Teacher reveals secret to help student achieve valedictorian in literature with 9.75 points

The literature exam of this year's high school graduation exam has many innovations and high classification. Tran Minh Ha, a student of class 12A5 at May High School (18 Dinh Cong, Hanoi), has excellently achieved 9.75 points in literature. This achievement is not only due to personal efforts but also the result of a journey of tirelessly cultivating emotions and nurturing passion from teacher Nguyen Thi Xuyen.

The secret to awakening emotions in learning literature

For Tran Minh Ha, just mentioning the two words "Ms. Xuyen" is a source of inspiration for writing that seems to naturally come flooding back. Minh Ha recounts that Ms. Xuyen's literature classes are like watching a dramatic and emotional movie. There, the characters are no longer strange, dry names in textbooks, but become lively people, with laughter, tears, fates and concerns like anyone else in real life.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuyen (right) and literature valedictorian Tran Minh Ha. It is known that Ms. Xuyen has 15 years of experience in the education sector, and has been reviewing high school entrance exams for many years with students achieving high scores.

Photo: NVCC

Ms. Xuyen often has a favorite saying that is deeply imprinted in the minds of her students: "Literature is life, so don't write like a machine." It was that reminder that helped Minh Ha realize that writing is not simply a matter of arranging words in the right structure or following a pre-existing pattern. It is a process of putting your heart, soul and most genuine feelings into each paragraph, each line.

To do that, Ms. Xuyen not only lectures, but she "tells" stories, "creates" scenes, and "recreates" the characters' emotions, making students feel like they are immersed in a vivid literary world .

Minh Ha honestly shared that before the exam, there was a time when she fell into a state of depression to the point of wanting to give up. Literature suddenly became a burden, the pages of the book seemed lifeless. However, thanks to the learning method of "reading literature with the soul" that Ms. Xuyen suggested, Minh Ha gradually found the connection with literature. She began to immerse herself in each sentence, imagining herself talking to the character, even "pretending a little" when listening to soft music and closing her eyes to imagine the setting of the work. Perhaps it was this "pretending", the daring to live fully with her emotions that helped her maintain a sweet, strong connection with literature. A connection should never be limited by the rigid structure of 3 parts: introduction, body and conclusion, but must be the free flow of emotions and thoughts.

Having been on the teaching podium for nearly 15 years, Ms. Xuyen could not hide her emotions when mentioning her student's score of 9.75 in the recent 2025 high school exam. "It was a feeling that I never dared to dream of, but now it has come true. I was overwhelmed with happiness, because it was not just a score, but the result of a long journey full of love, patience and understanding between teacher and student," she shared in a choked voice. For her, this is not a victory of mere knowledge, but the clearest proof that: when teachers are dedicated enough, passionate enough, students will be inspired enough to reach out, to fly high, to fly far on the wings of knowledge and emotion.

"Just write the truth, I'll fix the rest."

Not only does Ms. Xuyen turn her lessons into vivid films, she also infuses them with a very real emotion - dedication. She does not hesitate to spend time talking privately with each student, listening to even the smallest concerns that seem unimportant. It could be a complaint: "I don't understand this part today, teacher!", or a hesitant question: "I feel like this sentence is... bad, please help me check it", or sometimes simply a casual confession: "Teacher, I'm so sad today!".

For Minh Ha, it was this sincere, non-judgmental listening that helped her gain more confidence when she started writing. She knew that behind every test, every less-than-perfect submission, there was always a teacher willing to read, give detailed comments, and accompany her like a great friend. Simple but powerful words of encouragement like: "I believe you can write better" or "This time, the idea is not very clear, but you are on the right track" became a small light, guiding Minh Ha on her challenging journey of learning literature. A journey that sometimes does not need flowery words, but only sincerity is enough to ignite a lasting, unquenchable passion.

For Ms. Xuyen, each student is a "literary personality" that needs to be respected, discovered and nurtured.

Photo: NVCC

During the review process, Ms. Xuyen never imposed or forced students to write according to a certain template, or "memorize" sample essays. On the contrary, she encouraged them to find their "own voice", to freely experiment, to write, to make mistakes and to correct. Minh Ha clearly remembers Ms. Xuyen's familiar message, like a guideline: "Just write truthfully, let me correct the rest". That has become a solid foundation for students to overcome their fear, to dare to write their own feelings, not following a pattern, not copying, but completely coming from their own hearts and independent thinking.

For Ms. Xuyen, each student is a "literary personality" that needs to be respected, discovered and nurtured. She does not teach literature as a dry subject, but rather leads students into a vast world, where emotions are the root of all creativity and reason is the lamp that lights the way. She often lets students experience "being a literature teacher" by organizing peer-review sessions, asking critical questions, debating and drawing their own conclusions.

Minh Ha said that Ms. Xuyen's "1-1 interview" style old lesson tests made students both "nervous" and "excited", one even exclaimed: "More pressure than taking the university entrance exam!".

Study literature not just for exams, but to be yourself, to understand more about life and about people.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuyen

Literature is a journey of emotional accumulation.

When asked about her exam preparation tips, Ms. Xuyen shared that she always sends out detailed review plans from the end of the previous week so that students can proactively prepare and schedule their studies accordingly. Not only does she provide a system of differentiated exercises, from basic to advanced, she also inspires passion through activities outside of textbooks. She encourages students to read more books, newspapers, and literary works outside of the curriculum, to feel their favorite characters in their own way, and to practice writing skills from the simplest things in daily life. "Literature is no longer a subject to memorize, but a long journey to practice critical thinking, the ability to perceive and express one's own emotions," she emphasized.

From that journey, her students gradually formed the habit of self-study and persistent self-training: writing an essay every week, sending it to her for comments, then rewriting it, and continuing to write. Personal reflections on a poem or a character are no longer forced tasks, but become a way for them to keep their emotions fresh, not boring, not mechanical. Thanks to that, literature is no longer a fear, but even becomes beautiful, a place for them to express themselves.

As for Ms. Xuyen, Minh Ha's achievement of 9.75 is not just an impressive score. It is the happiness of seeing a student dare to love literature again from the beginning; dare to try, dare to write, dare to make mistakes and dare to live true to her most genuine emotions. She sends a meaningful message to future generations of students: "Study literature not just for exams, but to be yourself, to understand more about life and about people."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-giao-tiet-lo-bi-quyet-giup-hoc-tro-dat-thu-khoa-mon-van-voi-975-diem-185250717121138463.htm