Local authorities are concerned about the printing and copying process for the 2025 high school graduation exam.

Many provinces and cities are concerned about potential errors and delays when printing and duplicating high school graduation exam papers for two different groups of candidates, and with multiple exam papers in one room.

An English lesson for 12th grade students at Ngo Quyen High School, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Nhu Hung

On the morning of April 3rd in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Education and Training organized a training conference on regulations and procedures for organizing the 2025 high school graduation exam.

Information shared by Mr. Huynh Van Chuong, Director of the Quality Management Department of the Ministry of Education and Training, at the conference indicates that the organization of the 2025 high school graduation exam will have many new features compared to the previous year.

The exam consists of one sheet of paper and 48 different versions.

According to Mr. Huynh Van Chuong, this year's exam is organized under two different regulations for two groups of candidates. The first group includes students who studied the 2006 general education program but did not graduate in 2024, and the second group includes students who studied the 2018 general education program.

The exam questions, subjects, and room arrangements vary, so thorough preparation is essential to avoid errors related to exam room organization, printing, and distribution of exam papers. The exam organization has many new features compared to previous years.

Regarding exam registration, all candidates register online using their identification code, including those in the 2006 general education program.

Mr. Huynh Van Chuong emphasized that any department requiring candidates to submit hard copies of documents (except in cases where online registration is not possible) is acting against regulations. Regarding the use of foreign language certificates for exam exemption, the certificates must be valid until June 25, 2025.

The exam questions and subjects for candidates studying the 2006 and 2018 general education programs are different. Candidates who studied under the 2006 general education program can choose to take the exam under either the 2006 or 2018 program. Candidates taking the exam under the 2006 program will be assigned to a separate exam location and are allowed to bring a geographical atlas into the exam room.

For candidates in the 2018 general education program, each candidate takes three exams in the same examination room. Therefore, in one examination room, there may be candidates taking five different subjects at the same time.

Regarding the exam papers, this year they are printed on a single A3 sheet of paper, unlike last year when they were printed on 4-5 A4 sheets. For the two elective subjects, the number of exam codes will increase to 48 codes per subject - double that of last year.

Candidates taking the first exam session will be given test codes from 1 to 24, while those taking the second session will be given test codes from 25 to 48. Candidates taking both sessions must arrive at the beginning of the exam. After completing the first session, candidates will wait in the waiting room until the end of the exam period before leaving. Candidates taking the second session will wait in the waiting room until the exam begins.

With candidates taking multiple subjects simultaneously in one room, Mr. Chuong noted that the Departments of Education and Training must be extremely careful when assigning rooms, avoiding cases of insufficient or incorrect exam papers, misplacement of exam paper bags, or even incorrect rooms. The departments should also increase the number of waiting rooms at examination centers.

"The number of examination rooms will increase compared to before because candidates are registering for many different subject combinations. Therefore, we can arrange them into groups of locations to minimize the increase in examination rooms due to many subject combinations having fewer registered candidates. The exam papers are printed on a single sheet of paper, and candidates take different subjects simultaneously in one room, which helps reduce the cost of organizing the exam," Mr. Chuong added.

Last year, the exam paper was leaked because the invigilators were negligent. We must not underestimate the size of the examination board. If even one exam room leaks the exam paper, the entire education sector's preparation efforts are ruined, and public trust is lost. The Ministry will strengthen post-examination checks, and any irregularities will be thoroughly investigated.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong

Concerns about printing and copying high school graduation exam papers.

An exam using two different regulations for two different groups of candidates, with changes in the organization of the exam questions, exam room arrangements, and printing of exam papers, is causing concern among provincial Departments of Education and Training.

Representatives from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training stated that this year the city has 250 examination centers, over 5,000 examination rooms, and more than 120,000 candidates. The large number of candidates makes it difficult for the department to update information, especially for those who register close to the exam date.

