High School Graduation Exam 2025: 4 things to note when taking the literature test

There are only 2 days left until candidates nationwide officially take the 2025 high school graduation exam. This is an exam with many changes according to the 2018 General Education Program. In particular, the literature subject is of special interest because for the first time, the graduation exam questions are in writing outside of the program and textbooks.

Based on the limitations students face when learning the new curriculum and the mistakes made in the mock high school graduation exams organized by schools in Ho Chi Minh City last May, teachers advise students to pay attention to the following points when taking the literature exam.

1. Carefully read the exam questions and analyze them before answering. Pay attention to the order of difficulty of the questions, from easiest to most challenging, and the connections between them. Note the integration between the reading comprehension section and the essay writing section. This is an advantage for candidates, because understanding the text and answering the reading comprehension questions well will help them write an essay that is on the right track and focused. Conversely, poor reading comprehension can lead to misinterpreting the text, causing the essay to stray from the topic.

In two days, 12th-grade students will officially take the Literature exam for the 2025 high school graduation exam.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

2. Develop a habit of reading texts by using a pen to underline/highlight words, images, verses/stanzas, etc., to create a visual effect when reading the questions. For reading comprehension questions, underline the main keywords required by the question to answer accurately.

These keywords are usually associated with requirements ranging from low to high, such as "point out," "identify" (recognition level), "present effectively" (understanding level), "express thoughts" (application level)... Pay attention to words like "those," "the," etc. Therefore, avoid rambling or lengthy answers; instead, answer clearly and closely to the keywords for recognition questions (questions 1 and 2). For understanding questions (questions 3 and 4), focus on the text and answer in multiple points. For the application question (question 5), the text usually asks you to relate it to yourself. To get a full point on this question, you need to write a paragraph (5-7 lines, not just bullet points). Express your thoughts sincerely, deeply, and appropriately to the suggested text; otherwise, you will go off-topic. Avoid analyzing the text to clarify the requirements.

3. In the writing section (6 points), a common mistake students make is not adhering to the required length (approximately 200 words for a paragraph, and 600 words for an essay). Many candidates write paragraphs that are too long, wasting time and leaving insufficient time for the next question. Conversely, some students write too superficially, lacking sufficient detail, making it difficult to achieve a good score. Therefore, it is necessary to practice paragraph writing. The paragraph structure should be general (introduction, direct) - specific (discussion, analysis...) - conclusion (general evaluation, thoughts/lessons learned...). Pay attention to the close connection between argumentative techniques, reasoning, and evidence (taken from the text and real life). Most importantly, correctly identify the argumentative issue and avoid going off-topic.

For the social commentary essay question (question 2, 4 points), note that there are two parts: the introduction and the writing prompt (as in the sample question). If candidates do not adhere closely to the introduction, they may easily stray from the topic.

4. Not managing time effectively during the exam is also a common mistake. Getting carried away writing and leaving many questions unanswered is regrettable. Difficult questions should be answered later to save time. It's important to allocate time wisely between sections, and dedicate time to reviewing and revising your answers.

Furthermore, students will find it difficult to achieve high scores in the literature subject of the high school graduation exam if they make mistakes in presentation and expression. Therefore, attention should be paid to handwriting, spelling, word usage, sentence structure, and avoiding erasures.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-2025-4-chu-y-khi-lam-bai-mon-van-18525062410373625.htm