Notes to Applicants

Please read and ensure that you have understood all instructions listed in the “Notes to Applicants” before submission of registration. The HKEAA will not be held responsible for any incorrect registration and no refund of the examination fees paid will be arranged to candidates.

• Exam Period: 6 May – 13 June 2025


• Application deadline:

• Examination timetable

Please be reminded that it is the candidates' responsibilities to check the examination timetable carefully and to decide whether the examination schedule fits their personal life plan before the submission of the registration. For details, please refer to Clause 7.

• Cash-in Rule

No subject grade will be issued to candidates and candidates will not receive the certificate of the examination unless the cash-in code is entered during registration. For details, please refer to Clause 9.

• Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) Number

Candidates who wish to cash-in their unit scores from different examination series for a qualification grade must provide their UCI numbers (the one used to bank all unit scores) during registration. For candidates who previously entered the IAL examination via the HKEAA but yet to know their UCI numbers, please contact the HKEAA by email (ie@hkeaa.edu.hk) before submission of registration. For details, please refer to Clause 10.

• Candidate Information Checklist:

The electronic version of the candidate information checklist will be released to private candidates via the HKEAA Online Service Portal by the end of January 2025. For school candidates, it will be distributed by their schools directly. For details, please refer to Clause 11.

• Admission form:

The admission form for written examination will be sent to private candidates by post / school candidates through their schools in April 2025. For details, please refer to Clause 12.

• Examination results:

The examination results for May/June 2025 series will be available in August 2025. For details, please refer to Clause 13.

• Contact Us:

Email Enquiry: ie@hkeaa.edu.hk

        Hotline: 3628 8787

Candidates are required to submit their registrations via the HKEAA Online Registration System within the registration window. They should upload the image of their valid Hong Kong Identity Cards or other identification documents* for verification purpose at the time of registration. For candidates who would like to register as a “School Candidates”, they need to ask for a five-digits school code (i.e. GSXXX) through schools and the school code must be entered during the online registration.

Candidates must complete the online registration and settle the examination fees by the application deadline. All registration submitted after the deadline will be served as “Late Entry” and a supplementary fee will be levied for each application. Candidates are advised to submit their entries as early as possible in order to avoid the rush in the last few days. For those candidates who have difficulties with online registration, please contact the HKEAA for further assistance. Please note that all examination documents (e.g. admission form, result statement and certificate) will only be posted within Hong Kong only. No postal service will be arranged for the address located outside Hong Kong.

Each candidate should only submit one registration for each examination series. Candidates who submitted more than one registration for the same examination series whether for entering the same or new paper will be counted as “Dual Entries”. For Dual Entries, the registered units in the second registration will be cancelled without prior notice and no refund of the examination fees will be made for the cancelled papers.

Candidates who request for access arrangement (including the request of modified paper) for the examinations should contact the HKEAA by email and an application link will be sent to candidates for completion. Valid supporting documents* must be submitted to HKEAA along with the application before the specific deadline.

*Each application should be accompanied by an up-to-date medical/assessment report issued by the Hospital Authority, Department of Health, Education Bureau (EDB), a registered medical practitioner, or a professional (e.g. audiologist, speech therapist, psychologist). The medical/assessment report(s) submitted should support the special needs of the candidates and state the special examination arrangements required by the candidates. In cases where a candidate’s application is not supported by documentary evidence or the information/justifications submitted do not sufficiently support the special needs of the candidate, the applications will NOT be processed.

No late application will be accepted after the application deadline. Please be reminded that candidate should list out all the subjects which access arrangement is required on the application form, including change or addition of subject(s).

If candidates have been approved for the access arrangement in the previous examination series and wish to have the same access arrangement in the forthcoming examination series, they must submit a fresh application again. Access arrangement would NOT be arranged for candidates in the forthcoming examination series automatically based on previous arrangement in the examination.

Please be reminded that the application of access arrangement is subject to Pearson Edexcel's approval and the availability of the examination centre. The HKEAA does not guarantee all access arrangements requests can be approved and arranged. For any enquiries about the access arrangement, candidates are advised to contact the HKEAA before submission of registration.

For candidates who request for special arrangement at the examination venue on the examination day (e.g. use of wheelchair, hearing-impairment), they should also inform the HKEAA before the examination so that the HKEAA can see if any arrangement can be made for candidates in advance.

