HKDSE Economics sits inside Hong Kong’s Diploma of Secondary Education as an elective subject, built around a curriculum guide whose topic list has barely moved since 2015 even as the exam’s own structure is about to change. Here is how the subject is organised, and what is different starting with the 2028 examination.
What is HKDSE Economics?
HKDSE Economics is an elective subject in Hong Kong’s Diploma of Secondary Education, assessed against the Economics Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4-6), published jointly by the Education Bureau and the Curriculum Development Council. The guide was first issued in 2007 and updated in 2025, but that 2025 update changed only the assessment design starting from the 2028 examination. Comparing the 2025-updated Guide against the 2015-updated edition section by section, the Compulsory Part and the Elective Part are identical apart from page numbers, and the suggested lesson time for every compulsory topic is unchanged.
How do the Compulsory Part and the Elective Part fit together?
Every candidate studies the same ten Compulsory Part topics, then answers questions from one of two Elective Parts. The ten compulsory topics are Basic Economic Concepts, Firms and Production, Market and Price, Competition and Market Structure, Efficiency, Equity and the Role of Government, Measurement of Economic Performance, National Income Determination and Price Level, Money and Banking, Macroeconomic Problems and Policies, and International Trade and Finance.
On top of that, a candidate picks between:
- Elective Part 1: Monopoly Pricing, and Anti-competitive Behaviours and Competition Policy.
- Elective Part 2: Extension of Trade Theory, and Economic Growth and Development.
Who decides which Elective Part a candidate studies?
The Guide frames the choice as the student’s. Students may choose Elective Part 1 or Elective Part 2 according to their interests. Students who cannot manage both the Compulsory Part and an Elective Part may be allowed to study the Compulsory Part only. In Paper 2, candidates attempt questions from one of the two elective parts. In practice a school’s teaching arrangement often settles which elective a class studies. A revision resource that covers only one elective therefore leaves a gap for anyone whose class or own choice points the other way.
What changes from the 2028 HKDSE examination?
Paper 2 moves from a two-part structure to three sections, and the Elective Part becomes optional rather than compulsory. For the 2026 and 2027 examinations, Paper 2 keeps its earlier structure: Part 1 on the Compulsory Part, Part 2 on the Elective Part. From the 2028 examination, Paper 2 splits into Section A, short questions on the Compulsory Part (26%); Section B, structured, essay-type and data-response questions on the Compulsory Part (33%); and Section C, questions on the Elective Part (11%).
Students who begin Secondary 4 in the 2025/26 school year, sitting the 2028 exam, may choose to study the Compulsory Part only. The Guide notes that strong performance on the Compulsory Part questions can still reach Level 5, and that two candidates with the same score receive the same grade whether or not either of them answered the Elective Part.
Is there school-based assessment in HKDSE Economics?
No. Neither the current assessment design nor the 2028 design includes a school-based assessment component. The subject is assessed entirely through Paper 1, a multiple-choice paper worth 30% and lasting one hour, and Paper 2, a conventional paper worth 70% and lasting two hours 30 minutes.
How can a revision resource keep up with a subject whose format is changing?
Since the topic framework itself has not moved since 2015, even though the paper structure is changing from 2028, the safest approach is to cover the full Compulsory Part and both Elective Parts rather than betting on a single year’s arrangement. The RiverMap Learning DSE Economics app covers all fourteen topics, ten compulsory and both electives, with 304 original practice questions, 193 flashcards, and a one-page revision note per topic, each with key terms given in English and Traditional Chinese. Every question, note, and flashcard is available in English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese with one-tap switching. The app tracks topic-by-topic mastery, so a candidate can see which of the fourteen topics still needs work regardless of which Elective Part their class or own choice lands on.
Every question and diagram is original and written to align with the publicly available HKDSE Economics Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4-6), never copied from a past paper, marking scheme, or textbook. The full curriculum guide is published by the Education Bureau at edb.gov.hk. This app is an independent revision aid, not affiliated with or endorsed by the HKEAA, the Education Bureau, or the Curriculum Development Council.