British University Vietnam PhD: This year's high school English exam focuses more on academic skills

Dr. Yulia Tregubova - Head of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), Acting Head of English Program, British University Vietnam (BUV) shared about the English exam for the 2025 high school graduation exam.

Candidates after completing the English graduation exam at Phan Dinh Phung High School, Hanoi . (Source: Tuoi Tre Newspaper)

The 2025 high school graduation exam in English has caused a lot of controversy as there are two trends: the first trend believes that the exam is difficult and very different from previous years' exams, the second trend praises the exam as good and highly classified, the way the exam is designed is close to the classification assessment of many international English exams.

According to Dr. Yulia Tregubova, this year’s exam has been adjusted in terms of structure, making it slightly different and more difficult than previous years. However, this year’s exam is closer to the academic English orientation – a subject that BUV often teaches to students who wish to study in English at the university level.

"This year's exam includes tasks such as inference – which requires students to understand the meaning of a word based on context. Such skills not only help develop reading comprehension but also enhance critical thinking – both of which are extremely important for students studying in English.

The test does not stop at simply testing vocabulary or grammar, but also delves into aspects such as collocations, language functions such as coherence and cohesion in the text. It is clear that critical thinking skills are emphasized - which are essential at university level.

In addition, the test also tests some important academic skills such as summarizing - an essential skill that students have to use regularly in the university environment. Therefore, I think this is a better preparation test for students before entering university. The focus on academic English and academic skills makes the test more suitable for the real needs of students who want to continue their studies," said Ms. Yulia Tregubova.

Dr. Yulia Tregubova – Head of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), Acting Head of English, British University Vietnam (BUV). (Source: BUV)

Assessing the readiness of current high school students, Dr. Yulia Tregubova said that this year's exam focuses heavily on academic skills such as reasoning, summarizing, coherence and cohesion in writing - skills that are often not taught in public high schools.

According to her, these skills need to be given more attention to help students prepare better. Some schools may have started to incorporate these elements into their teaching, but in her personal experience, most schools still focus mainly on the national general education program and IELTS preparation.

"Unfortunately, IELTS does not really prepare for such types of questions, because it is a structured academic exam that only assesses certain skills, and those skills are not entirely within the scope of this year's high school exam," said Ms. Yulia Tregubova.

Giving advice to students preparing for next year's exams, Ms. Yulia Tregubova said that students should start familiarizing themselves with and practicing skills such as summarizing and paraphrasing - factors that will help them prepare better for similar types of questions.

"For example, inference is both a language skill and a critical thinking skill. It helps students understand the meaning of words or content through context and through the text, thereby increasing their ability to read and process information more effectively. Cultivating these skills not only helps students do better on tests but also prepares them for university studies in the future," said the British University PhD.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tien-si-dai-hoc-anh-quoc-viet-nam-de-thi-tieng-anh-thpt-nam-nay-tap-trung-nhieu-vao-cac-ky-nang-hoc-thuat-320900.html