Examination fees paid by a candidate who subsequently withdraws his / her entry, or is absent from the examination, or the examination is cancelled in a later stage will NOT be refunded. Fees are NOT transferable to other examination centres, or from one examination to another / a later series or for other purposes. 

In addition, the HKEAA will not offer the service of “Transferred Candidate” under any circumstance. Any supplementary fees paid during the registration will not be counted as a part of examination fees. The supplementary fee paid will not be refunded under any circumstances.

If candidates would like to apply for Change / Addition of Unit after submission of registration, they are required to submit the online application by the specified deadline. A supplementary fee will be levied for each application. Please DO NOT submit a new registration via the HKEAA Online Registration System. Otherwise, the new registration will be counted as “Dual Entries”. For details, please refer to the information as follows:

Please note that a supplementary fee in addition to the examination fee / examination fee balance between papers will be levied for each application. No application will be accepted after the application deadline and it is the candidates’ responsibility to ensure any addition / change of subjects will not result in timetable clash. The HKEAA will not be held any responsible for the incorrect application and no refund of the application fee paid will be arranged.

The examination timetable for Pearson Edexcel IAL examination can be found in the HKEAA website at https://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/ipe/gce_gcse_igcse_ial/ial/ under the section of “Document Download”. The examination timetables are decided by Pearson Edexcel and no rescheduling of the examination schedule can be requested by candidates. Please be reminded that it is the candidates' responsibilities to check the examination timetable carefully and to decide whether the examination schedule fits their personal life plan before submission of registration. Candidates are also reminded to avoid entering those subjects which are scheduled in the same examination session or those subjects in prohibited combination. Normally, no special arrangement will be made for those subjects with timetable clash. Candidates are required to cancel either one subject and the examination fees paid are NOT refundable and transferable. Please contact the HKEAA for further advice before the submission of the registration if candidates want to sit more than one subject in the same sessions.

Candidates who want to sit more than one examination session on the same day must ensure that there is sufficient time between examination sessions for travelling and taking rest as these examinations may be held at different examination centres which will very likely require travelling. Please be reminded that the HKEAA does not guarantee all examination sessions on the same day can be allocated at the same examination centre or at the examination centre nearby. The HKEAA will not be held responsible for candidates who fail to arrive the examination centre on time. Candidates who arrive the assigned examination centre later than the examination start time will not be permitted any extra time.

The examination syllabuses for each subject can be downloaded from the Pearson Edexcel's website at https://qualifications.pearson.com. Past question papers are also available for sale from HKEAA Online Bookstore at https://online.hkeaa.edu.hk/Bookstore/faces/1_home.xhtml?slang=zh_TW. Candidates must read the examination syllabuses carefully and keep themselves abreast of the latest changes on the Pearson Edexcel’s website before  submission of registration. The HKEAA will not be held responsible for incorrect registration and no refund of the examination fee will be made.

For the subjects with pre-release materials available, such as Biology Unit 5 (WBI15) and English Language Unit 4 (WEN04), the pre-release materials will be sent to private candidates by email and school candidates through schools one month before the examination. Candidates who have not yet received the pre-release materials two weeks before the examination, please contact the HKEAA for further assistance.

For IAL examination, Pearson Edexcel will calculate the overall AS-Level / A-Level grade by adding together the marks achieved from each of the individual units taken for a particular subject. This is called as “cash-in”. Cash-in is requesting a qualification grade after the completion of all required units in a subject. For example, candidates must sit all 4 units in Economics to cash-in for a qualification grade. Candidates will only receive an AS-Level / A-Level qualification grade after the ‘cash-in’ process. 

Candidates intending to cash-in their unit scores for a qualification grade must enter the appropriate cash-in codes during the registration (e.g. XBI11 for AS-Level Biology and YBI11 for A-Level Biology). Please be reminded that no qualification grade will be issued to candidates and candidates will not receive the certificate of the examination unless the cash-in code is entered during registration.

Once the AS-Level / A-Level qualification grade has been awarded, all units contributing to that qualification are deemed to be used up. However, a candidate may enter for at least one related unit for that subject in a later examination in order to see if the qualification grade can be improved.

