English results are still low compared to other subjects.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, in 2024, more than 906,000 candidates nationwide will take the high school graduation exam in English. The average score of candidates is 5.51 points, a slight improvement compared to 5.45 points in 2023. The highest score a candidate can achieve is 4.6 points.
There were more than 565 students who scored 10, not much higher than last year. However, there were 14 students who scored 0 and 145 students who failed.
Experts from British University Vietnam (BUV) believe that, in terms of the overall score distribution, this year's English score distribution continues to have a saddle shape, different from the bell-shaped score distribution of other subjects. One peak of the English score distribution at a high threshold is about 8 points and one peak at a low threshold is 4.6 points.
In general, although there is a slight improvement in results compared to previous years, English results are still in the low group compared to other subjects such as Literature, Physics, Chemistry, etc.
Access to quality English languageeducation is uneven.
According to experts, English is a long-term subject that requires systematic investment and a roadmap. Once the “roots” are lost, students will struggle to even achieve above-average scores, let alone high scores. To improve their abilities, reflected in their scores, students can hardly just “learn quickly”.
With differences in culture and conditions between regions, the ability to access quality English teaching methods is relatively different.
In urban areas, families tend to invest in their children learning English early and long-term. English centers are also larger, with modern facilities, new teaching methods, and highly qualified native teachers. On the contrary, students in some remote areas only start learning foreign languages systematically when they are in secondary school, or even high school.
As a result, this difference is clearly shown in the score distribution, when large, key provinces and cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Binh Duong , Hai Phong... continuously lead the list of localities with the highest average English scores. The presence of remote, mountainous provinces is rarely seen in this list.
More notable is the big difference between the output requirements of learning and teaching English. Currently, many English teaching centers are oriented towards developing equal capacity, enhancing listening and speaking skills equally, even surpassing reading and writing skills.
Meanwhile, the limitation of multiple choice test questions can only cover mainly reading and comprehension skills. Vocabulary and grammar topics taught and popularized in high school are included in differentiated questions, so high school graduation exam scores may not fully reflect students' abilities.
Encourage "farming" English learning
Dr. Yulia Tregubova, British University Vietnam (BUV) - who has 20 years of research and teaching in the field of linguistics, recognizes that a teaching trend in high schools in Vietnam is that teachers and students focus too much on practicing and doing test questions.
In education, this phenomenon is called "negative washback", when focusing on exam preparation not only does not bring positive effects, but also has a distorted impact on the entire teaching process. This will limit students from being trained and exposed to multiple dimensions, to develop all skills.
“If you only learn English for exams, you are like a hunter, a short-term and opportunistic person. I encourage learning English in a more “farming” way – that is, investing in the long-term development of students,” said Dr. Yulia Tregubova.
To build a solid English foundation for university and career advancement, Dr. Yulia Tregubova encourages students to pursue comprehensive English language skills training programs for academic goals.
Through that, students will be exposed to a variety of reading comprehension, literature, and academic contexts that they will encounter during their university years, not only in Vietnam but anywhere in the world .
Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/giao-duc--y-te1/cai-thien-nang-luc-mon-tieng-anh-hoc-sinh-kho-co-the-chi-hoc-xoi-i382774/
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