YUEN LONG MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION SECONDARY SCHOOL
Secondary One Discretionary Places
Notes for Application
(For Admission in September 2025)
Application Period
Application for the captioned places are invited from 2nd January (Thursday) to 16th January 2025 (Thursday) (both dates inclusive):
Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
(Except Public Holidays)
Application Procedure
Application forms can be obtained from our school’s Reception Counter on G/F or General Office on 1/F, by mail (with a self-addressed stamped envelope) or downloaded from the school website (www.ylmass.edu.hk).
Completed application forms should be returned to the School Office in person# on or before 16th January 2025 together with the following documents:
(1) Application Form for S1 Discretionary Place,
(2) A photocopy of the school reports for P5 and half-yearly report for P6,
(3) A photocopy of document(s) showing the date of birth and permanent resident status of Hong Kong,
(4) A photocopy of awards / prizes / certificates if any,
(5) Two self-addressed stamped envelopes ($2.2 stamp)
Note:
1. Document (1) is issued by the Education Bureau.
2. There is NO need to submit any recommendation letter from primary school.
3. Please do not hand in original copies of documents, except for document (1).
4. The above documents will not be returned whether the application is successful or not.
For parents registered as SSPA e-Platform users and bound their account with “iAM Smart+”, apart from the paper application, they may submit DP applications via the SSPA e-Platform. In addition to the completed application form, please scan and merge all the required documents mentioned above (items 1 to 4) into a single PDF file and then upload it to the system. For details regarding the use of the platform, please visit EDB’s website (https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/secondary-spa/general-info/index.html).
Number of Discretionary Places
There are 5 classes in S1 and the number of S1 discretionary places is 30% of the total number of the S1 places in our school. The number of S1 discretionary places in this academic year is 50 (The exact number of students per class is subject to the EDB guideline).
Criteria and Weightings for shortlisting students to attend the interview
Criteria | Weightings |
Academic performance (EDB discretionary places rank order & internal school assessment) | 50% |
Outstanding attainments in competitions, public examinations and activities (e.g. outstanding student awards, winners of STEAM competitions, Mathematics Olympiad, and English debates, as well as certificates from public examinations, etc.) | 20% |
Excellent / good conduct grades in P5 and P6 | 20% |
Extra-curricular activities and special talents | 10% |
S1 DP First Interview
Date | 22nd February 2025 (Saturday) |
Language | English and Cantonese |
Student List for Interview | The list of selected candidates will be published on the school's website and notice boards in the school lobby (G/F) by mid-February 2025. They will be notified by post to attend the interview. |
S1 DP Second Interview
Date | 15th March 2024 (Saturday) |
Language | English and Cantonese |
Student List for Interview | The school will notify selected candidates by phone. *Parents are requested to accompany their children to the interview. |
Criteria and Weightings for Final Admission
Criteria | Weightings |
Academic performance (EDB discretionary places rank order & internal school assessment) | 50% |
Interview performance | 30% |
Conduct, extra-curricular activities, awards, special talents and others | 20% |
Remarks
1. Each student is allowed to apply to NOT MORE THAN TWO participating secondary schools listed in the Handbook for Application for Secondary 1 Discretionary Places.
2. The parents of successful applicants of their children's inclusion in the Successful Lists for Discretionary Places will be notified by letter and phone on 31st March 2025. The notification arrangement is not applicable to reserve and unsuccessful applicants, nor are the notifications the allocation results.
3. The results of Discretionary Places and Central Allocation will be released at the same time on 8th July 2025.
Handling of Personal Information
All personal information collected will solely be used for the Secondary One admission purpose. All data will be destroyed upon completion of the entire Secondary One admission process.
Pre-S1 Summer Bridging Course and S1 Orientation Day
A Pre-S1 Summer Bridging Course coordinated by our experienced English teachers and an S.1 Orientation Day for S.1 parents and students will be organized respectively in late July. The former enables students to adapt to the English learning environment while the latter enhances communication and cooperation between parents and school. Admitted students are requested to reserve time for their participation, as further details will be provided.