The third subject of the 10th grade exam is a combination test with a foreign language, is that okay?

The use of combined subject exams for admission to 10th grade in high schools is not entirely new; it has already been implemented in some localities such as Vinh Phuc , Nghe An, and Hanoi…

For example, the 10th grade entrance exams in Vinh Phuc province consist of 5 subjects. Of these, 3 subjects – mathematics, literature, and a foreign language – are known to candidates in advance, while the remaining 2 subjects are only announced by the Provincial Department of Education and Training in March each year. For instance, in the 2019-2020 school year, the combined exam included physics and history.

This year, ninth-grade students will take the tenth-grade entrance exam according to the new regulations.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

In Nghe An province, the combined exam includes a foreign language and another subject. The province's entrance exam plan for 10th grade in the 2020-2021 school year consists of three exams. Two independent exams are mathematics and literature, and one combined exam includes a foreign language and one subject chosen from physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, civics , etc., all combined into a single, unified score. The combined exam is in multiple-choice format with 50 questions, 33 for the foreign language and 17 for the other subject.

In Hanoi , during the 2019-2020 school year, candidates had to take four exams: mathematics, literature, foreign language, and history.

2025 will be the first year of implementing the 2018 General Education Program for junior and senior high school admissions. The objectives of junior high school education, as defined by the 2019 Education Law, are: "Junior high school education aims to consolidate and develop the results of primary education; to ensure that students have a foundational general education, the minimum necessary knowledge of technology and career guidance to continue their studies in senior high school or vocational education programs."

Based on the above objectives, the Draft Regulations on Secondary School and High School Admissions stipulate that the general examination will consist of 3 subjects: mathematics, literature, and a third subject or combined test chosen by the Department of Education and Training or the higher education institution with a high school, and announced before March 31st of each year.

However, if the combined exam is chosen from subjects at the lower secondary level, it can become burdensome. For example, the foreign language - natural science combination requires students to take exams related to four fields. Therefore, the combined exam could consist of 2 to 3 subjects or sub-subjects. For instance, a combination of foreign language, physics, and civics; a combination of foreign language, history, and chemistry... and thus, foreign language could be tested every year, since it becomes a compulsory subject in high school.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mon-thu-ba-thi-lop-10-la-bai-to-hop-co-ngoai-ngu-duoc-khong-185241030194521921.htm