Renewing 10th grade exam

In the first year of the exam according to the 2018 General Education Program, teachers and experts gave many initial comments as well as notes on how this year's exam was created.

ESCAPE FROM TEXTBOOK MATERIALS , NO MORE "GUESSING" ABOUT LITERATURE TOPICS

Among many provinces and cities that have organized the 10th grade entrance exam this year, no local literature exam has used materials from textbooks like previous years.

Students in Ho Chi Minh City officially entered the 10th grade exam in 2025 this morning with the first literature exam using materials not taken from textbooks.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

In Hanoi , although the exam takes place this weekend, teachers and students all confirm that they have been "prepared" for the fact that there will be no familiar materials, and that they have been re-learned in textbooks, so there will be no more "guessing" which literary works will be on the exam.

Ms. Tran Thanh Mai, a teacher at Chu Van An Secondary School (Thanh Tri District, Hanoi), said that since grade 6, teachers and students have been thoroughly informed about this. Periodic tests from grade 6 have been selected from completely new materials, not taken from textbooks. Instead of teaching knowledge based on a specific work, teachers equip students with the skills to read and understand texts, identify genres, understand the content, themes, and messages of texts, etc.

In Vinh Phuc , students have just finished the 10th grade exam. Teacher Duong Khanh Toan, Nguyen Thi Giang High School (Vinh Tuong District), said that the literature exam was completely new compared to previous school years. For example, the writing section (6 points) consists of 2 questions. Question 1 (2 points) requires writing a literary argumentative paragraph of about 200 words about a text not in the textbook. Students need to apply their reading comprehension skills and their ability to perceive artistic texts to briefly present the unique content and art of the 2 stanzas mentioned in the question on the basis of generalizing the entire text.

Question 2 (4 points) requires writing a social argumentative essay of about 500 words presenting thoughts and solutions to solve life's problems: the proactiveness of today's students.

In Bac Giang, the literature exam was assessed by teachers and students as being close to life. The materials were taken from textbooks with higheducational value, the content was related to the Thuong River and the places of Bac Giang hometown. The exam consisted of two parts: reading comprehension and writing with questions about vocabulary, how to write paragraphs, stating the meaning of the work, and presenting the candidate's views on the will to overcome fear in life.

In Nghe An, Ms. Kim Huong, Nghi An Secondary School (Vinh City), shared with the press her personal feelings that the exam was not difficult, close to the sample exam structure. However, this exam surprised not only students but also teachers. Ms. Kim Huong said that in the reading comprehension section, the essay question discussing the issue of "passing down folk games" is a practical question for students about culture, an issue that is "missing" among young people. But this content is beyond the thinking of students and teachers. For a long time, schools have mainly taught social discussion issues revolving around practical events, such as history, peace stories, and issues about the younger generation. Therefore, an exam question that is beyond students' thinking will make it difficult for students.

N MANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO LIFE IN MATH EXAM

In math, the official exam and sample exam for this year's 10th grade entrance exam have many changes. Notably, the exam has questions related to real life.

The 10th grade exam in 2025 is the first year the exam questions follow the 2018 General Education Program.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

For example, the recent math exam in Bac Giang had some questions related to reality such as: calculating the entrance fee to the eco-tourism area; calculating the height of the TV tower; and calculating the weight of students... Ms. Luu Thi My, math teacher at Canh Thuy Secondary School (Bac Giang City), said that some questions requiring the integration of math application skills into reality help enhance the assessment of logical thinking, not simply a problem of doing math correctly according to the formula.

In Nghe An, teacher Tran Son Hong, Dang Thai Mai Secondary School (Vinh City), commented that the math test reflected the spirit of program innovation, innovation in testing and assessment forms, increased practicality; assessed students' specific math abilities and other general abilities. The test was good in practical problems, with up to 6 practical problems in 3 streams of algebra - geometry - probability and statistics knowledge, demonstrating the applicability of mathematics, requiring students to have real practical understanding, demonstrating the new points of the test compared to previous years.

