Department of Education
Education in the Grand Peninsula
One city-wide curriculum before high school, the Advanced Baccalaureate in high school, and universities and institutes that set their own requirements. All of it is the responsibility of the Department of Education.
- Led by
- The Secretary for Education
- Covers
- All education, from schools to universities and institutes
- High-school qualification
- The Advanced Baccalaureate
- Scale
- Each course is scored out of 10. There is no grade point average.
- In Portsmere
- Education Department of the City of Portsmere
Education in numbers
- Before high school
- About 640,000 children in Union schools
- High school
- About 175,000 students in Union schools
- Advanced Baccalaureate
- About 88,000 candidates a year in Union schools. The average course score is about 6.4 out of 10.
- Universities and institutes
- About 330,000 students across the 23 listed below
Estimates for the 2025 to 2026 school year, rounded. Schools in Portsmere are counted by the Education Department of the City of Portsmere.
Before high school
Before high school, every child in the Grand Peninsula follows the same city-wide general curriculum. Schools may teach it in their own way, but what is taught does not change from one school to the next.
High school and the Advanced Baccalaureate
High-school students take the Advanced Baccalaureate. It applies to high school only, not to earlier years or to universities.
Each course is scored out of 10. The score is not decided by one examination. It is built from final examinations in each of four semesters, midterm examinations, tests during the course, a report on exploration or practice outside the classroom, and a paper that brings several areas of knowledge together.
The city-wide standardised examination takes about seven tenths of its content from what is taught in class and about three tenths from beyond it. A student who follows lessons carefully can answer most of the paper. The rest tests whether the student has understood the subject rather than rehearsed it.
Choosing subjects
A student must take at least six subjects. Among them there must be at least one from Humanities, one from Science, one from Arts, and one Language. Students may take more than six.
- Language
- English A; Traditional English (under English A); English B; Chinese Simplified A and B; Chinese Traditional A and B; French A and B; German A and B; Spanish A and B; Japanese; Korean; Russian; Arabic; Portuguese; Hindi
- Mathematics
- Mathematics Standard; Advanced Geometry; Advanced Algebra; Advanced Calculus; Advanced Statistics; Logical Thinking
- Science
- Physics; Chemistry; Biology; Ecology; Environment Improving; Astronomy; Computer Science; Advanced UI/UX
- Humanities
- Psychology; Sociology; Urban Design; Economics; Entrepreneurship; Business Management; Financial Literacy; Community Improvement; Eastern History; Western History; Law and Society
- Arts
- Visual Design; Music; Theatre; Film; Creative Writing; Digital Design
- Other
- Theory of Knowledge; Creative Essays; Experimental Essays
Universities and institutes
There is no single city-wide standard for universities and institutes. Each sets its own requirements and decides whom to admit. They remain within the responsibility of the Department of Education.
Under a rule issued two years ago, the name or reputation of an applicant's high school may not be treated as a criterion for admission. Applicants are considered on their own results and work.
The Department of Education does not rank universities and institutes. They are listed here in alphabetical order.
- Beitou University
- Bell University
- City College of Engineering
- City College of Maritime
- City Institute of Science
- The Dwight School
- The Dwight School (Midtown)
- Gauss Graduate School of Business
- Huanzuo City University
- Lake University
- Midtown University
- Moonlink College of Music
- Moonlink University
- Peninsula Normal University
- Portsmere College of Arts
- Portsmere Institute of Technology
- Portsmere University
- Shangnan University
- Southern Normal University
- Spark College
- Streamwood College
- Union College
- West Bund University
Education in Portsmere
Education in the Affiliated City of Portsmere is administered by the Education Department of the City of Portsmere. From October 2026 this includes Midtown University and the City Institute of Science. Advanced Baccalaureate results already issued by the Union remain valid.