Unsurprising score distribution
This afternoon (July 15), an English teacher in Hung Yen province commented that she was not surprised after observing the 2025 high school graduation English score distribution and the average English score in this exam was 5.38. "English is a subject with a low average score, and this was also predicted after the candidates finished the exam. This also reflects reality because I found that the 2025 high school graduation English exam was too difficult compared to the average level of students," said this female teacher.
The rate of good and excellent scores in English at high school graduation has decreased, why?
Ms. Do Thi Ngoc Anh, IELTS teacher at DOL English, commented: "The 2025 high school graduation English score distribution has a relatively standard bell shape, showing that the test has good differentiation. The number of 10 points is 141 candidates, accounting for a very small proportion of the total of more than 351,000 candidates. The average score is 5.38, showing that the general level of ability of all candidates is slightly above average. This shows that the test is highly challenging to achieve an absolute score. One of the most notable points is that the score distribution has a gentle slope towards the high scores (from 7 points and up), showing a clear reality: to achieve a high score, candidates need to have real language ability, especially reading comprehension skills".
English score distribution for high school graduation 2025
PHOTO: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
At the same time, Ms. Ngoc Anh said that the decrease in the rate of good and excellent scores in English at high school graduation (>=7) can be seen as a necessary step to improve the quality of the exam.
"The exam is gradually moving towards the goal of properly assessing reading comprehension and language use, encouraging authentic teaching and learning. Candidates who score high on such an exam are truly outstanding. Questions at the level of recognition and understanding can help candidates easily achieve a score of 5-6. However, to reach the threshold of 7, 8, 9, the exam requires the ability to apply, reason, and read and understand complex texts in depth. The fact that only 141 exams scored 10 out of more than 351,000 candidates is the clearest proof," the female teacher commented.
Regarding the basic statistical indicators of English in 2024 and 2025, Ms. Ngoc Anh commented: "The number of candidates in 2025 (351,848) has decreased to only about 38.8% compared to 2024 (906,549). This is a very significant decrease in scale. In addition, the exam scores in 2025 are less dispersed and more even than in 2024. The score distribution tends to converge, meaning that candidates have closer scores, the gap between good and weak students has narrowed. There is a clear trend that the exam results in 2025 have improved in the low-scoring group, but at the same time it also shows that achieving high scores has become more difficult."
English score distribution for high school graduation from 2022 to 2025
PHOTO: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
From a technical perspective, the 2025 English score spectrum is a clear step forward, but...
Speaking to Thanh Nien Newspaper, Mr. Le Hoang Phong, Academic Director of YOUREORGEducation and Training Organization, said that from a technical perspective, the English score distribution in 2025 is a clear step forward. Instead of continuing the rightward trend as in previous years, this year's score distribution has achieved a standard bell shape, with an average score of 5.38 almost coinciding with the median of 5.25, and a standard deviation of only 1.45.
"In terms of testing, this is an ideal score spectrum: no extreme "skewed tail", no ceiling broken by too many 10s, nor bottomed out by tricky questions. Only 2 exams scored 0 and only 141 students scored 10 out of more than 351,000 exams - equivalent to 0.04%, a record low in many years. In other words, the 2025 exam is tightly designed, with good control of differentiation, especially in the high-score group," said Mr. Phong.
However, Mr. Phong commented that compared to 2024 - the year when the high school graduation English exam scores had a slightly right-skewed score distribution but were still stratified - the high score space in 2025 was clearly "shortened".
Basic statistical indicators of English subject in high school graduation exam in 2024 and 2025
PHOTO: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
More specifically, Mr. Phong gave some remarkable numbers:
- The average score for English in 2025 decreased slightly compared to 2024, from 5.51 to 5.38, indicating a moderate increase in the difficulty level of the test. However, this change is not large enough to cause controversy, if only looking at the general level.
- The standard deviation dropped sharply, from 1.88 to 1.45, showing that the score spectrum has been "compressed" to the average. This phenomenon clearly reflects one thing: the exam has tightly controlled the differentiation in depth, while at the same time limiting the ability of good and excellent students to make breakthroughs.
- The percentage of students scoring 7 points or more decreased from 25.2% to 15.1%, a decrease of nearly 40% in absolute terms, although the total number of exams also decreased. If converted, in 2024, there will be about 228,450 students scoring 7 points or more; in 2025, this number will be only 53,114 students - equivalent to a decrease of more than 175,000 good and excellent candidates, an alarming decrease in the ability to classify students at the top.
- The number of students achieving a perfect score (10 points) decreased from 565 to 141, a decrease of 75%, but if calculated as a percentage of the total number of candidates, in 2024 it was 0.062%, and in 2025 it was 0.04% - an extremely small level, showing that the exam has almost "locked" the door to a perfect score.
- Meanwhile, the percentage of students below average only decreased slightly, from 42.7% to 38.2%, meaning that more than 134,000 candidates in 2025 still did not achieve average scores, nearly half of the total number of exams. This shows that the 2025 exam has not really supported the group of weak students to make significant progress, even though the score distribution has been adjusted in a technical direction.
Candidates in Ho Chi Minh City in the 2025 high school graduation exam
PHOTO: NHAT THINH
English score spectrum 2025 is not just numbers
Ms. Do Thi Ngoc Anh emphasized this. According to this IELTS teacher, the 2025 English score distribution is a strong signal showing the need for a revolution in English teaching and learning methods. Teaching in substance: It is necessary to strengthen teaching the essence, thinking, integrating activities to practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in real-life contexts.
Real learning: Students must focus on building a solid foundation of vocabulary, grammar, and practicing reading comprehension skills to be able to use them.
In the context of globalization, English is an essential need for life and a mandatory tool for integration. Foreign language proficiency is not just a score but the ability to communicate, learn and work. To meet the essential needs of society and help the young generation confidently integrate, teaching and learning English needs a real revolution, focusing on practical use and thinking skills.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chi-004-thi-sinh-diem-10-mon-tieng-anh-tot-nghiep-thpt-giao-vien-de-xuat-gi-185250715174919623.htm
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