According to the examination regulation, any unit can be resat by a candidate and the better of their two most recent non-absent attempts at a unit will be available for aggregation to a qualification grade. The units can be taken in the same examination series, or can be banked under the candidate’s Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) number if taken in a number of series.

Some cash-in rules are listed below for candidate’s reference. For details, candidates must read the cash-in requirement for each subject on Pearson Edexcel website.

1. Some AS-Level / A-Level qualifications consist of three / six units, e.g. “AS-Level Biology” consists of Units 1, 2 and 3 while “A-Level Biology” consists of Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Some AS-Level / A-Level qualifications consist of two / four units, e.g. “AS-Level Business” consists of Units 1 and 2 while “A-Level Business” consists of Units 1, 2, 3, and 4.
2. For Mathematics / Further Mathematics / Pure Mathematics awards, please refer to the syllabus for the required combination of Units: (Visit https://qualifications.pearson.com > Our Qualifications > International Advanced Levels > Subjects > Mathematics (2018) > Specification > P. 10 Qualification Overview)
3. Candidates are NOT allowed to cash-in both “AS-Level or A-Level Mathematics / AS-Level or A-Level Further Mathematics” (XMA01/ YMA01/ XFM01/ YFM01) and “AS-Level or A-Level Pure Mathematics” (XPM01/ YPM01) under the same examination series.
4. If candidates would like to cash-in both “A-Level Mathematics” (YMA01) and “A-Level Further Mathematics” (YFM01) in the same examination series, please be reminded that 12 mathematics Units are required to be taken.
5. Unit results used for AS-Level Pure Mathematics (XPM01) cannot be reused for AS-Level Mathematics (XMA01), vice versa.
6. Unit results used for A-Level Pure Mathematics (YPM01) cannot be reused for A-Level Mathematics (YMA01), vice versa.

All cash-in applications are subject to the eligibility rules, units and combination. Pearson Edexcel will reserve the right to remove any ineligible cash-in code(s) from the candidate’s record automatically. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure their cash-in application is eligible. The HKEAA will not be held responsible for incorrect cash-in.

The Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) number is a reference that's unique to a candidate and lasts for the duration of their study career. It's used to aggregate unit results for modular examinations. Without it, candidates may not be given their full results.

The UCI number will be generated by Pearson Edexcel and it will be printed on the Statement of Provisional Results. Candidates who wish to cash-in their unit scores from different examination series for a qualification grade must provide their UCI numbers (the one used to bank all unit scores) during registration. Otherwise, no qualification grade can be issued after the cash-in process if incorrect UCI number is used. For candidates who previously entered the IAL examination via the HKEAA but yet to know their UCI numbers, they should contact the HKEAA by email (ie@hkeaa.edu.hk) before submission of registration.

For private candidates, the electronic version of Candidate Information Checklist will be available to download from the HKEAA Online Service Portal in late January 2025. For school candidates, the candidate information checklist will be distributed by their schools directly. Candidates are required to check if the personal particulars on the checklist, which will be used for examination arrangements and certification of results, are correct. If amendments on personal particulars are required, candidates must inform the HKEAA by email. Candidates who have not received their Candidate Information Checklist in early February 2025 MUST contact their schools or the HKEAA for further assistance.

12. Admission Form

Admission form will be sent to private candidates by post or school candidates through schools in April 2025 (i.e. two weeks before the first day of the examination series). Candidates who have not received their admission forms by 29 April 2025 MUST contact their schools or the HKEAA for further assistance. Otherwise, the admission forms will be regarded as successfully received by the candidates.

The examination venue, date and local examination starting time for each examination will be printed on the admission form. Candidates must check the examination information on the admission forms carefully as no one will be permitted to take an examination at a location other than the examination centre specified on the admission form. Candidates will be assigned to take the examinations at the examination centres located in Hong Kong Island / Kowloon / New Territories. Assignment of examination venues is based on the candidature of the papers, availability and capacity of the venues. Request for change of the examination venue due to personal reason will not be entertained.  Besides, please note that the examinations with different subject / durations may be held in the same examination venue.

13. Results and Certificates

The examination results will be available in mid-August 2025. Candidate Statements of Provisional Results will be sent to private candidates by post and school candidates through their schools. Candidates who have not received their results in early September 2025 MUST contact their schools or the HKEAA. Otherwise, the results documents will be regarded as successfully received by the candidates / schools.

