The exam questions are no longer tricky.

TP - Nearly 103,000 students in Hanoi have completed the entrance exam for 10th grade in public schools for the 2025-2026 school year. This year's exam questions followed the directive of the Director of the Department of Education and Training, Tran The Cuong: not tricky, and closely adhered to the 2018 general education curriculum.

Parents are delighted that their children have finished the 10th grade entrance exam. Photo: DUC NGUYEN

Incorporate real-world scenarios into exam questions.

Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Nga, a Literature teacher at Viet Duc High School, affirmed that with the 2018 general education program, the most difficult aspect of exam design is selecting the source material for Literature. This is because the material must meet many requirements of the exam structure and not be found in the textbook. This year's Literature exam met these requirements. Ms. Lam Kieu Ninh, a teacher at Dong Da Secondary School, said: Literature is the subject that students and teachers are most nervous about, but after the exam, teachers feel relieved, and students are happy and excited.

Mr. Mai Anh Hung, a math teacher at Tran Phu High School, commented that this year's exam included a very interesting real-world problem. Problem number 5 asked how many more vehicles a business should invest in to maximize profit. Calculations showed two possible solutions: investing in 7 vehicles or investing in 8 vehicles, both yielding a maximum profit of 36,125,000 VND. “The problem is related to real-world situations but not entirely practical. Unless there's a special reason, the probability of the owner investing in 8 vehicles is zero. Since the profit margin is the same whether investing in 7 or 8 vehicles, the owner would certainly choose 7 vehicles, so there's no need to calculate the probability of 8 vehicles. Therefore, the question setter only introduced a real-world problem into mathematics, not using mathematics to solve a real-world problem,” Mr. Hung said. Nevertheless, Mr. Hung affirmed that this year's math exam brought a fresh perspective and reflected real-life situations.

Mr. Trinh Hoai Duong, a teacher at Giang Vo 2 Secondary School in Ba Dinh District, commented that this year's math exam has several new features. Firstly, probability and statistics were included in the exam from question 1. Secondly, previously, the exam required students to solve problems by setting up equations or systems of equations. This year, to meet the requirements of assessing students' abilities, this year's exam does not impose a specific requirement (therefore, this requirement no longer exists). Students can solve problems using any method, as long as they have a correct method and answer. Thirdly, mathematical modeling has been implemented, transforming everyday language into mathematical problems. Furthermore, Mr. Duong affirmed that question 5 (the final question) is different from previous exams. In previous years, this question was usually an optimization problem such as finding the minimum or maximum value or proving inequalities, which are technically advanced problems but far removed from practical applications.

This year, the assignment requires students to solve a real-world situation related to production-profit optimization. Students must model the problem, derive algebraic formulas from the context, analyze the conditions, and formulate logical mathematical arguments.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training announced that it plans to release the 10th grade exam results and admission scores for public high schools on its website between July 4th and 7th. This year, the exam results and admission scores will be announced on the same day. Schools will receive their exam results slips no later than July 8th. From July 10th to 12th, admitted students must confirm their enrollment (online or in person). On July 17th, schools that have not yet filled their quotas will conduct supplementary admissions, and from July 19th to 22nd, students admitted through this supplementary admissions process must confirm their enrollment.

There's no such thing as "doing it too tightly or too loosely."

Regarding concerns about whether there might be lenient or strict grading in essay-based subjects, especially Literature, at a press conference on the results of the 10th grade entrance exam organized by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training on the morning of June 8th, Mr. Tran The Cuong, Director of the Department of Education and Training, affirmed that such a situation would not occur (the department is responsible for ensuring safe, serious, and objective grading). After grading is completed, the grading committee will randomly select a number of exam papers for verification to ensure accuracy and fairness.

Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Nga, who has participated in grading 10th-grade exams for many years, shared that the grading team is always carefully selected each year. The process is organized and implemented seriously, with strict supervision; grading guidelines are disseminated in detail, giving candidates and their parents complete peace of mind.

In general, teachers commented that this year's exam no longer contained tricky or misleading questions. One notable change this year is that each major question is no longer a collection of disconnected ideas, but is designed as a group of closely related topics, logically linked in terms of knowledge and skills. This facilitates students' work. Smaller ideas within a single question can utilize a unified thought process, saving time and increasing the effectiveness of the presentation.

This represents a clear shift in the way exam questions are structured towards a competency-oriented approach, moving from discrete to integrated assessment. In particular, the Math exam includes over 50% of mathematical problems derived from real-life contexts, such as score tables, revenue production problems, and familiar spatial geometry problems in architecture or industry. These problems not only require students to perform mathematical techniques but also to understand the underlying context, analyze data, model, and choose appropriate solutions, thereby accurately assessing their application skills – the core of the new curriculum.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training affirmed that the exam supervision was carried out seriously; the transportation of exam papers was safe and secure. The coordination of forces in organizing the exam was synchronized and tight. 100% of the exam sites did not experience power outages during the exam. The forces involved had many initiatives to support and encourage candidates to take the exam.

Today, June 9th, candidates are taking the entrance exam for specialized high schools in Hanoi: Chu Van An Specialized High School, Nguyen Hue Specialized High School, Son Tay Specialized High School, and Hanoi - Amsterdam Specialized High School.

NGHIEM HUE

Source: https://tienphong.vn/de-thi-khong-con-danh-do-post1749483.tpo