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The following is issued on behalf of the Steering Committee on the Review of Legal Education and Training in Hong Kong :

The Steering Committee has recommended that, as from next year, students who wish to be admitted to the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) course must have their English proficiency assessed under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The grade achieved would be one factor in deciding on admissions, although initially there would be no minimum grade set for admission to the course.

This recommendation is in line with the recent decision of the University Grants Committee that the IELTS assessment will be available, on a voluntary basis, to all graduating students of UGC-funded institutions.

The Steering Committee was set up in 1999 after concern had been expressed about the quality of some newly qualified lawyers in Hong Kong. In August 2001, two Australian consultants produced a report covering undergraduate studies through to post-admission professional training.

A key recommendation of the consultants was that the English language standards of law students should be improved in various ways. A sub-committee of the Steering Committee, chaired by solicitor Lester Huang, has considered various existing tests of English proficiency, and the possibility of creating a tailor-made test for law students. It recommended that the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) be adopted as a benchmark test for entry into the PCLL, and the Steering Committee has endorsed that view.

"We are determined to ensure that future lawyers have a good standard in English, but we wish to avoid a proliferation of English testing. The adoption of the IELTS assessment will achieve both goals," said Huang.

The criteria and standards for admission to the PCLL are governed by the Academic Boards of the law schools at the University of Hong Kong and the City University. The Law Society, the Bar Association, the Judiciary, Department of Justice and the Education and Manpower Bureau are represented on the Boards, together with members of the community. The Steering Committee will therefore be sending details of its recommendation to the two Academic Boards.

End/Thursday, August 8, 2002

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