Proposal to build a graduation exam question bank and eliminate the 10th grade entrance exam

On the eve of the 2025-2026 school year, teacher Nguyen Quang Thi from Bao Loc High School (Lam Dong) proposed that the Ministry of Education and Training build a question bank and eliminate the 10th grade entrance exam to reduce pressure and create fairness for students.

Below is an article expressing the personal perspective and views of Master Nguyen Quang Thi, teacher at Bao Loc High School, Lam Dong :

There is a short time left until the 2025-2026 school year begins. This is the school year in which students have completed the first round of the reform program and the next batch of students will continue to take the high school graduation exam according to the new program. Before the new school year, I have two proposals.

The Ministry of Education and Training needs to build a question bank.

We know that this year's high school graduation exam in Mathematics is difficult for students. Most teachers review for students based on the Ministry's sample questions. Because they are self-compiled, they are not universal and subjective, leading to incomplete forms, so low results are obvious. To review effectively, teachers must have a source of questions, so I propose that the Ministry build a question bank.

The question bank includes: Mid-term and final exams from grades 1 to 12 for all subjects. The question bank will help teachers nationwide have the opportunity to exchange experiences and approach a common ground when teaching; students have a source to review and supplement their knowledge; many schools rely on it to compile appropriate questions and narrow the level between regions.

Candidates take the Math exam in the 2025 high school graduation exam. Photo: Pham Hai

Regarding the form of compiling questions, in my opinion, the Ministry needs to provide a matrix of questions that teachers can compile themselves to put in the question bank. The Ministry should establish a professional assessment committee, and only questions that meet the requirements can be used. In order for the question bank to be maintained, the Ministry must pay for questions that meet the requirements. If the question bank is established, I believe that many teachers will participate.

Before establishing a question bank, the Ministry needs a question matrix and I boldly propose the following question matrix for grade 12 Math:

Part I has 12 questions worth 3 points, all of which are in the 12th grade program with recognition and understanding requirements. Specifically: Chapter 1 (derivative application and function survey) includes 3 questions; Chapter 2 (Vectors and coordinate systems in space) 1 question; Chapter 3 (Statistics) 2 questions; Chapter 4 (Antiderivatives, integrals and applications) 3 questions; Chapter 5 (Equations of lines, planes and spheres) 2 questions; Chapter 6 (Probability) 1 question.

Part II has 4 large questions corresponding to 4 points with the requirements of low understanding and application. Specifically: there are two questions from the 12th grade program with a low level of application and knowledge of chapters 1, 4, 5, and 6. The remaining two questions are at the level of understanding and within the scope of the 11th grade program with knowledge: Arithmetic progression, geometric progression; trigonometric equations; function limits, continuous functions; volume of pyramids, polyhedra, lines parallel to planes, lines perpendicular to planes.

Part III has 6 questions worth 3 points and requires high application for the purpose of university admission. Specifically: 1 question about the gap of grade 11, 5 questions from the grade 12 program and in the form of practical math questions. Of these 6 questions, you must choose 1 really sharp question that requires creative thinking and exploration to limit the score to 10 points.

In short, a successful exam is when the score of 10 and the failing score can be counted on the fingers, the average score ranges from 5 to 5.5 points and the most common score is 6-7.

A successful exam requires that the scores of all subjects are similar. Having difficult subjects can lead to difficulties in selecting combinations. To do this, the exam committee must standardize the exam by testing many students and many times.

The exam structure needs to demonstrate stability over many years to avoid surprising teachers and students.

Can we remove the entrance exam for grade 10?

As everyone knows, most students and parents want their children to study in grade 10 at public schools. For many years, the entrance exam for grade 10 in some localities has been very harsh and more competitive than university. Students who want to enter public schools must take the entrance exam organized by the Department of Education and Training. Right from the beginning of the 9th grade school year, the heat of pressure due to the high competition rate has led to stress and anxiety. At the National Assembly forum, some delegates raised this issue.

On the other hand, when implementing a two-level local government, each commune and ward almost always has at least one high school, so students from each area must study in that area. A school (except for specialized schools) must have good and good students, students who pass and those who fail, requiring teachers to try and adapt to each of these groups to be called teaching. On the other hand, many parents want to abolish the entrance exam for grade 10, and instead use selection so that their children do not have to suffer.

In my opinion, we should enroll students in grade 10 by the selection method because it has many advantages. First of all, this reduces the pressure of studying for students. At the secondary level, students go through many regular, mid-term, and periodic tests, and their transcripts are the basis for selection, saving costs for the locality. Currently, I see that one locality (old) is Ca Mau, Gia Lai, Vinh Long, and Lam Dong enrolling students in grade 10 by the selection method. In particular, Lam Dong province (old) has used this method for over 10 years and has high-ranking high school graduation results. The important thing is how to organize teaching and learning to achieve high results, not whether or not there are exams.

In short, to enroll students in grade 10 by examination, each locality must develop a suitable plan, and students from each ward or commune will study in that ward or commune. Schools are responsible for their teaching results before the Department's leaders.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/de-xuat-xay-dung-ngan-hang-de-thi-tot-nghiep-va-bo-ky-thi-tuyen-sinh-lop-10-2431307.html