use English at a level that is required for tertiary education. The Use of English (UE) examination was introduced in 1989 as an independent subject instead of an A level subject, as an entrance requirement of HKU. It was divided into four sections to test students' listening, writing, reading and language skills and practical skills for work and study. From 1994, the UE examination became an AS-level subject and a requirement for JUPAS degree-level programme, and a 20-minute oral examination was added in the reform. There are five sections in the UE Examination: Section A – Listening TestIt lasted for 1 hour and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. The recording was played once only, divided into two continuous dialogues based on a situation until 2002 and three from 2003. Candidates were required to follow what they hear to take notes or interpret pictures. The recorded exam material was broadcast on RTHK and candidates had to use their own radios to listen. RTHK Radio 2 (Radio 4 until 2002) broadcast a version of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Greensleeves played by the Sinfonia of London, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli before and during the intermissions of the test. After the end of exam materials, candidates were given 10 minutes to tidy up their answers and the radio station broadcast Johann Strauss's The Blue Danube, played by the orchestra of Vienna Volksoper and conducted by , which was then followed by the end-of-exam announcement, also on the radio. Section B – WritingIt lasted for 1 hour and 15 minutes and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. Candidates were required to choose a topic out of four options and write an expository essay of approximately 500 words. Section C – Reading and Language SystemsIt lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. The reading part had multiple-choice questions based on a passage taken from a publication. A third of the total mark of the entire paper is allocated to this section. Types of questions were multiple-choice questions on cloze passage and continuity. There were also matching, cloze summary and proofreading exercises to test candidates' overall language skills. Section D – OralIt lased for 20 minutes and was allocated 18% of the total subject mark. There should be a minimum of three candidates and a maximum of four candidates in each