時至今日,「脫貧」這概念對新一代就變得較為抽象,再加上一般英國的中學生對 GCSE 都不太緊張,要兒子多點用功真的不易。

以往很多人都說外國讀書較輕鬆,沒有壓力,但這幾年我觀察到卻並非如此!

同香港的情況不同,一般學生或家長對 GCSE 不太緊張主要原因是他們覺得上大學不是唯一出路,社會上需要不同的角色,行行出狀元,他們會認為找些配合自己興趣及技能的出路更重要;坦白講,做個 Electrican、 Plumber 或 Builder 可能生活質素更好!

Aside from preparing for exams, another important task was applying for my son’s preferred Sixth Form. In the UK, children under 18 must stay in education. They attend primary school from ages 5 to 11 (Years 1–6) and secondary school from 11 to 16 (Years 7–11). After that, they can choose to continue at a Sixth Form, a college, or join an apprenticeship programme.

When we first arrived in the UK, there were no State School places available in our council area. My son was placed in a secondary school that only offered Years 7–11, so we had to apply for a Sixth Form ourselves.

To get into a Sixth Form, students need at least five GCSE passes (grades 4–9), including English and Maths. Applications start about a year before enrolment and depend on Mock Exam results and interview performance. Some schools give Conditional Offers, but acceptance is ultimately based on actual GCSE results. For more academic schools, certain subjects may require a grade 8 or above. To be honest, I think studying in the UK is not as easy as people might think—it can even feel more stressful than in Hong Kong!

After finishing six weeks of exams in mid-June, my son started his long summer holiday. The GCSE results came out in late August, and we were happy that his grades were good enough to get into his chosen Sixth Form. With subject selections and orientation events completed, he officially started Sixth Form in early September!

備試之外另一件事是對心儀的 Sixth Form 遞交入學申。在英國,18崴以下學童必須入學,5 -11 歲讀小學 (Year 1 – 6),11-16 歲讀中學 (Year 7 – 11),而 17-18 歲可選擇就讀於 Sixth Form,College 或學徒課程。初到英國時因所屬 Council 內缺乏 State School 學位,兒子被派往一所只提供 Year 7 to Year 11 的中學,姑此需自行報讀 Sixth Form。

報讀 Sixth Form 基本要求是 GCSE 達到五科 4 (合格) 至 9 (A*),包括英文及數學。 報名一般在入學前一年開始,視乎學生 Mock Exam 的成績及面試表現,個別學校會提供 Conditional Offer,不過重點是最終接納與否仍取決於學生考到的成績。而一些學術水平較高的學校在個別學科更會要求相關學科達 8 或以上。坦白講,我個人認為在英國讀書其實是絕不容易,壓力比香港有過之而無不及!

六月中完成長達個半月的考試後便開始他悠長的暑假。今年的 GCSE 放榜日在八月尾,兒子整體成績尚算滿意,亦獲得心儀的 Sixth Form 取錄,我們一家亦終可放下心頭大石。隨著一連串的選科安排及迎新活動. 兒子九月初亦正式開展他的 Sixth Form 階段!

people wearing backpacks
Photo by Stanley Morales on Pexels.com

My Examination

As we approach our fourth year in the UK, I’ve started preparing for settlement by registering for the Life in the UK Test. Honestly, it’s been over 20 years since I last studied or took an exam, so looking at the official study guide felt quite daunting. I struggled to stay focused while reading and often found myself distracted. With the test date approaching quickly, I couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

A friend advised me to focus on practising the official mock exams, as most of the actual test questions come directly from them. Thankfully, this turned out to be excellent advice, and it made all the difference!

到了英國差不多四年,我亦要為定居作準備,報名考必要的 Life In UK Test。坦白講.我已經廿多年沒有讀書、考試了,面對官方的考試手冊,倒有點提不起勁,一邊讀,另一邊卻又忙記了。面對迫於眉睫的考試日子,自己亦有些擔心。朋友推介我一定要重點溫習一系列的官方 Mock Exams,因正式考試題目差不多完全出自這些 Mock Exams,事實亦證明他所說正確。

Life in UK Test

Friends Visit

Mid-year, my best friend and his wife visited the UK and stayed with us for a few days. I also had friends from the US and Canada, as well as old classmates, come to visit. It was wonderful to catch up, reminisce, and share stories about our lives over the past few years.

年中我的死黨和太太到了英國旅遊並在我家住了數天,另外亦有來自美加的朋友,老同學來探望我,慶幸可以敍舊,分享過去數年大家的生活點滴。


Summer Holidays

The highlight of the summer was definitely my son’s holiday activities.

Looking back, it’s been several years since we moved to the UK, and this year we decided to return to Hong Kong to visit family and friends, as well as revisit our old home after so long.

Since we were making the long journey with over 10 hours of flying, we decided to explore other parts of Asia as well. We started with a quick stop in Taipei to catch up with old classmates and close friends, and ended the trip with over a week in Tokyo before flying back to London.

We left London in early July, right after casting our votes in the recent General Election, and embarked on a three-week adventure across Asia.

This trip broke several personal records for me: the longest holiday I’ve ever taken, the most cities visited in one trip, the longest flight I’ve ever been on (Tokyo to London via Hong Kong), and the most in-flight meals I’ve had in one journey!

After this experience, I think I’ll avoid choosing flights with a Hong Kong base for long-haul travel next time!

重頭戲還是兒子的暑期活動。

回看我們一家到了英國已有好幾年,今年決定返港探望在港家人及朋友,順便看看闊別多年的老家。

既然要長途跋涉搭十多小時飛機,當然要順便到其他亞洲地區走走,先作個快閃台北,見見老同學、好朋友;尾段再到東京玩上個多星期才直飛倫敦。

七月初投完票便離開倫敦,踏上三個星期之亞洲之旅。

今次亦是有史以來,破了我個人最多的紀錄: 最張的假期,走個最多的城市,乘搭最長的飛機航班(東京經香港至倫敦),還有單程連續食過長多飛機餐。

經此一役,看來下次還是不要揀選以香港為基地的航班了!


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3 Responses

  1. Wu Ming says:

    真係好忙呀! 不過你返黎攪攪佢,平時你出文呢,Wordpress 或Jetpack 個reader 會update 但今次冇,咁我在reader 點你個名入去啦,但唔見你呢篇post

  2. Its been a busy year for you all!!

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