The 2025 high school graduation exam questions in Mathematics and English are attracting attention and debate among experts, teachers, students, and parents. Some argue that the questions are too difficult and tricky; others support the new question format. VietNamNet is opening a forum to gather diverse opinions, contributing to the improvement of the exam and the enhancement of teaching and learning quality.
The following article is a professional analysis of the 2025 high school graduation English exam by Dr. Vu Thi Phuong Anh, former director of the Center for Testing and Evaluation of Training Quality, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
What makes an exam "difficult," "good," or "excellent"?
A test is considered “difficult” when the majority of candidates do not achieve the average score - this can only be determined after the actual score distribution. However, the reactions of students and teachers, along with experience in recent years, suggest that the average score this year will likely be lower, ranging from 4.5 to nearly 5 points - and not many 9s and 10s. If this prediction is correct, the test can be considered difficult.
The concept of “good” is subjective, often used by many people to describe positive feelings about the exam - perhaps because the language is current, interesting or close. But “good” for one person is not necessarily “good” for another, and that is not a professional criterion for evaluating the exam.
Because the test is a measuring tool based on objective standards and not a novel, it cannot be evaluated based on the standard of "good". But if "good" is understood as another way to express the meaning of "good", then a test is considered "good" when it satisfies the following criteria: Correctly assesses the capacity to be measured; suitable for the subject and objectives of the test; feasible in real conditions; clear, transparent, easy to understand and easy to grade.
Applying the above criteria to Vietnam's high school graduation exam, we see that the goal and target audience of the exam is to assess English language proficiency at the B1 level for students who have completed the general education program. Because this is a dual-purpose exam—assessing the achievement of minimum program competencies and selecting top university students—the exam questions must not only assess the minimum competency level according to the curriculum but also differentiate students based on their abilities.
Positive New Points: Towards Real Capacity Assessment
Compared to previous years, this year's exam showed several positive aspects:
Increased authenticity: The material is close to everyday communication situations, helping students apply language in meaningful contexts.
Focus on skills rather than knowledge: Reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and grasping the main idea questions appear more frequently, reflecting a focus on assessing language proficiency rather than rote memorization.
Diverse aspects of language: Skills such as scanning, skimming, coherence, and connection in text are emphasized.
Updated content: Current, scientific , and social topics create a sense of closeness, guiding students to expand their knowledge beyond language.
This is a positive step, moving closer to modern assessment methods, especially when considered within the context of educational reform.
The big issue lies in the difficulty level and suitability.
However, a “good” exam does not only stop at being modern, but also needs to be suitable for the goals and subjects. A comparison between the sample exam (for reference) and this year’s official exam shows some notable differences:
More appropriate and feasible sample questions: Reading passages such as "Making friends in the sky" or "To save the planet..." have relatable content and simpler writing styles, suitable for high school students. The difficulty level is moderate, ensuring that most students can complete the basic part.
The official test exceeded the threshold: The reading passage about "Greenwashing" contains many difficult concepts such as decarbonization, capital outlay..., requiring a knowledge base beyond the textbook. Some highly academic passages, complex sentence structures are overwhelming.
Interferential questions, requiring high reasoning: Many questions have closely related interference options, complex question formulation, requiring advanced paraphrasing and reading comprehension skills - which are not common with most 12th grade students.
The time pressure is disproportionate: Given the difficulty level, 50 minutes is far too short. This makes it difficult for candidates to demonstrate their true abilities, especially when faced with unfamiliar questions and feeling stressed.
When a new direction lacks a suitable roadmap
The high school graduation exam, whose main purpose is to assess the minimum standard of students nationwide, cannot be considered a good exam, although it has many new positive points and is considered by many people to be "good". There are many objective grounds to believe that the language of the exam exceeds the required target (many language elements are at B2 level while the required target is B1) and the content of the exam has many points that are too unfamiliar and go beyond the educational program.
The argument that "if the exam is difficult, everyone will find it difficult, so it's okay" is only partially true if we view the exam simply as a competition to select students for university. Meanwhile, it's important to remember that the main purpose of the high school graduation exam is to assess the minimum required level of achievement for students nationwide. When the exam is too difficult, the majority of students cannot perform well, making it impossible to determine whether they have met the minimum requirements. This undermines the core meaning of a high school graduation exam, which should be a measure of the basic knowledge and skills that all students need to possess upon leaving school. Even when considered as an entrance exam, creating an exam that is excessively difficult compared to its educational goals is never something to be encouraged from a professional perspective.
A balance is needed between innovation and relevance.
The 2025 high school graduation English exam is a commendable effort in improving testing and assessment. However, there remains a significant gap between the intended direction and its practical implementation. If we only focus on the innovation while ignoring feasibility and suitability, the exam will inadvertently become a barrier rather than a tool to promote learning.
Therefore, to have a “good” exam - in the sense of a “good” exam, there needs to be a balance between the goal of classifying and assessing minimum competence, between innovation and suitability to practical conditions. In particular, setting out a suitable roadmap for change, taking into account the adaptability of students and teachers, while strictly controlling the difficulty of the materials and questions, will help the high school graduation exam to maximize its role, both as an accurate assessment tool and as a promoter of the quality of English teaching and learning nationwide.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/de-thi-tieng-anh-tot-nghiep-thpt-2025-kho-vuot-ngoai-chuong-trinh-giao-duc-2416763.html
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