Taking the 10th grade literature exam under the new curriculum, candidates still work hard to memorize

According to the 10th grade candidates this year, the content they memorized was quite diverse, from outlines to some paragraphs such as introductions, conclusions and even... sample essays, even though the questions were designed to assess ability.

Candidates in Ho Chi Minh City in the 10th grade exam room this year

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

Sharing about the 10th grade exam according to the 2018 GeneralEducation Program (new program) of the Literature subject, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, informed that the questions will be built according to the integrated orientation between assessing reading comprehension and writing ability, the content in the writing part is related to the text in the reading comprehension part. In particular, the exam structure will include two test parts, each part is worth 5 points.

Thus, it can be seen that the orientation of the literature exam according to the new program is to assess the candidates' abilities, from reading comprehension to writing. However, in reality, at the exam sites, many candidates told Thanh Nien that they had to memorize some content to be able to confidently enter the literature exam room on the morning of June 6, not just skills. Most said that they would usually memorize the outline to do the test.

For example, Nguyen Pham Tuong Lan, a student at Binh Loi Trung Secondary School (Binh Thanh District), shared that she not only studied the outline to make sure it was solid, but also memorized the introduction and conclusion provided by the teacher. The purpose of memorizing this is to give Lan more time to think about other issues, the female student shared. In addition, the female student will read more books to "thicken" the practical evidence used in the essay.

Lan herself commented that this year's literature topic, "On the journey to adulthood...", was neither too easy nor too difficult. "This topic is also close to us, but I'm afraid that if I write too much, I will get off topic," Lan confided.

Candidates in Ho Chi Minh City after the literature exam on the morning of June 6.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

A mother discusses the literature exam with her child.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Doan Bich Chau, a student at Rang Dong Secondary School (Binh Thanh District), shared: "The teacher will give us many different outlines, we will memorize them and then analyze and apply them to the real exam questions to do the test. The outline will mention how to do the introduction, body, and conclusion, but there are also some parts where we have to take our own ideas from the actual content of the question." The female student added that she also practiced many different types of questions to increase her ability to improvise.

Similarly, Lam Hoang Ngoc Anh, a student at Nguyen Van Be Secondary School (Binh Thanh District), also said that teachers will provide students with a general outline and then they will develop it into a complete essay.

In addition, teachers also show students a sample essay and ask them to do similar types of questions, and "I will base it on that sample to do it," according to Nguyen Tan Sang, a student at Rang Dong Secondary School. This applies to the 200-word paragraph writing task (worth 2 points on the exam), and is usually reserved for students who get low scores in this part of the exam. "These essays were written by my teacher himself," Sang added.

However, the male student said the most difficult part for him was reading comprehension, when he had to identify the artistic devices used in the text.

This morning's literature exam was considered by some candidates to be easily off-topic.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

In contrast to the above cases, Nguyen Ngoc Minh Thu, a student at Le Van Tam Secondary School (Binh Thanh District), said that her teacher did not provide any specific outline, but focused on writing methods for each type of essay presented in the textbook, especially the social argument section.

After the literature exam, candidates will continue to take the foreign language exam this afternoon, June 6, and the math and specialized subjects on June 7. According to the report of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, 76,435 candidates registered for the 2025 exam, with a total enrollment target of 70,070 places, or about 91.7% of candidates admitted to public schools. On the other hand, the total enrollment target for private schools is nearly 19,500 places, helping to reduce competitive pressure compared to previous years.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thi-lop-10-mon-ngu-van-chuong-trinh-moi-thi-sinh-van-day-cong-hoc-thuoc-long-185250606144810791.htm