To achieve the desired results in the 10th grade exam.

Good results in the 10th grade entrance exam not only guarantee admission to public schools but also ensure students can attend their most preferred school.

Therefore, in the exam room, how to take the test and what to pay attention to in order to avoid losing points are matters of concern for candidates before entering the 10th grade exam.

Ninth-grade students in Ho Chi Minh City will take their first tenth-grade entrance exam after the local merger on June 1st and 2nd.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

To get full marks for each section of the literature exam.

Regarding the Literature subject, Master Nguyen Phuoc Bao Khoi, lecturer at the Faculty of Literature, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, noted that carefully reading the exam questions is a crucial step for candidates to understand the entire structure and strategies for answering questions in 10th grade.

According to Mr. Khoi, students need to read the questions carefully to allocate time appropriately for each section based on the scoring structure. They should read carefully to identify the difficulty level of each question (knowledge, understanding, application) in order to apply the corresponding answer and avoid omitting any points based on the point value. Most importantly, the Ho Chi Minh City 10th grade entrance exam always has "escape routes" (text material and reading comprehension questions that can provide strong support for ideas in the writing section), so they need to read the questions astutely to utilize these "key" clues.

When taking the exam, pay attention to the sections where you can earn full marks. For the reading comprehension section, questions requiring knowledge and application (worth 1.5 points) are the easiest to score points on.

For the essay writing section, the candidate could have earned 0.75 points if they had written the required length (200 words) and followed the correct format (ideally, it should have three parts: an opening sentence, the body of the essay, and a concluding sentence). The opening sentence should provide sufficient information and address the prompt's requirements, developing the idea with supporting evidence.

Similarly, for the social commentary essay section, candidates likely received 1.25 - 1.5 points if they met the requirements regarding length (approximately 600 words) and the correct format (introduction, body, conclusion). The introduction should state the prompt's requirements and develop the central arguments with relevant and specific evidence.

Master Bao Khoi advised the candidates to have a firm grasp of relevant knowledge, characteristic "keywords," and the correct way to present/answer reading comprehension questions at the high-scoring level.

According to Mr. Khoi, most of the questions designed to differentiate students in the exam are at the understanding and application levels. To answer these questions well, students should have a thorough understanding of the knowledge related to each type of text (literary texts will focus on details, emotional flow, rhetorical devices, etc.; argumentative texts will focus on the thesis, arguments, reasoning, evidence, etc.; informational texts will focus on the presentation of information and non-verbal means...).

"Most importantly, students also need to pay attention to the proper way of presenting/answering each type of question to avoid omitting points or rambling without achieving high effectiveness," emphasized Master Bao Khoi.

For the Literature subject, carefully reading the exam questions is a crucial step for candidates to understand the entire structure and strategies for answering the questions in 10th grade.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

Pay close attention to math problem-solving skills.

Regarding mathematics, teacher Dang Huu Tri, head of the mathematics department at Nguyen Du Secondary School (Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), believes the exam remains stable compared to last year, consisting of 7 questions with familiar math types. The first two questions are at a basic level; questions 3 to 6 are practical math problems, and question 7 is plane geometry. Overall, this year's exam is "easier" than in previous years, but it requires solid test-taking skills, critical thinking, avoiding rote memorization, and emphasizing practical application. Therefore, if candidates are overconfident, they may make mistakes as early as question 2b - a question testing basic knowledge.

Of these, 4 practical problems have a clear level of differentiation in each question, with question 6 being the most clearly differentiating; at the same time, each question is divided into smaller point amounts, making it easier for candidates to score points.

According to Mr. Tri, one point to note this year is that the level of application in the sample exam has decreased compared to last year (from 40% to 30%). Reducing the level of application in the exam is considered appropriate given the context of the first exam after the merger, but it still requires candidates to have solid knowledge, good test-taking skills, and a reasonable level of reasoning to achieve high scores.

Read the English exam instructions carefully.

Regarding the English exam, according to Master Nguyen Huu Thanh, Principal of Binh Trung Secondary School (Binh Trung Ward), and a member of the English Subject Council (Cluster 10) of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the modern exam eliminates tricky and misleading questions but requires candidates to understand the essence. When answering, ask yourself: "Why use this structure in this context?". Understanding the context is the only key to achieving maximum points in the application section.

To excel in the new question type requiring word identification based on definition, candidates should explain the meaning of the word in English, master the system of synonyms, antonyms, and word forms. This is the core foundation for handling questions that demand a deep vocabulary.

Teacher Thanh emphasized: "It's regrettable that many candidates lose points not because of a lack of knowledge, but because of carelessness. Please read the exam requirements carefully. Your work must be presented neatly, with clear handwriting; absolutely no abbreviations, blurry writing, writing over or overlapping, or careless erasing."

In particular, students should pay attention to minimum spelling rules when taking the exam, such as capitalizing proper nouns, the first letter of sentences, and using punctuation correctly. "In the entrance exam, just 0.25 points gained from carefulness can determine whether the result is satisfactory or not," Mr. Thanh noted.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lam-bai-thi-lop-10-de-co-ket-qua-nhu-y-185260527202159942.htm