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Extracurricular intelPublished 2026-10-12

Speech Festival Class 112: both set pieces revoked, replacements named

The Association has revoked both set pieces for Class 112 (Choral Speaking, Primary 4-6, Boys) at the 78th Speech Festival and named two replacement poems with book, page and ISBN.

Gradepath@BeBuddiDigital editor

Official notice

In a special announcement on its website, the Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association has replaced the set pieces for Class U/E/K/Y112, Choral Speaking – Primary 4 to 6 – Boys, at the 78th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival (2026). The Association says it is aware of the potentially unsuitable message conveyed to students by the selected pieces and, while appreciating all styles and forms of literary presentation, gives top priority to a positive learning experience through participation; after thorough consideration it decided to revoke both set pieces for this class and to offer substitutes. The revoked pieces are I Saw a Jolly Hunter by Charles Causley (Read Me and Laugh: A Funny Poem for Every Day of the Year – Chosen by Gaby Morgan, pp. 17-18, Macmillan Children’s Book, ISBN 9780330435574) and My Cat Plumduff (The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry – Edited by Brian Patten, pp. 52-53, Puffin Books, ISBN 9780140384215). The replacements are Aliens Stole My Underpants by Brian Moses (The Works – Chosen by Paul Cookson, pp. 99-100, Macmillan Children’s Books, ISBN 9780330481045 / 9781447273493) and A Song of Toad by Kenneth Grahame (Read Me 1: A Poem for Every Day of the Year / Read Me: A Poem for Every Day of the Year – Chosen by Gaby Morgan, pp. 135-136, Macmillan Children’s Books, ISBN 9780330373531 / 9781529005622). The announcement states no effective date or deadline.

Gradepath analysis

The pressure point is timing. Choral speaking is a team event: schools usually fix the script, blocking and parts early in the year, so a set-piece change this close to the festival means rewriting the script, movement and spacing from scratch. First, ask the teacher in charge whether the school has seen the Association notice — it sits inside a "Read More" panel in the special announcements box on the Association homepage, with no separate circular, so it is easy to miss. Second, adjudication rewards ensemble pace, stress and precision; after a script change the work is not re-memorising but realigning stress and pause, which is exactly where Cantonese-first speakers lose marks. Third, each replacement poem is listed with book title, page numbers and two ISBNs — the wrong edition means the wrong set piece, and in a group class no single member can rescue it, so buy or borrow the exact edition listed.

Gradepath@BeBuddi action step

Start English reading-aloud training: realign stress and pausing →

Official source：香港學校音樂及朗誦協會 ↗

Dates, quotas and admission arrangements follow official and school announcements; the analysis here is general information and is not individual admissions or professional advice.

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