Ninth-grade students in Hanoi are eagerly anticipating their third exam subject.

Four localities have identified a foreign language as the third subject.

In the regulations on admission to junior and senior high schools, effective from 2025, recently announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, public opinion is particularly interested in the regulations concerning the entrance exam for 10th grade in high schools.

According to regulations, there are three methods of admission to 10th grade in high schools: entrance examination, selection based on academic records, or a combination of both. The choice of admission method rests with the local authorities.

Some localities are planning to choose English as the third subject in the 10th grade exam.

For the entrance exam to grade 10 of high school, localities will agree on a plan of three subjects/tests: mathematics, literature, and a third subject or test chosen by the Department of Education and Training.

The third exam subject is chosen from among the graded subjects in the lower secondary education curriculum, ensuring that the same third exam subject is not selected for more than three consecutive years.

Immediately after the regulations were issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training was the first to finalize the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam as English, emphasizing that this reflects the will and aspirations of the Department's leadership as well as the majority of parents and students in the city.

Although no official plan has been announced yet, the three provinces of Quang Nam, Tien Giang, and Khanh Hoa are also expected to choose English as the third exam subject.

These localities believe that English is a suitable choice, helping to motivate and encourage students to enhance their learning of this subject in the context of international integration and to make English the second language in schools.

Students need to be proficient in English to access materials and information during their studies. When entering the job market, they will need to use this language for work and communication. Therefore, English will not be included in the 10th grade entrance exam until 2025; it will remain one of the three subjects chosen by local authorities for the 10th grade exam.

Hanoi students are eager to know their third exam subject soon.

Hanoi's education system accounts for one-tenth of the national total. The number of ninth-grade students taking the high school entrance exam each year is also very large, with over 100,000 candidates. Each year, Hanoi admits more than 60% of junior high school graduates into public high schools, therefore the exam format and the high school entrance exam itself always attract considerable attention from parents, teachers, and students.

The 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi is always stressful.

To facilitate teaching and learning in junior high schools and enable students to proactively study and review, starting from the end of August 2024, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training announced the structure, format, and sample exam questions for the following subjects: mathematics, literature, English, history and geography, natural science, informatics, and civics. It also affirmed that this serves as the basis for building a question bank and creating exam questions for grade 10 according to the 2018 General Education Program.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training requests that secondary schools direct their subject departments to research and apply exam formats suitable for each subject to familiarize 9th-grade students with them; strengthen the development of question banks and test matrices according to the learning objectives of the subject curriculum; and encourage the creation of digital libraries of test and survey questions, sharing them with other educational institutions in the area to facilitate exchange and support in effectively implementing testing and assessment methods and formats.

In line with this spirit, schools have actively built test and assessment question banks according to the format and structure of the sample test. During regular and periodic tests, schools implement methods such as mixed-room grading, cross-marking, and writing on exam paper to practice with students. In the end-of-semester I test, 9th-grade students in all districts took a common test provided by the district/county Department of Education and Training; the format and method of testing were similar to the 10th-grade exam. Based on the survey results, schools assess the actual level of students' knowledge and then implement teaching, learning, and review measures to ensure students acquire the necessary knowledge.

However, the question schools, 9th-grade students, and parents are asking right now is when Hanoi will announce the third exam subject; and what these groups are hoping for is that the third subject will be officially announced soon.

“Only when we know what the third subject is can we study and review with peace of mind. We have finished the first semester and entered the second semester. Because of anxiety, I have to take extra classes in four subjects: biology, physics, chemistry, and history. If I had known the third exam subject earlier, I would have continued studying seriously in all subjects but wouldn't be as stressed and pressured as I am now,” said Hoang Duy, a 9th-grade student from Dong Da district.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Trang, a 9th-grade teacher in Hanoi, expressed: "According to the regulations, the Ministry of Education and Training clearly states that the third subject can be announced as soon as the first semester ends. Now that it's that time, schools are eager to know the exam subjects early so they can be more proactive in teaching and preparing students for the exam."

It is understood that the Hanoi Department of Education and Training is currently developing a plan for the 10th grade high school entrance exam, which includes considering, calculating, and consulting with experts to reach a consensus on the third exam subject. After the plan is finalized, the Department of Education and Training will submit it to the Hanoi People's Committee for consideration, and as soon as it is approved, the exam plan will be widely publicized to the public, students, teachers, and schools.

 

In Hanoi, many teachers, students, and parents frankly expressed their opinions: the third subject in the 10th grade high school entrance exam should be a foreign language (mainly English); because English is one of the eight compulsory subjects for all students; this helps realize the Politburo's requirement to gradually make English the second language in schools.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/ky-thi-lop-10-hoc-sinh-lop-9-tai-ha-noi-hong-mon-thi-thu-3.html