Candidates may apply for the Reviews of Marking and Moderation (RoMM) services in accordance with the procedures, fees and deadlines to be announced after the results day. The certificates will be available in November 2025 and they will be sent to private candidates by post or school candidates through schools. Please be reminded that certificates will only be issued to those candidates who have entered the eligible cash-in code during the registration to cash-in their unit scores for a qualification grade.

Candidates who have not received their certificates should contact the HKEAA to track the delivery status within 5 months after mail; otherwise, the certificates will be regarded as successfully received by the candidates. Certificates unclaimed for 5 months after mail will be returned to the Examination Board without further notice. After that, request for lost or unclaimed certificates will have to be made directly with the Examination Board by the candidates as applications for replacement certificates. Fees will be charged by the Examination Board. Candidates should inform the HKEAA in writing of their new address and contact telephone number if their address has been changed. The HKEAA cannot accept the responsibility for any possible loss, delay or damage in mail causing the need of requesting for replacement certificates. The HKEAA cannot reproduce certificates in any form.

14. Personal Data

Personal data of candidates are used by the HKEAA and the Examination Board for delivery of examination and assessment services.  Whether you provide the requested personal data is voluntary.  However, if you fail to provide all the data, or if any of the data are inaccurate or incomplete, the HKEAA may not be able to accept your entry or provide all or part of the examination and assessment services.  The personal data submitted may also be used for:

1. assisting tertiary institutions and other government / public organizations in their admissions processes;
2. assisting tertiary institutions and other government / public organizations in respect of their requests for information in granting scholarships;
3. assisting tertiary institutions and other government / public organizations to confirm the candidates’ eligibility for financial assistance or other forms of subsidization, in which case, the necessary personal data of the candidates may have to be disclosed to the concerned organizations for verification;
4. certifying candidates’ examination results in response to legitimate requests;
5. processing any refund or payment in relation to the examination;
6. conducting educational research and analysis in an anonymous format in which the identities of candidates are not traceable; and
7. marketing the services and products of the Examination Board (including examination services, courses, events, publications, and other examination materials or resources) subject to the consent of candidates.*

The HKEAA may also transfer the personal data of candidates to third parties for use for the above purpose or other directly related purposes, including government / public organizations, schools and educational institutions, banks (for processing refund or payment), and service providers providing various administrative or technical services to facilitate the delivery of the examination and assessment services including but not limited to data punching, registration process, dispatch of examination documents, and the capture, disposal or other processing of data.

In compliance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, access to all personal data will be made available, on payment of a fee, to anyone who can establish his / her right to be informed of such data as are retained by the HKEAA.  Please also note that candidates’ personal data / correspondence / other information received by the HKEAA may be referred to the Examination Board concerned for delivery of examination and assessment services and for any of the abovementioned purposes or other directly related purposes. In general, upon completion of an examination or examination series and all the connecting examination services, the HKEAA will transfer all such data to the Examination Board who will then assume full control of such data. By then, candidates should approach the Examination Board direct for their personal data / information handling policies if necessary.

*If you have given consent but wish to withdraw your consent for your personal data to be used for this purpose, please send a letter of request to the HKEAA.

15. Unforeseeable Circumstances

Please note that neither the Examination Board nor the HKEAA will be responsible for any non-performance of duties where such non-performance has been caused by an act of God, labour strike, natural disaster, adverse weather, epidemic, government action or intervention, riot, or any cause not reasonably foreseeable and beyond the reasonable control of Examination Board or the HKEAA. Postponement/Rescheduling of examinations due to unforeseeable circumstances will not be accepted by the Examination Board, and instead, only special consideration may be granted as appropriate. Please note that the outcome of special consideration is entirely subject to the related polices and decision made by the Examination Board. If candidates are considered as having missed a timetabled component / unit for acceptable reasons by the Examination Board, an assessed mark for the missing component may be issued for candidates; otherwise, no result (“X grade”) will be given instead.

Note: The HKEAA, including their contractors and subcontractors, shall not be liable to anyone claiming for any damage, which are caused by, arising from or otherwise related to the failure of staff members, examination personnel or the examination centres to comply with the examination regulations, policies or procedures.