IELTS certificate becomes 'lifesaver'

IELTS is a game changer

In 2025, the University of Economics and Law (VNU-HCM) recorded more than 8,800 candidates submitting IELTS certificates for admission - 3.7 times higher than the previous year. MSc. Cu Xuan Tien, Head of Admissions and Student Affairs, said that IELTS scores commonly range from 5.5 to 7.0, with about 182 candidates achieving 8.0 or higher. "IELTS has become a "lifesaver" in the context of the 2025 high school English exam being assessed as difficult and with low scores," said Mr. Tien.

Similarly, IELTS has also become a "lifesaver" for many candidates when applying to other schools such as: Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH); Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy...

Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Dung

Vu Hong An - a candidate with an IELTS score of 7.0 who applied to the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City - was happy when his certificate was accepted and added to the admission score in this admission round. An said that he had just provided proof of his IELTS score as required by the school and was on the list of candidates who received points thanks to this certificate. "With the high level of competition, getting points added even by 0.25 points is an advantage compared to other candidates," An shared.

Stable "hot" industry benchmark

After the Ministry of Education and Training announced the score distribution, many admissions experts predicted that the benchmark scores for majors based on groups A00 (Math, Physics, Chemistry), A01 (Math, Physics, English), B00 (Math, Chemistry, Biology)... could decrease by 2-3 points compared to last year. However, majors in the social sciences (C00, C01, C07...) tend to decrease more slightly or remain stable, creating a significant difference between training fields.

Mr. Cu Xuan Tien commented that although the average score is low, thanks to the IELTS certificate, the standard score for many majors at the school tends to decrease slightly by 0.5-1.5 points compared to last year. Attractive majors such as International Business, E-commerce, Marketing may decrease slightly or remain the same.

New, less competitive majors such as Civil Law (English), Applied Mathematics in Economics, Financial Technology, Management Information Systems are likely to decrease more deeply, up to 1.5 points.

Analysis of the exam score spectrum shows that the benchmark score based on the high school exam score method is likely to decrease by 1-2 points, especially for subject combinations that include Math or English such as A01, D01. At schools that train in technology and engineering, the predicted decrease could be up to 2-3 points.

Mr. Bui Hoai Thang, Head of Training Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (VNU-HCM) commented that the English score distribution is very differentiated and stable, although Math and Chemistry show signs of decline - which allows high-tech industries to still maintain high benchmark scores with diverse admission methods.