To prevent students from 'randomly choosing' subjects for grade 10

Students entering grade 10 are really confused when faced with dozens of subject combinations to choose from when entering high school. If high schools do not have suitable subject groups, there is no orientation and advice, it will lead to choosing based on emotions, choosing because they think that subject is easier than another subject...

Students confused, design school chooses subjects according to "combo"

In theory, students can choose hundreds of different combinations from 9 elective subjects. However, in reality, due to the conditions of facilities and teaching staff, the number of combinations in each school is still limited, mainly divided into 2 groups: natural sciences and social sciences . The Ministry of Education and Training believes that there are more than 100 options for choosing subjects in high school, but in reality, most schools will build less than 10 combinations, mainly 4-6 subject combinations for students to choose from.

Parents and students submit application for admission and register for elective subjects for grade 10

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

A parent whose child passed the 10th grade of the Foreign Language Specialized High School ( Hanoi National University) said that when it comes to elective subjects, parents and students think that they will be able to choose by subject. However, in reality, the school chooses the combination of elective subjects and a second foreign language to create different groups for students to choose from. This leads to the fact that students choose the desired combination but the second foreign language is not their choice, or vice versa. That means students have to accept choosing according to a "combo", like going to eat at a restaurant, in that combo there are dishes that the restaurant has prepared on the menu, if you don't like it, you still have to choose.

According to this parent, the school allows online registration for group selection, but the number of each group is limited. Students who are quick and lucky will be able to choose a group with most of the subjects they want. "My child is unlucky, there are no more quotas for the group of subjects he wants, so he has to choose from the remaining groups. After choosing and choosing, he had to accept choosing an option even though it is not what he wanted," this parent shared.

Choose subjects to increase your chances of university admission

The first high school graduation exam applied according to the 2018 general education program along with changes in university admission in 2025 has affected the choice of 4 elective subjects according to career orientation of 10th grade students who have just passed the 2025-2026 school year.

As the person who builds combinations for schools, Ms. Nguyen Boi Quynh, Principal of Viet Duc High School (Hanoi), said that the first thing schools need to do when building subject combinations is to base on the school's staff situation. Secondly, it is also very important to link them with the university entrance exam combinations of students in the future. Ensure that when building the combination of options, students will have the opportunity to take at least 2 or 3 entrance exams, which means more doors for their future. Consulting parents to choose these combinations is also an important issue.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, Principal of Kim Lien High School (Hanoi), the 4 optional subject combinations that the school has built can be connected to the most admission combinations of universities.

Principals of high schools in Ho Chi Minh City all agree that this year, although the number of students choosing subject combinations that lean towards natural sciences is still slightly higher than that of social sciences, the difference is no longer as clear as in previous years, with priority given to creating many combinations for university admission.

At Nguyen Tat Thanh High School (Binh Phu Ward, old District 6, Ho Chi Minh City), in the 2025-2026 school year, 10th graders chose physics and computer science the most. Next came subjects such as economic and legal education, chemistry, geography, technology, biology, and fine arts. Meanwhile, the number of students choosing biology and chemistry decreased.

Last school year, the most chosen combinations for the university entrance exam were B00 (physics, chemistry, biology) with 119 students, followed by the combination of physics, chemistry, economic education and law; the combination of physics, chemistry, technology... This school year, the most chosen combinations were physics, chemistry, economic education and law (or informatics); physics, geography, economic education and law (or informatics)...

Mr. Tran Quang Vu, Vice Principal of Nguyen Tat Thanh High School, commented: After the recent high school graduation exam combined with the regulations on university admission, students choose subjects not only based on their abilities and career orientation but also with the aim of creating many university admission combinations, participating in many admission methods, proactively creating as many admission opportunities as possible.

Mr. To Lam Vien Khoa, Vice Principal of Gia Dinh High School (Thanh My Tay Ward, old Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), informed that this year, the two subjects physics and chemistry have the highest number of students choosing to study because these are the subjects that can form many university entrance exam combinations.

Statistics from the subject selection results of 10th grade students in the 2025-2026 school year, Ernst Thälmann High School (Ben Thanh Ward, old District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) show a trend of students prioritizing natural science subjects. Notably, more than 60% of 10th grade students choose physics.

School leaders said the main reason is that this subject can be easily combined with other subjects to form many university entrance exam combinations, suitable for students' study and career orientation.

Ms. Truong Thi Bich Thuy, Principal of Hung Vuong High School (Cho Lon Ward, old District 5, Ho Chi Minh City), informed that this year, there is not much difference in the subjects students choose between natural sciences and social sciences, except for biology, which is less than other natural sciences.

Ms. Thuy said that in previous years, students often chose art subjects that were evaluated by comments, thinking that studying would be easier. But this year, the number of students choosing subjects that were evaluated by scores increased. This may show that parents and students calculated their subject choices so that in addition to the high school graduation exam, they could register for many admission combinations and many university entrance methods.

After being admitted to grade 10, students will be advised to choose elective subject combinations that suit their abilities and future career trends.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

Encourage students not to "avoid" natural science subjects and not to choose easy subjects.

Ms. Boi Quynh pointed out that in reality, students entering grade 10 have just gone through a very stressful exam and tend to be afraid of natural science subjects, mainly looking for subjects to memorize and social subjects for their choice combination. However, according to Ms. Quynh, Viet Duc High School (Hanoi) has a way to guide students to boldly choose natural science subjects because without basic science, it will be difficult to develop the economy, and at the same time, building exam blocks for students later will also be more difficult. For example, if students choose physics, they will have the opportunity to expand their opportunities later when math, literature, and foreign languages are compulsory subjects and belong to the traditional D block, but when physics is added, they will have the opportunity to add block A1 including math, physics, and foreign languages. And when chemistry is added, it becomes block D7 including math, chemistry, and foreign languages. Choice combinations such as math, physics, chemistry, biology, and informatics will give students the opportunity to take many exams including blocks D, A, and B.

"Therefore, it is necessary to encourage students to choose subjects related to basic science, opening up more career opportunities in the near future," said Ms. Quynh, adding that schools also need to be responsible for building study groups, so that there are 1-2 natural science subjects.

Master Pham Le Thanh, a teacher at Nguyen Hien High School (Binh Thoi Ward, old District 11, Ho Chi Minh City), commented that the 2025 high school graduation exam showed a certain difference in difficulty between subjects, leading to the psychology of students and parents tending to choose a combination of subjects that are "easier to score".

However, Master Thanh emphasized that the Ministry of Education and Training has promptly regulated fairness using statistical tools and the percentile method, so universities have a basis for equivalent conversion between groups, ensuring fairness in enrollment.

Therefore, Mr. Thanh noted that when choosing a combination of elective subjects, one should not have the mentality of choosing "easy subjects" but invest in one's true ability. According to Mr. Thanh, choosing the wrong subject leads to a lack of motivation in studying.

Advice for students in this context, according to Mr. Thanh, students need to choose a subject combination according to their abilities, strengths and dream career, not following the "crowd" or "easy subjects". Build a solid learning foundation so that even if the exam changes, students can still respond confidently. "Choose the right one from the beginning of high school, don't wait until grade 12 to change direction, it's both a waste of effort and pressure", Mr. Thanh advised.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/de-hoc-sinh-khong-chon-bua-mon-hoc-lop-10-185250729192137289.htm