'Rain' of 10s on high school graduation exam, but expected benchmark scores decrease

According to the score distribution announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, the subjects of math, physics, and geography have seen a "rain" of 10s compared to last year. However, it is predicted that the standard scores of universities will decrease. In particular, the score distribution of English is good, but many experts expressed concern.

Candidates at an examination center in Ho Chi Minh City discuss after taking the English exam for the 2025 high school graduation exam - Photo: NGUYEN KHANG

* Candidates can quickly check their 2025 high school graduation exam scores HERE.

Although the Ministry of Education and Training stated that there would be no more "flood" of perfect scores this year, in some subjects, the number of perfect scores has increased dramatically. While in 2024 there were no perfect scores in mathematics, this year the number has increased more than 500 times to 513. Physics, which had only 55 perfect scores last year, saw a more than 71-fold increase this year: reaching 3,929 perfect scores.

Similarly, the number of perfect scores (10/10) in geography this year is more than double that of 2024. However, overall, the number of excellent and outstanding scores in all subjects has decreased significantly compared to 2024. This could lead to a decrease in university admission scores.

Scores of 8-9 decreased tenfold.

According to experts, this year's high school graduation exam has good differentiation, as evidenced by the more even distribution of scores across subjects, no longer skewed to the right as in previous years. Statistics show that in all subjects, the number of scores of 8 or higher has decreased sharply compared to 2024. In particular, the average score for mathematics this year is much lower than in 2024 as well as in recent years.

Overall, in mathematics, the number of students achieving excellent and outstanding scores this year has decreased significantly compared to 2024. While last year there were over 200,000 students scoring between 8 and 9 points, this year there are only about 37,000. Thus, the number of students achieving excellent and outstanding scores has decreased by approximately six times. Similarly, in 2024, nearly 4,000 students scored between 9.2 and 9.6 points in mathematics, while this year there are only just over 2,700.

Other science subjects are also following this trend. Physics exam scores this year are more promising than last year, with an average score of 6.99, up from 6.67 in 2024. However, the number of students scoring 8 or higher in this subject has decreased significantly. While in 2024 there were over 88,000 students scoring 8-9 points, this year that number has dropped to around 60,000. Similarly, the number of students scoring 9-9.5 points, which was around 20,000 last year, has decreased to about 14,000 this year.

Similarly, in chemistry, this year only about 26,000 candidates scored between 8 and 9, while this number is expected to exceed 80,000 in 2024. The number of candidates achieving a score of 9.5, which was around 12,000 last year, has decreased to just over 8,000 this year.

Similarly, in biology, the number of candidates scoring 8-9 points decreased from 32,000 last year to approximately 5,000 this year. The number of candidates scoring 9-9.5 points also dropped to only about 800, compared to 3,500 in 2024.

In the social science subjects, although considered easier, the number of candidates achieving a score of 8 or higher has decreased sharply. Specifically, in Literature, over 450,000 candidates achieved a score of 8-9 in 2024, a three-fold decrease this year. Similarly, over 40,000 candidates achieved a score of 9.25-9.5 in 2024, but this number has dropped to just over 15,000.

In geography, although the number of perfect scores (10) more than doubled compared to last year, the number of scores between 8 and 9 also dropped, from over 223,000 last year to around 68,000 this year. The same was true for history; the number of students scoring 8-9 decreased from over 120,000 last year to just over 57,000. Similarly, the number of students scoring between 9 and 9.5, which was over 33,000 last year, is now just over 21,000.

The two subjects with the biggest drop in excellent/outstanding grades were English and economics and law education (formerly civics education).

The English exam was highly selective, with candidates complaining that it was long and difficult. The results have proven these observations true. While in 2024 there were over 100,000 candidates who scored 8-9 points, this year only over 11,000 achieved this score, a decrease of about 10 times.

This year, only over 2,000 candidates achieved scores above 9-9.6, compared to over 21,000 in 2024. This subject saw the sharpest decline in the percentage of candidates achieving excellent or outstanding scores compared to the 2025 exam results. Although the average score did not decrease significantly, the number of excellent and outstanding scores dropped sharply.

Similarly, over 226,000 candidates achieved scores of 8-9 in economics and law education in the 2024 exam. This year, with the same score range, the number is only around 80,000. Notably, this year there were over 16,000 candidates scoring above 9-9.5, compared to over 140,000 in 2024. The number of perfect scores (10) in this subject also decreased by more than 50% compared to last year.

Graphics: TAN DAT

Will the cutoff scores drop sharply?

Based on this year's exam scores, many believe that majors with cutoff scores of 24 or 25 last year may see a decrease this year. Meanwhile, majors with cutoff scores of 16-18 last year are likely to see a slight increase.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Nhan, head of the training department at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, said that for most majors that had admission scores of 24 or higher last year, the admission scores are likely to decrease significantly this year.

Mr. Nhan further explained that because the university recruits for engineering and technology majors using combinations of natural sciences and English, and the exam scores for these subjects have decreased compared to the previous year, the predicted cut-off scores will also decrease.

Meanwhile, Mr. Pham Thai Son, director of the Admissions and Communications Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, believes that majors with high cutoff scores last year will see a decrease in cutoff scores this year, while those with low cutoff scores will see an increase.

"This year, exam scores for all subjects have decreased, leading to a drop in the cutoff scores for majors that had high cutoff scores last year, such as marketing. The decrease is between 1 and 1.5 points. This year, the number of candidates applying based on academic transcripts and specialized assessment exam results has increased significantly compared to last year."

