Ho Chi Minh City has its first testing center belonging to a department of a world-leading university.

This testing center is also an international school in Ho Chi Minh City, but the opportunity to take international exams and obtain certificates according to British standards will be available to students from outside the school and from abroad.

The South American International School will be officially recognized as an OxfordAQA Examination Centre from the 2024-2025 school year.

The testing center does not limit the number of test-takers.

On March 1st, the South American International School was recognized by Oxford University Press (OUP), a subsidiary of the prestigious University of Oxford in the UK, as the first OxfordAQA Examination Centre in Ho Chi Minh City. This means that, starting from the 2024-2025 academic year, the school will be authorized to teach and administer international GCSEs and A-levels exams – widely used for university admissions in the UK and around the world .

OxfordAQA is a prestigious examination board, established by the cooperation between OUP and AQA (the UK examinations organization), currently taught in more than 500 schools worldwide. According to the UK Qualifications Recognition Centre (UK NARIC), OxfordAQA, Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel are the examination boards recognized for degrees and certificates equivalent to GCSEs and A-levels in the UK.

Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper on the sidelines of the event, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, Principal of the South American International School, said that as an OxfordAQA examination center, students at the school in particular and in the region in general can take international GCSEs and A-levels exams in the South. A key highlight is that the school does not limit participation to internal students; students from outside the school, even those studying different programs, can still register to take the exams if they meet the requirements.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, Principal of the South American International School, during a discussion with parents.

Wide open learning opportunities

Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Southeast Asia Regional Manager of the Oxford International Secondary Education Programme (OUP), stated that there are currently a total of 50 Oxford AQA testing centers in Southeast Asia, with five in Vietnam. Three of these centers are located in schools in Lao Cai, Hanoi , and Ho Chi Minh City, while two are affiliated with the British Council. International students can also take exams and receive their certificates at these centers, not just Vietnamese students.

In addition, many other international schools in Vietnam are also teaching the OxfordAQA program or some subjects, but have not yet met the accreditation criteria to become affiliated testing centers, Ms. Hang noted.

Sharing more about the curriculum, Ms. Hang said that the institution updates its learning materials every five years, and most recently, has incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) into lessons from grades 1 to 12. Another noteworthy point is that in OUP's textbooks, in addition to printed materials and online exercises, the publisher also uses AI to produce adaptive questions based on students' actual abilities, thereby personalizing teaching and learning more effectively.

"This also helps students become more proactive in their studies instead of just waiting for assignments to be handed out by teachers," Ms. Hang commented.

Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Southeast Asia Regional Manager of the Oxford International Secondary Education Program (Oxford University Press), introduced the Oxford AQA assessment framework in the Oxford AQA curriculum, which is being applied by several international schools.

Speaking online, Tom Galvin, Head of Quality Management at OxfordAQA, stated that the institution's international GCSEs are designed for students aged 14-16, while the A-levels are for those aged 16-18. A key feature of these qualifications is that they are accepted by over 700 universities in Asia, Europe, North America, Australia, and all universities in the UK for admission purposes.

In Vietnam, students can use A-level to apply to top universities: Hanoi University of Science and Technology, National Economics University (Hanoi), Foreign Trade University (Hanoi), International University (Ho Chi Minh City National University). In addition, students can also apply to international institutions, such as VinUni University (Hanoi), British Vietnam (Hanoi), Viet Duc (Ho Chi Minh City), RMIT (Ho Chi Minh City)...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tphcm-lan-dau-co-trung-tam-khao-thi-thuoc-bo-phan-cua-dh-hang-dau-the-gioi-18525030210533908.htm