In Hanoi, based on the sample questions from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, Ms. Pham Thi Kim Hue, Vice Principal and Math Teacher of Chuong Duong Secondary School (Hoan Kiem District), analyzed the changes in the way questions were set and exam preparation instructions. Ms. Hue noted the practical math format. This year's exam questions may use materials related to real life such as bank interest rates, electricity and water bills, options for using internet services, mobile phones, and taking taxis in the most beneficial way, etc.

"However, this is not a difficult question, so be careful and read the questions carefully. You need to master reading comprehension skills and find keywords to guide your approach," Ms. Hue shared, reminding students to choose the questions they are sure of to do first.

Candidates prepare for the new 10th grade exam

Photo: Nhat Thinh

The way the questions are given still makes students need to study more.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, when directing the implementation of the new regulations on extra teaching and learning according to Circular 29, repeatedly emphasized the requirement that educational institutions must continue to innovate methods and forms of testing and assessment towards forming the qualities and capacities of learners. The creation of regular and periodic tests and assessments, admission at the beginning of the level, and entrance exams for grade 10 are consistent with the requirements of the 2018 General Education Program, not putting pressure on students to study extra.

However, looking at the way the exam questions were set this year, especially the way the entrance exam questions for specialized high schools affiliated with universities were set recently, it shows that the expectation of not needing extra classes to pass the 10th grade exam has not been met as expected.

Commenting on the way the math exam questions were set by a specialized high school under a university in Hanoi this year, Professor Le Anh Vinh, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, said that the basic specialized exam questions were elaborately designed, had a high level of difficulty, and had good "classification ability". However, he also shared that he was "really concerned" because: "If we do not adjust the direction of the questions, we will continue to maintain a learning environment where exam preparation becomes a burden, and technical preparation is equated with thinking ability. These types of questions are increasingly for students who have practiced hundreds of sample questions, rather than those who have a natural mindset, love math but have not yet had access to an advanced exam preparation program. A specialized 10th grade entrance exam should aim to find students with potential, with independent thinking - not just to select the best problem solver".

Mr. Nguyen Tan, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Hue City, also said that in order to avoid creating pressure for extra teaching and learning, the entrance exam for grade 10 should not be too difficult, not puzzling, and closely follow the requirements of the program. In practice, applying this method shows that the exam results are taken from top to bottom, so students can still be recruited without causing stress for students.

Assessing the necessary skills and abilities for high school students

Regarding the first 10th grade entrance exam applied according to the 2018 General Education Program, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the assessment focuses on the requirements of secondary school subjects, mainly grades 8 and 9. The assessment content aims to help students orient themselves with some necessary knowledge and skills when entering high school.

According to Mr. Quoc, the literature exam is designed to integrate reading comprehension and writing ability assessment, and the content in the writing section is related to the text in the reading comprehension section.

The requirements of this year's math exam aim to assess mathematical abilities such as mathematical thinking and reasoning, problem solving, and mathematical modeling.

In English, the goal of the entrance exam will be to assess language ability not only based on students' knowledge of grammar and vocabulary but also their ability to understand and apply language knowledge in appropriate contexts, especially real-life situations. In the 40 questions, the exam will have 2 new questions on writing appropriate phrases based on the given information. This question tests the ability to read notes in a dictionary to find language information and apply knowledge.

Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc also clarified that the ratio of knowledge levels in the exam according to the new program has also been adjusted, reducing the level of recognition and understanding, increasing the rate of application. Specifically, for entrance exams from 2024 onwards, in the 10th grade exam, the level of recognition and understanding will account for 70 - 75% of knowledge. From 2025, the level of recognition and understanding will decrease to 60% and the rate of questions requiring application will increase to 40%. This adjustment is to assess students' practical application ability according to the orientation of the new program.

Bich Thanh

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-moi-de-thi-lop-10-18525060519412046.htm