"Although exam scores have decreased, the number of applications has increased, so the decrease in scores won't be too significant. Conversely, majors with cutoff scores of 16-17 last year may see an increase this year," Mr. Son predicted.

Similarly, Ms. Hoang Thanh Tu, deputy head of the Information and Communication Department of the University of Science (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), believes that the cut-off scores for popular majors at the university may decrease by 0.5 points, while the decrease for other majors will be more significant.

Ms. Tu stated that all departments at the university accept subjects that include mathematics. This year, the math exam was more difficult, resulting in lower scores, but the scores for other subjects decreased less significantly. Furthermore, the university has expanded its admissions to include more than four subject combinations, each with a single cutoff score, thus offering more diverse opportunities for candidates.

Mathematics: average score decreased by 1.67 points.

At the information session on exam score distribution organized by the Ministry of Education and Training, representatives from the ministry and experts avoided commenting in depth on the difficulty of the math exam and cited the figure of 513 perfect scores (compared to no perfect scores the previous year) as a positive sign that the math exam was not as "extremely difficult" as the public had been speculating.

However, looking at the score distribution over the two years reveals significant fluctuations. The average math score in 2024 was 6.45, while this year it is only 4.78. Notably, over 56% of candidates scored below average. For the first time, the average math score is below 5 (4.75 points), and it is also the only subject in this year's exam with a score below 5.

After mathematics, English had the second lowest average score among the subjects tested (5.38 points). In many previous exams, subjects like history or biology often had low average scores, but this year the average scores for these two subjects were 5.78 and 6.52 respectively.

Based on the above data, some educators shared with Tuoi Tre newspaper that they still maintain the view that "the math exam is too difficult compared to the level of high school students, the curriculum they have studied, and the goals of the high school graduation exam."

Good differentiation, suitable for university admissions.

According to Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia, former deputy director of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, the distribution of scores for the exam subjects shows good differentiation, which is favorable for university admissions. The score distribution for all subjects is better than last year, especially English, which no longer has the peculiar pattern of having two peaks.

Except for physics, the average scores for all other subjects decreased compared to 2024. Mathematics, in particular, saw a drop of nearly 1.7 points and was the only subject with an average score below 5 in this year's exam. If university admissions follow a similar process to 2024, it is predicted that the cut-off scores for subject combinations including mathematics could decrease by 0.5 - 2 points.

What do experts say about the score distribution?

Check the score distribution for the 2025 high school graduation exam on Tuoitre.vn - Photo: BE HIEU

During the information session on the score distribution, the Ministry of Education and Training invited several experts and educators to share their assessments of this year's exam score distribution.

Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc, chairman of the University Council of the University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, when assessing the overall exam scores this year, said that the exam questions had good differentiation.

Although math and English were difficult, thankfully, looking at the score distribution, there wasn't a "shock" of excessively low scores, but neither was there a "flood" of perfect scores. Specifically regarding English, one of the two subjects that received significant public attention, Mr. Duc stated that the score distribution for English was favorable and accurately reflected the reality.

According to Ms. Nguyen Boi Quynh, principal of Viet Duc High School (Hanoi), the 2025 high school graduation exam method for students studying the 2018 general education program has advantages because, in addition to the two compulsory subjects, students can choose two elective subjects that are their strengths and that they excel at. Therefore, the exam results will be better than in previous years when students had to choose one of two combined subject exams (along with the compulsory exams) which included component subjects that were not the students' strengths.

"Based on this year's exam questions and the format of the exam, teachers should also reconsider their teaching methods to better support and accompany candidates in future years," Ms. Quynh said.

Mr. Thai Van Thanh, Director of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, also assessed that this year's exam had a high degree of differentiation, judging from the score distribution, which facilitates universities in using the results for admissions.

Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh (former head of the Department of Professional Education, Ministry of Education and Training):

A good score distribution doesn't necessarily mean fairness.

At first glance, the distribution of English scores in the 2025 high school graduation exam seems "good"—balanced and clearly bell-shaped. However, upon closer examination, I can't help but wonder: the average score is only 5.38, the median is 5.25, and nearly half of the candidates scored below average. Meanwhile, the average for physics is 6.99, and chemistry is 6.06—clearly indicating that these subjects are much easier to score in.

I believe this presents a major paradox: with the same academic ability and effort, choosing the wrong subjects can result in a difference of 1-1.5 points in the final exam. Given that university admissions are primarily based on exam scores, this is a subtle injustice that many candidates fail to recognize.

Personally, I also question: Of the nearly 50% of candidates who scored below average in English, how many come from disadvantaged areas such as the Northwest, Central Highlands, and Southwest regions? If those regions account for a large proportion, then clearly this exam is exacerbating inequality instead of narrowing it. Until the data on regional and grouped candidate data is released, I think any praise for the "standardized score distribution" or "reasonable exam questions" is premature.

A national examination should not only differentiate students but also ensure fairness – across regions and across subject choices. Without adjustments and standardization based on the difficulty level of each subject, the disadvantage faced by students who choose English will continue.

And I want to emphasize this point: when the percentage of students performing below average is too high, especially in fundamental subjects like English, it can easily lead to a negative effect, causing students to become discouraged and reluctant to learn a foreign language, especially in areas where conditions are already difficult. We want to encourage them to learn, not discourage them by making them feel that "no matter how hard I try, I can't improve."

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mua-diem-10-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-nhung-diem-chuan-du-kien-giam-20250716085525905.htm