Students and parents in Hanoi anxiously await the final announcement of subjects for the 10th grade entrance exam.

"With each passing day, my child and I become more and more anxious. We hope the Hanoi Department of Education and Training will finalize the number of exam subjects soon so we can prepare our child mentally and plan the best possible revision," shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (Cau Giay district).

This year, Ms. Huong's children are applying to Cau Giay High School for 10th grade, a school with relatively high cutoff scores in previous years. Therefore, she wants her children to only need to take exams in three subjects: Mathematics, Literature, and English.

Previously, students born in 2007 and 2008 took exams in three subjects. According to this parent, taking exams in four subjects is unnecessary because in previous years, organizing exams in three subjects was successful, accurately assessing the quality of students and ensuring a pool of applicants for schools.

Students and parents in Hanoi are anxiously awaiting the announcement of the subjects for the 10th grade entrance exam. (Illustrative image)

Sharing the same opinion as Ms. Huong, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (Nghia Tan ward, Cau Giay district) said that the entrance exam for 10th grade in public schools in Hanoi is always considered fierce, causing psychological pressure on both parents and candidates.

This year marks the last time ninth-grade students will study and take exams under the old general education curriculum. Next year, in tenth grade, they will study under the new curriculum, where they can choose subjects based on their abilities and strengths.

To prepare for the upcoming 10th grade entrance exam, my son has been focusing intensely on his studies since 8th grade. Especially now, his schedule is packed with both regular classes and extra tutoring sessions throughout the week. In addition to his two regular school classes, he attends two extra tutoring sessions each in Math, Literature, and English.

"My son chose to register for the entrance exam at Duong Quang Ham High School because he wanted to study near home, making commuting more convenient," Ms. Ngoc said, hoping the city would consider including only three subjects in this year's exam to reduce stress and pressure on students.

With a child in 9th grade at Dong Da Secondary School (Dong Da District), Mr. Vu Anh Minh's family eagerly awaits the announcement from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training regarding whether or not a fourth subject will be included in the exam. "Personally, I hope the children only need to take three subjects: Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign Language; that would be reasonable," he said.

Besides Math, Literature, and English, his son also has to study day and night for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Civics, History, and Geography. Because he loves his son so much, he checks the Hanoi Department of Education and Training website every day to keep up with the latest information and announcements.

Nguyen Yen Linh, a 9th-grade student at Minh Khai Secondary School (Hai Ba Trung district), shared that the Lunar New Year holiday had just ended, but this year she didn't have many memorable experiences besides focusing on exam preparation. "This year I only visited my grandparents on both sides to wish them a Happy New Year. I couldn't go out or travel with my family because I was busy studying and practicing exam questions," Linh said.

According to Linh, the fact that the Hanoi Department of Education and Training only finalized the exam subjects in March is quite late, putting pressure on students across the city who have to study many subjects instead of having the subjects announced earlier like in other provinces and cities.

"I'm good at Literature and English, but weak in Math. I'm more inclined towards social sciences, so I'm worried about taking a fourth subject like Physics or Chemistry," the female student said. She aims to get into Viet Duc High School or Tran Phu High School.

According to information from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, regarding the admission method for 10th grade in public high schools for the 2024-2025 school year, Hanoi will apply an entrance examination method, including three compulsory subjects: Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign Language.

The fourth subject, if any, will be announced in March 2024. The fourth subject will be selected by random draw from among the subjects in the current lower secondary education curriculum of the Ministry of Education and Training.

For the 2023-2024 school year, the entrance exam for 10th grade in public high schools in Hanoi will take place on June 10th and 11th, 2023, with three subjects: Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign Language.

Khanh Son

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