A primary school contestant gestures as he delivers his speech in the Semifinal Round (Primary School and Secondary School Category) of the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition (Hong Kong Region) at G.T. (Ellen Yeung) College in Hong Kong, April 24, 2021. (RAYMOND CHAN/CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – The Semifinal Round (Primary School and Secondary School Category) of the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition (Hong Kong Region) successfully concluded on Saturday at G.T. (Ellen Yeung) College.
To ensure the safety of all participants, the organizers required them to undergo COVID-19 testing before the contest, and only those who could show proof of a negative result were allowed to enter the venue.
A secondary school contestant delivers her speech with style. (RAYMOND CHAN/CHINA DAILY)
After screening hundreds of contestants from the preliminary round, 130 of them advanced to Saturday’s Semifinal, some of whom will advance to the Regional Finals, which is scheduled on May 8.
Topics for this year:
Junior Primary: My favorite festival
Senior Primary: The bravest person in my eye
Junior Secondary: Saving food, saving the world
Senior Secondary: My dream career
A junior secondary contestant delivers his speech titled "Saving food, saving the world." (RAYMOND CHAN/CHINA DAILY)
After delivering their speeches, a Q&A session followed, designed to test the contestants not only on their understanding of the content, but also the ability to respond spontaneously.
To maintain the high quality and standard of the competition, judges are from esteemed organizations including China Daily, VDO English, and English Speaking Union (Hong Kong).
Question master Frank Liu from English Speaking Union (Hong Kong) asks contestants questions to test their ability to respond spontaneously. (RAYMOND CHAN/CHINA DAILY)
Opinions from judges
"All contestants have to wear surgical masks during the contest, which may cause some inconvenience. However, it did not hinder their performance though it is challenging."
~ One of the judges from the Secondary School Category
"I think they are so brave to take part in this competition. They demonstrate a spirit of vibrancy and vitality. I really enjoyed today's contest."
~ One of the judges from the Primary School Category
Let us stay tuned for the coming regional final.
A primary school contestant registers at the venue before the beginning of the competition. (RAYMOND CHAN/CHINA DAILY)
A contestant and her guardians fill in the health declaration forms at the entrance of the competition venue. (RAYMOND CHAN/CHINA DAILY)