Among the top scorers locally were eight students from the English Schools Foundation, the city’s biggest international school group, three from Diocesan Boys’ School in Mong Kok and two from St Paul’s Co-educational College in the Mid-Levels.

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Another two studied at the Singapore International School, one at the Canadian International School and one at the Independent Schools Foundation Academy.

All schools recorded a drop in the number of top scorers compared with last year. The global average score was 30.24, lower than last year’s 31.98.

The IB said its grade awarding system was similar to the one employed in 2019. In response to pandemic-related disruptions, it introduced “appropriate grade boundaries” in 2021 and 2022.

“Students taking their final assessments in the May 2023 session will be the first cohort to have experienced only limited disruption to their studies due to Covid-19,” it said. “In line with other international awarding bodies, the IB had decided that the distribution of grades awarded for our qualifications returned close to those of May 2019.”

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IB director general Olli-Pekka Heinonen said: “This year again, IB students in Hong Kong have shown outstanding resilience, adaptability and dedication to their learning. Their academic results reflect the IB family’s shared commitment to excellence.”

The IB, which offers students an internationally accredited qualification to enter higher education institutions, is a two-year programme for those aged between 16 and 19. Students must take six subjects and complete three components, including an extended essay.

Two of Diocesan Boys’ School’s top scorers will continue their studies in Hong Kong, including Max Kwok Shun-wang, 17, who is planning a career in medicine.

“Growing up I have never thought of studying medicine until the past few years. I had always dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player,” said Kwok, who is captain of the school tennis team and a member of the Hong Kong team.

A passion for sports pushed Selwyn Saw Zi-hong, 18, towards studying law in Hong Kong. “I’ve read different articles about athletes … I learned they often have different legal contracts, or they might be criminalised for certain reasons,” he said.

Anson Lam Yuk-ching, also 18, will head to the Royal College of Music in London to study piano. “It’s the opportunity to engage, practice and perform with other musicians from around the world that made me choose to study in London,” he said.

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Charles Wu, the school’s IB coordinator, said “normal times” had returned this year, and the drop in top scorers was a “worldwide situation”.

“The message that I’m getting is that the IB is going back to pre-Covid levels,” he said. “In the past three years, we’ve had quite a bit of inflation in the scores.”

The two perfect scorers at St Paul’s Co-educational College will study overseas.

Stefanie Lee Wing-hay will head to the United States to read economics at the University of Pennsylvania. “I used to want to study in Hong Kong, but as I grew up, I wanted to get out there and explore,” the 18-year-old said.

Ian Chang Chun-lam, 18, will study the world bachelor in business programme – a triple degree offered by the University of Southern California, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Bocconi University in Italy.

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“I’ve been fascinated by business since I was small, especially by entrepreneurship and start-ups … I want to get a chance to research these or even be a part of them,” said Chang, an American citizen, adding that he wished to stay in the US after his studies.

The school’s IB coordinator, Belinda Ng, said she was proud of her students.

“This is the first cohort of students that has faced the full scope of papers. So there are no more Covid allowances … So especially for students in Hong Kong, it’s been rather challenging,” she said.

Canadian International School top scorer Vincent Yang Yin-sheng, 17, will pursue a dual-degree programme at the University of Hong Kong and the University of British Columbia.

Singapore International School’s two top scorers, Mindy Shie and Boey Jun Xin, both said they would study medicine but had not decided where.

Boey said the pandemic made her more determined to become a doctor. “What I really like about medicine is that it gives you the ability to impact people’s lives on a very profound level,” she said.

Shie is keen to help the elderly. “When I’m older, as a doctor, I want to use my free time to provide free medical consultations for the elderly in poor communities,” she said.

School vice-principal Alvin Soon said there was not much visible difference in exam performances over the last three years. “We noticed a slight dip this year, but it’s actually in line with the IB’s message that they are returning to the pre-Covid standard.”

A school that traditionally performed well, Victoria Shanghai Academy in Aberdeen, had no perfect scores but 10 students earned 43 points and above, and many have received offers from prestigious universities.

Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School, which recorded seven perfect scores in 2022 and nine the year before, had none this time.

“This year [the IB] is totally back to normal,” principal Jenny Chong Mei-chun said.

Iqrah Nadeem, 18, who scored 44 points, will study maths at Imperial College London. “It was realising how easy it was that two seemingly unrelated areas are actually interconnected,” she said. “I really appreciate that process.”

Another high scorer, Julian Yip Yan-yu, attained 42 points and will attend Tsinghua University in Beijing, also to study maths.

“It’s one of the best universities in China. I think by going there, I can meet the best students in mainland China,” the 18-year-old said.

“Another thing is, Tsinghua’s maths department seems to be growing, given how many professors in the US and other countries are going back to China.”

Reporting by: William Yiu, Kelly Fung, Yanni Chow, Andee Capellan, Stanley Le and Hazel Luo