A Form Six student has become one of Hong Kong’s top scorers in this year’s Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) after her biology grade was upgraded following a remarking request, bringing the record-breaking total to 25 students from 16 schools who achieved perfect scores.
Sunny Sun Wat-ching, an 18-year-old student at New Territories Heung Yee Kuk Yuen Long District Secondary School who sat the city’s university entrance examinations, originally attained Level 5** in all subjects except biology, in which she had consistently been one of the top performers in her class.
“I was thinking I might take a chance and request a remark to see if I could bump it up to Level 5,” she said.
Her appeal succeeded. However, she said she had already been surprised when her original results were released last month, as she had not expected to achieve top grades across all her academic subjects.
Sun is also classified as a “super top scorer” because she took the extended mathematics module. She achieved top grades in Chinese language, English language, mathematics, chemistry, biology and history, as well as an “attained” grade in citizenship and social development.
Most DSE subjects are graded on a seven-level scale, ranging from Level 1 to Level 5**.
Before receiving her examination results, Sun had already been granted direct admission to the University of Hong Kong’s Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Distinguished MedScholar track through the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme. The scheme recognises students with exceptional talent in specialised fields.
Sun said one of her key study strategies was reading aloud.
“My habit is to read aloud whenever I study, especially when I am memorising content from textbooks. I feel like this helps me remember better,” she said.
She also attributed her English-speaking skills to joining her school’s English debate team, saying the experience had boosted her confidence and taught her how to construct persuasive speeches with emotional appeal.
Sun led her school team to victory in the annual Inter-Government Secondary Schools English Debating Competition Championship in both 2024 and 2025.
She also attributed her academic success to the self-discipline instilled in her by a primary school teacher at Shap Pat Heung Rural Committee Kung Yik She Primary School in Tin Shui Wai.
“My Primary Five and Six teacher constantly emphasised that we needed to take personal responsibility for our studies and homework. That advice has stayed with me ever since,” she said.
Although she never enrolled in tutoring classes, Sun took mock examinations organised by tutorial centres to assess her academic performance against that of her peers.
Beyond academics, she served as chairwoman of her school’s student association and was a member of the flag guard. These experiences contributed to her nomination for the direct admission scheme.
Explaining why she wanted to pursue medicine, Sun described being a doctor as a deeply meaningful profession.
“A doctor helps not just the patient, but their entire family. When someone falls ill, every family member worries. By treating the patient, I can bring relief to the whole family,” she said.
Sun was also recognised in the Best Devotion to School category of the 2024/25 Student of the Year Awards, organised by the South China Morning Post and solely sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Her principal, Yuen Kwong-yip, praised her sustained excellence, particularly during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He recalled that Sun entered Form One in 2020, when classes shifted largely online, creating significant learning challenges for students.
“Despite those hurdles, she consistently ranked first in her entire year group from Form One through Form Three, which left a deep impression on me,” Yuen said.
Sun was the third DSE top scorer in the school’s history, he added.
