'Don't deify IELTS for admission, being good at foreign languages ​​doesn't necessarily mean being good at other subjects'

Since grade 10, Nguyen Thi Thuy (a student at Hanoi National University of Education High School for the Gifted) has focused on IELTS courses (international English proficiency test), studying four sessions per week. Thuy also takes an additional English class, with the goal of achieving a score of 7.5 or higher.

"Two-thirds of the students in the class have practiced IELTS, some have been studying since 8th grade, like me, I started in 10th grade, which is a bit late," Thuy said. Up to now, the whole class has about 80% of IELTS scores from 6.0 and above.

Le Bich Hanh, a 12th grader at a high school in Hoan Kiem district, is preparing to take the IELTS 7.0 exam. She started studying IELTS in 11th grade, with an average of two 2.5-hour classes per week, with homework every day, costing about 500,000 VND/session.

Thuy and Hanh are two of tens of thousands of students who choose to reduce exam pressure and secure university admission with the international language certificate IELTS.

Many candidates rush to practice IELTS as a golden ticket to university. (Illustration photo).

Ms. Hoang Thi Kim Anh, director of the English center in Cau Giay district (Hanoi), said that in the past three years, the number of universities that consider admission based on international language certificates has increased, so the number of students registering for IELTS preparation at the center has also increased significantly.

“Currently, the center has 8 IELTS certificate preparation classes, of which about 2/3 are 11th and 12th graders, aiming to achieve a score of 5.5 or higher for university admission. Although the tuition fee for each class is 450,000 - 600,000 VND, one and a half or double that of other subjects, students still invest,” said Ms. Kim Anh. Some students even study long-term, only 1-2 sessions a week, while those who study quickly to get the certificate by the time of application submission may have 3-4 sessions a week.

i-Ceo English Center is preparing IELTS test for about 60% of high school students aiming for a certificate of 5.5 or higher. “In previous years, the number of high school students only accounted for about 20% with the purpose of studying abroad, now it has increased a lot to have the opportunity to enter domestic universities.

Students spend 2-3 sessions per week, 2 hours per session, to practice for the exam. The exam is held regularly, so it is quite convenient for students who want to get a certificate quickly, but to get a high score, they need to have a long-term investment and study solidly and seriously," said Ms. Tran Thi Hoa.

According to Ms. Hoa, besides candidates who have prepared early, for example from grade 10, if they have good foreign language skills, their IELTS scores are now very high, from 7.0 - 8.0, but many students "wait until the last minute", only starting school and taking intensive exam preparation in grade 12, and can only achieve a score of 4.5 - 5.0 at most.

However, students and parents still choose to invest money to compete for IELTS certificates, they consider it a sure ticket to university.

Being good at IELTS does not necessarily mean being good at other subjects.

As of May 2025, about 70/200 universities nationwide use IELTS scores for admission, including many large universities. Experts say that IELTS seems to be given too much importance, overshadowing many other factors.

Dr. Le Anh Duc, Head of Training Management Department, National Economics University, said that last year the school received nearly 12,000 applications with IELTS certificates, an increase of nearly 1,000 compared to 2023.

This certificate is used by NEU in combination with the test scores to assess ability and thinking or to replace the English subject in the high school graduation exam. According to Mr. Duc, although the minimum score is 5.5 (converted to 8/10 points), about 85% of candidates achieve IELTS 6.5 or higher.

"The group with 5.5 IELTS, if they want to pass, must have very high scores in the remaining two subjects because the school's standard score is usually not less than 26," said Mr. Duc. In the past 7 years, the number of candidates with IELTS entering the National Economics University has "increased sharply". In 2017, the school only had 50 applications for this category, the following two years it was 400 and 2,000 respectively.

Vietnam-Germany University has been recruiting candidates based on IELTS since 2021 with nearly 800 candidates registering. By 2024, this number will have quadrupled to nearly 2,600. The school said that the group with a score of 7.0 or higher has been increasing continuously, from 24.8% of the total number of candidates (in 2021) to 53.6% (in 2024).

Experts are concerned that some universities are overusing IELTS in admissions. (Illustration photo)

Dr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Ho Chi Minh City National University, said that IELTS is a test system to assess English language proficiency, including four skills: listening - speaking - reading - writing. Nowadays, high school students, especially in big cities, prefer IELTS preparation classes with the goal of achieving 5.0 or higher. This is also the lowest level for universities to consider for admission.

However, it is important to understand that IELTS scores only partially reflect a learner's ability to understand and use language. If a person achieves 7.0 IELTS, they are expected to be able to synthesize and process 70% of information on any topic in life, expressed through both speaking and writing.

Dr. Tuan further analyzed that noeducational research has confirmed a direct causal relationship between IELTS test results and learning ability at both university and high school levels. If there were, IELTS test preparation centers would have promoted this model and universities would have replicated it nationwide.

"Universities are very cautious when increasing their quotas and increasing the number of admissions based on IELTS certificates. This should only be considered as one of the admission criteria or to encourage extra points. Do not over-deify the IELTS certificate, because 5.0-7.0 IELTS does not necessarily mean good at other knowledge.

Sometimes these scores are only achieved through intensive exam preparation sessions and trick questions, and do not reflect the true ability of the student," said Dr. Tuan.

Master Chau The Huu, lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages ​​and Information Technology, said: "The fact that schools overuse the IELTS certificate for admission causes disadvantages for candidates in remote areas, or who do not have access to IELTS."

According to him, the fact that candidates "race" to get IELTS certificates to be prioritized for admission or converted into points, exempted from foreign language exams is unstable and unfair to the majority of students. For other cultural subjects, students can study at home, but for IELTS, most students have to go to a center to study with expensive tuition fees, high exam fees, only those with economic conditions can invest.

Poor students, students in rural or remote areas, many of whom have language skills but do not have enough finances and conditions to study, are at a great disadvantage.

"IELTS is just a test to assess language skills, but to study at university, you need many other skills, and when you graduate, foreign languages ​​are just a factor besides expertise, professionalism, and soft skills. My more than 5 years of working experience shows that not all students with a high IELTS certificate are good at studying," he added.

An education expert predicts that the number of candidates applying for admission with IELTS is increasing, "certainly this number will increase even more by 2025". The race to enter university with IELTS is becoming more and more fierce as schools are abusing international language certificates for admission. Candidates are "crazy" because they think that having an IELTS certificate will guarantee a place in university.

"It is worth mentioning that specialized fields such as construction, medicine, fine arts, agriculture, economics... all recruit candidates with IELTS certificates. I am not sure that the academic performance of these students will be better than other students who are good at Math, Physics, Chemistry or Literature, History, Geography," he said and recommended that universities and the Ministry of Education and Training should consider tightening the IELTS admission process, only considering this as a secondary criterion, and should not directly recruit candidates with international language certificates to avoid creating injustice.

Minh Khoi

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/dung-than-thanh-hoa-ielts-de-xet-tuyen-gioi-ngoai-ngu-khong-chac-gioi-cac-mon-ar941530.html