"The printing and copying of exam papers this year is really difficult. This year, the Department of Education and Training has to prepare more thoroughly and completely as it organizes exams for two programs simultaneously. We request that the Ministry provide the exam papers 1-2 days earlier than last year so that the Department has enough time to prepare. Last year, the Ministry sent the papers 11 days in advance. However, if the exam papers are to be handed over tomorrow, the printing will only be completed the night before," - a representative from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training proposed.

Printing and copying exam papers is also a concern for many other Departments of Education and Training such as Ho Chi Minh City, Lao Cai, Yen Bai , Quang Tri, Dak Lak, etc. A representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training said that this year, about 10,000 candidates are taking the exam under the 2006 general education program. Along with the large number of candidates under the 2018 program, the city's education sector is very worried about the printing and copying of exam papers.

"The Ministry should send the exam papers early to allow for timely printing and handling of any equipment malfunctions, ensuring the schedule is met. Priority should be given to sending the 2018 exam papers before the 2006 ones, providing a unified coding system and sealing template to distinguish between the two types of papers. The printing methods for the two sets of papers are also different, so the Ministry needs to provide specific instructions," the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training suggested.

Besides the issue of printing and copying exam papers, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training is also concerned about the exam scores for candidates from the 2006 program. The Department suggests that solutions should be implemented to prevent a situation where the number of independent candidates from one province is too low, leading them to take the exam in another locality. This would create difficulties for the organizing locality.

Furthermore, the merger of departments and wards also makes it difficult for disabled candidates to obtain disability confirmation in order to receive necessary support when taking the 2025 high school graduation exam. Meanwhile, to familiarize teachers and students with the new exam format, the Binh Duong Department of Education and Training stated that it requires high schools to organize two mock graduation exams.

Exam board officials, along with inspectors and security personnel, inspect and seal the room containing the 2024 high school graduation exam papers at the exam site at Luong The Vinh High School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: ANH KHOI

"Agreement to deliver exam papers early to provinces and cities with a large number of candidates."

Regarding the early delivery of exam papers and the transfer of independent candidates from one province to another to take the exam, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong agreed to deliver exam papers early to provinces and cities with a large number of candidates.

Mr. Thuong stated that in areas with a large number of candidates, the pressure to print and copy exam papers is high, easily leading to errors, so flexibility is needed. Last year, some teachers suffered from high blood pressure while printing and copying exam papers due to tight deadlines. Therefore, while the printing and copying process must be rigorous and of high quality, working conditions must also be ensured to avoid errors.

Regarding independent candidates, Mr. Thuong stated that what is most important is to make things convenient for them.

"Where the exam is convenient for the candidates, 2-3 departments should coordinate to create favorable conditions for them, and not be afraid of difficulties. Organizing mock exams like in Binh Duong is a good way for teachers and students to get used to the new exam format. The mock exams must be real, organized, with real questions and real assessments so that teachers can familiarize themselves with the new exam method, and students can improve in areas where they are weak," the deputy minister said.

How to dissolve the provincial inspectorate and the graduation exam inspectorate?

Inspection is a mandatory activity of the high school graduation exam, carried out by inspectors from the provincial and ministerial-designated departments. However, currently, the ministerial and provincial inspectorates are being reorganized by dissolving or merging into other agencies. The Ministry of Education and Training's Inspectorate has proposed two inspection options for the 2025 high school graduation exam.

* Option 1: At the time of the exam and related activities, the Ministry's inspectorate remains a unit of the Ministry of Education and Training, and the provincial inspectorate remains a unit of the provincial Department of Education and Training. The basic inspection and examination model remains stable as the model and organization of inspection and examination activities for the 2024 high school graduation exam.

* Option 2: When the inspection agencies are reorganized and streamlined, the Ministry of Education and Training will not have a ministerial inspection agency, and the provincial Departments of Education and Training will not have provincial inspection agencies. The Ministry of Education and Training will perform the task of inspecting all stages of the examination as in Option 1. The Provincial People's Committee, the provincial steering committee, and the provincial Department of Education and Training will carry out inspection and supervision activities according to the assigned responsibilities and functions.

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MINH GIANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dia-phuong-lo-lang-khau-in-sao-de-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-2025-20250404101547023.htm