Uncertainty about using combination of Math and English for university admission

After the high school graduation exam, Nhat Linh was still struggling with Math and English, worried about using the D01 combination with these two subjects for university admission.

Linh, a 12th grader in Vinh Phuc , constantly visits social media groups to update herself and read her friends' comments. When she sees posts complaining that "the English test is as difficult as the IELTS Reading test" or "the test is long and academic", Linh reads the comments to see if there are many people who do worse than expected like her.

"I'm most disappointed with English," Linh said. "I set a goal of 9 points but I probably only got closer to 7."

Comparing the reference answer, Math is only around 6.5, which makes Linh even more worried, because the two schools she is interested in, Banking Academy and University of Commerce, had the standard score last year according to the D01 combination (Math, Literature, English) at 25-27 points.

"I was both insecure and doubtful of myself. I didn't know if the test was difficult in general or if it was just a group like me that did poorly," Linh expressed.

Tran Pham Huu Hao, a student at Tam Phu High School in Ho Chi Minh City, shares the same sentiment. He took two elective subjects, Chemistry and English, and planned to use the combination D01 and D07 (Math, Chemistry, English) to apply for the Logistics and Supply Chain Management major at Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport. The standard score according to the graduation exam scores of this major in the past two years was around 24-25, so Hao also set a goal of getting above 24. However, the male student calculated that he only got about 7 points in both subjects.

"To get 24 points, I have to get 10 in Literature. That's impossible," Hao worried.

Realizing that the D01 combination score spectrum may decrease in general, Do Khanh Linh, a student in Hanoi , has another concern.

"I'm worried about being disadvantaged when schools consider the same candidates according to A00 (Math, Physics, Chemistry) because many teachers say that Physics and Chemistry are easier to get high scores than Literature and English," Khanh Linh said. "The economic majors I'm aiming for are all like that."

On social networking forums, posts on this topic have attracted thousands of interactions. Many students are also afraid of being disadvantaged because they do not study for international certificates such as IELTS, SAT... which are used by schools to convert or add priority points when considering graduation exam scores.

Experts believe that candidates' concerns are well-founded because the Math and English tests are more difficult than average, but predict that the benchmark score for the D01 combination will decrease.

Candidates in Ho Chi Minh City take the 2025 high school graduation exam. Photo: Quynh Tran

Right after the exam ended, many teachers commented that the average score for Math was around 5-6.5, and for English was around 5-5.5, lower than last year. In both subjects, it was rare for candidates to get 10, only "very good" students could get 8 or higher.

According to students and teachers, Mr. Tran Nam, an admissions and career guidance consultant in Ho Chi Minh City, predicted that the benchmark score for the D01 combination will decrease sharply.

More specifically, Mr. Dinh Duc Hien, CEO of FPT Inter-level School, predicted that in groups with both Math and English, such as D01, D07 (Math, Chemistry, English), A01 (Math, Physics, English), the reduction could be 1.5-2 points. If the group only has one of these two subjects, the benchmark score will decrease slightly, at 0.5-1 point.

University of Economics and Law with 6 admission groups, in which Math and English are the two main subjects, Mr. Cu Xuan Tien, Head of Admissions and Student Affairs Department, also predicted that the standard score will decrease, but did not predict in detail.

In addition, he said that candidates may be at a disadvantage if schools consider admission to a major using many combinations but do not have a mechanism to adjust scores between these groups.

According to Mr. Tran Nam, the graduation exam in the D01 group of subjects is difficult, so candidates who have taken the competency assessment test, or are eligible for direct admission or priority admission will make the most of this method, thereby increasing the competition rate.

However, experts say that candidates should stay calm . According to regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, this year schools must convert admission scores to equivalent levels between admission methods.

"Difficult questions are difficult in general, and the benchmark will be adjusted accordingly," said Mr. Tien. "Students need to carefully refer to the admission information of the schools to arrange their wishes and optimize their chances of admission," Mr. Tien advised.

Mr. Dinh Duc Hien said that this is the time when candidates need to learn about their majors and careers most seriously. Even though they do not know their exact scores, they have estimated their score range after comparing their answers with the suggested answers. From there, candidates need to carefully study the methods and benchmark scores of previous years of the majors and schools they intend to apply to before making a decision.

"Students should also prepare mentally and stay calm in case they don't get their first choice, by looking for similar majors at schools with lower admission scores," said Mr. Hien.

According to the plan of the Ministry of Education and Training, the high school graduation exam scores will be announced on July 16. Candidates can register and adjust their university admission wishes until 5:00 p.m. on July 28.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/bat-an-dung-to-hop-co-toan-tieng-anh-de-xet-tuyen-dai-hoc-post290791.html