Expected high school graduation exam at the end of June

Literature always attracts public attention every high school graduation exam. In the photo: Candidates taking the 2023 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City are happy after finishing the literature exam - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

On March 8, the Ministry of Education and Training officially issued regulations for high school graduation exams in 2024.

Mr. Huynh Van Chuong said that the 2024 high school graduation exam will basically remain stable as in the 2020-2023 period. The exam is expected to take place at the end of June 2024 with some technical adjustments to ensure the safety and rights of candidates.

The Ministry of Education and Training advocates the maximum application of information technology in the organization of the exam to ensure the safety, seriousness and convenience for candidates. One of the things that the ministry does is to continue to implement online registration.

What's new in the 2024 high school graduation exam regulations?

* There is information that the structure and content of this year's high school graduation exam will be adjusted to gradually approach the exam reform from 2025. Could you please tell us what the orientation is for this year's exam?

Mr. Huynh Van Chuong

- According to regulations, this year's high school graduation exam will still have 5 exams, including 3 independent exams: math, literature, foreign language; 1 combined exam of natural science ; 1 combined exam of social science . The math, foreign language, natural science and social science exams will be in the form of multiple choice. The literature exam will be in the form of essay.

Candidates who are 12th grade students this year will have to take 4/5 exams to graduate from high school including literature, math, foreign language and choose 1 of 2 combined exams: natural science, social science.

The test content is within the high school curriculum, mainly the 12th grade curriculum. The test closely follows the knowledge and skills standards of the high school curriculum, ensuring the classification of candidates.

Similar to 2022, in 2023, to prepare for a new phase, the Ministry will reasonably strengthen some contents related to practical application in some subjects to gradually approach the orientation of capacity assessment in accordance with the requirements for developing learners' capacity and qualities of the 2018 General Education Program.

Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Education and Training has requested educational institutions to focus on innovating teaching methods and regular and periodic assessment methods in high schools in the direction of competency assessment to ensure consistency, improve the quality and effectiveness of organizing high school graduation exams.

* Literature is the only subject in the essay format. In the context of the Ministry's policy against "model essays", will this year's exam be adjusted to comply with this policy? Will the lessons that are assigned to the additional reading and self-study groups be included in the exam content?

- The literature exam, as well as the exam questions for other subjects, basically has the same structure as in 2023. The exam questions are within the 12th grade curriculum, without going in and out of the reduced section, ensuring differentiation. The structure of the literature exam includes reading comprehension and writing sections. The reading comprehension section is allowed to use materials that are not necessarily in the curriculum.

In this section, we will discuss to ensure that we select issues that have practical content related to social issues, current events, and are highly educational.

This is the last batch of students to study the 2006 General Education Program, so we still follow the old program and need to have certain transition steps.

From 2025, we expect the exam questions of the 2018 General Education Program to be highly open, without specific regulations on works, so there will be more creativity.

Note the act of revealing state secrets

According to Mr. Huynh Van Chuong, the exam questions and answers that have not been made public are classified as "top secret" state secrets, with an additional time limit for protecting the "top secret" level.

Specifically: "The period of protection of "top secret" state secrets for exam questions/subjects only ends when the test time for multiple-choice exams/subjects ends and 2/3 of the test time for essay exams ends."

"Thus, the high school graduation exam questions that were spread during the exam process, not yet announced by the competent authority, but leaked by someone outside, can be considered an act of revealing state secrets," Mr. Chuong noted.

* In 2024, will foreign language certificates be used to exempt exams like last year, sir?

- This year's exam retains the following regulations: "Candidates exempted from the foreign language exam will be awarded 10 points for this exam to be considered for high school graduation recognition. Candidates who do not register to use the right to be exempted from the foreign language exam must take the exam and be considered for high school graduation recognition like candidates who are not exempted from the exam."

For English, in addition to TOEFL ITP certificates (minimum requirement of 450 points), TOEFL iBT (minimum requirement of 45 points) and IELTS (minimum requirement of 4.0 points), there are also: B1 Preliminary/B1 Business Preliminary/B1 Linguaskill; TOEIC; Aptis ESOL B1; Pearson English International Certificate (PEIC) Level 2; foreign language certificates according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework used for Vietnam at level 3.

In particular, with the TOEIC certificate, candidates need to achieve listening skills from 275 - 399 points, reading skills from 275 - 384 points, speaking skills from 120 - 159 points, writing skills from 120 - 149 points.

Adding foreign language certificates used for exemption from high school graduation exams is necessary to ensure fairness for foreign language certificates of equivalent level, to ensure rights and expand legitimate opportunities for learners.

Issues candidates need to note

Candidates should pay special attention to items that are "prohibited from being brought into the exam room" including carbon paper, erasers, alcoholic beverages; weapons and explosives, flammable substances; documents, communication devices or information storage devices that can be used to cheat during the exam and marking process.

This regulation aims to overcome the problem of items candidates are allowed to bring into the exam room related to high-tech devices that are prohibited from being brought into the exam room in 2023.

Candidates taking the 2023 high school graduation exam in Hanoi - Photo: NAM TRAN

What solutions does the Ministry of Education and Training have to work with localities to ensure the seriousness and objectivity of this year's exam?

- To organize the 2024 high school graduation exam seriously and objectively, the Ministry will continue to work with localities to implement a number of basic solutions as follows:

* Firstly, adjust some technical issues to enhance discipline and order in the exam room as well as ensure safety and security throughout the exam.

* Second, continue to improve the quality of exam questions while strengthening inspection and examination of all stages of exam organization. Together with the Ministry's inspection teams, it is recommended that localities strengthen inspection, examination and supervision of exams in their localities to ensure the organization of safe, serious, transparent, objective and quality exams.

* Third, strengthen the dissemination of regulations and training on exam organization and inspection techniques. In particular, continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the Government Inspectorate to provide training on implementing measures to prevent and combat exam cheating, especially cheating using high-tech devices.

* Fourth, promote communication work to gain consensus and determination to organize the exam safely, seriously, objectively and effectively. In particular, require examination councils to fully disseminate and thoroughly understand the regulations to candidates.

Please note that candidates are absolutely not allowed to use mobile phones or other prohibited items in the examination room and must comply with the regulations and instructions of the examination board. Candidates in the examination room are warned about high-tech devices that can be used to cheat on exams.

* Fifth, strengthen coordination with relevant ministries and localities in directing the organization of the exam. Localities are requested to proactively carry out the work according to the regulations on organizing the exam in accordance with the spirit of taking full responsibility for the exam in the locality.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-kien-cuoi-thang-6-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-20240309091341922.htm