Sample questions being asked during P1 interview at KJS

We moved to HK recently from Japan and are not familiar with the education systems here so please pardon us for asking this basic kind of question. Our kid goes to english speaking kinder in tokyo but we think the english level there is not as good as the ones in hk so we really appreciate if anyone can share with us what kinds of questions interviewer would ask the kids so that we can at least have some ideas of what to expect during the interview. Many thanks.

ps any parents here who are Japan/hk nationals also interested in esf p1?

Originally Posted by azpbku

We moved to HK recently from Japan and are not familiar with the education systems here so please pardon us for asking this basic kind of question. Our kid goes to english speaking kinder in tokyo but we think the english level there is not as good as the ones in hk so we really appreciate if anyone can share with us what kinds of questions interviewer would ask the kids so that we can at least have some ideas of what to expect during the interview. Many thanks.

ps any parents here who are Japan/hk nationals also interested in esf p1?

For P1 they are just looking for kids that can follow instructions in English, reply back in English and a good participant. Improve everyday on the English. For P1 there are no sample questions besides name, age and maybe where they're from. Rest the assessor will just talk with them individually about the toy or activity they are doing at the time and just figure out whether the child understands and can follow instructions in English.

Thank you for reply.

Are kids expected to be able to count numerals 1-10 or more at P1 interview? My kid is now able to count 1-30plus but somehow the school report indicated that she can do 1-10 (only). Does it matter? (Sorry to ask such naive question but I have no idea of how competitive it is to get admitted into ESF P!)

Thanks again

Originally Posted by azpbku

Thank you for reply.

Are kids expected to be able to count numerals 1-10 or more at P1 interview? My kid is now able to count 1-30plus but somehow the school report indicated that she can do 1-10 (only). Does it matter? (Sorry to ask such naive question but I have no idea of how competitive it is to get admitted into ESF P!)

Thanks again

there may have only been space on the report for the teacher to have written whether that child knew the basic 1-10 which kids at 4-5 are already expected to know interms of seeing the number of objects as well as the number itself.

Don’t read too much into that as it is the assessor who will really be looking and judging each child on their merit there and then.
Previous school reports only carry greater weight as the grade they are entering gets higher.

With ESF P1, if you have an interview spot, your child is assured a place as long as they are not being uncooperative all the time with the assessor, not understanding their English instructions or where they feel the child is not matured yet. Its your child’s place to lose basically.

Interviews I beleve are in Jan / Feb – spend the next 1-2 months building your child’s confidence in English. Go to learning centres to help.


Good Luck

At our school, no maths, reading or writing is tested nor required before entering Y1. The main reason for interview is to check on English and the ability to adapt to a class room with 30 children in an English speaking environment.