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) shares about the English exam for the 2025 high school graduation exam.

Students 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 sparked much debate, with two opposing viewpoints: the first argues that the exam was difficult and significantly different from previous years' exams, while the second praises it as well-designed and highly selective, with its question format closely resembling the assessment methods of many international English proficiency tests.

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

"This year's exam includes question types such as inference – that is, requiring 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 skills for students studying in English."

The exam goes beyond simply testing vocabulary and grammar; it delves into aspects such as collocations and linguistic functions like coherence and cohesion in text. This clearly emphasizes critical thinking skills – a crucial skill at the university level.

Furthermore, the test also assesses several important academic skills such as summarizing – an essential skill that students must use frequently in a university environment. Therefore, I believe this is a better preparation test for students before entering university. The focus on academic English and academic skills makes the test more relevant to the practical needs of students who want to continue their studies at a higher level,” said Yulia Tregubova.

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

Assessing the current readiness of high school students, Dr. Yulia Tregubova stated that this year's exam focused heavily on academic skills such as reasoning, summarizing, coherence, and logical connection in writing – skills that are often not emphasized in public high schools.

According to her, these skills need more emphasis to help students prepare better. While some schools may have started incorporating these elements into their teaching, in her personal experience, most schools still focus primarily on the national high school curriculum and IELTS preparation.

"Unfortunately, IELTS doesn't really prepare for these types of questions, because it's a structured, academic exam that only assesses certain skills, and those skills aren't entirely within the scope of this year's high school exam," said Yulia Tregubova.

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

"For example, inference skills are both a language skill and a critical thinking skill. They help students understand the meaning of words or content through context and the flow of the text, thereby increasing their reading comprehension and information processing abilities. Cultivating these skills not only helps them perform better on assignments but also prepares them for university studies," the PhD from a British university explained.

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