Admission scores for 10th grade in Hanoi: Tense as a bowstring

According to Hanoi regulations, each candidate applying for grade 10 of public high schools this year has 3 wishes to enter non-specialized grade 10.

Candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam in 2025 in Hanoi - Photo: NGUYEN BAO

In which, wishes (NV) 1 and 2 are in one recruitment area (Hanoi has 12 recruitment areas), NV3 is in any area.

In addition, candidates can also register for NV in two specialized schools (independently considered compared to non-specialized schools). However, the pressure to enroll in grade 10 in Hanoi is still high because the chance of passing is concentrated on NV1.

Stressful waiting for 10th grade admission scores

According to Hanoi regulations, the NV2 admission score will be 1 point higher, the NV3 admission score will be 2 points higher than the standard score (NV1). Therefore, in order to have equal opportunities for NV, when registering for admission, candidates must choose NV2 in schools with expected standard scores lower than the standard score of the school registering for NV1 by 1-2 points. This is similar to the way to choose a school to register for NV3.

Therefore, with schools in the same group (standard scores only fluctuate by 1-2 points), candidates can only choose one to register for NV1. Wishes 2-3 are usually to "prevent failure", not the favorite choice. That is why there are up to 3 NVs entering non-specialized high school grade 10, but parents and candidates are still holding their breath waiting for the standard score.

"I took a day off today just to wait for my child's test scores and benchmark scores," said Ms. Hong in Tay Ho Ward, whose child registered for NV1 at Phan Dinh Phung High School. She said that if her child fails NV1, her family might send her to a private school instead of enrolling her in NV2 or 3. That's why she and her family were quite stressed during the day waiting for the test scores and benchmark scores.

Ms. Lan, another parent in Yen Hoa ward, said her child expected to get around 17.5 points in math and English. But the literature score is hard to predict.

"My child was more stressed than me, staying up all night before. I was worried that he wouldn't pass one part, and I was 10 parts worried that he would be shocked" - Ms. Lan said.

Ms. Lan's daughter registered for NV1 at Yen Hoa High School, NV2 at Quang Trung - Dong Da High School, and NV3 at a suburban school. She said that if she only passed NV3, her daughter would have to go to school more than 15km away from home.

When will "10th grade pressure" end?

In the 2025-2026 school year, Hanoi increased the enrollment quota for public and autonomous public schools with a total quota for public high schools of 79,740 (equivalent to 1,795 classes), an increase of over 5,000 students compared to the previous school year.

70/122 non-specialized high schools increased their enrollment quotas this year, with the largest increases being Ly Thuong Kiet High School (Long Bien) with 180 students, Da Phuc High School (Soc Son) and Thuong Tin High School with 135 students. These are all schools in the suburbs of Hanoi. Some schools in the inner city were assigned to increase their enrollment quotas, but the number is not as high as Yen Hoa High School, Viet Duc High School, Phan Dinh Phung High School...

Four specialized high schools in Hanoi for the 2025-2026 school year also increased their enrollment quota by nearly 500 compared to the previous school year, with 2,730 quotas for 78 specialized classes.

Of which, Son Tay High School for the Gifted has increased its enrollment the most (210 students, equivalent to 6 specialized classes). In addition, private high schools in Hanoi are also assigned to enroll 27,919 students with 635 classes.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Hanoi plans to have 3 new public high schools, bringing the number of public and autonomous public high schools in Hanoi to 125.

However, this network of schools still only meets 64% of the number of candidates registering for the 10th grade entrance exam. The qualityof education between public high schools in the same enrollment area, and the quality between public and private schools, still has a large gap. With this situation, the pressure to enroll 10th graders in Hanoi will continue to increase in the coming years.

The scoring method is different from previous years.

The method of calculating the benchmark score for entering grade 10 for non-specialized students in the 2025-2026 school year is different from previous years.

Specifically, the admission score is the total score of 3 exam subjects (coefficient 1) plus priority and incentive points (if any). While last year there were also 3 exam subjects but the scores for literature, math (coefficient 2) and foreign language (coefficient 1).

This change in the scoring method is the factor that causes the benchmark score to increase slightly in the top schools in the inner city. The reason is that the percentage of excellent scores in English of students in the inner city is usually high, while this year all 3 subjects are calculated with a coefficient of 1. The top schools all have an average score per subject/benchmark score of over 8 points.

Looking back at the benchmark scores of the top schools in Hanoi over the past three years, we see that the average subject score/benchmark score is above 8 - 8.5.

Specifically, Phan Dinh Phung High School in the past three years, the average score of each subject of the benchmark score was 8.4 points, 8.55 points and 8.35 points respectively; Tran Phu High School (Hoan Kiem) was 8.05 points, 8.35 points and 7.9 points; Viet Duc High School was 8.35 points, 8.6 points and 8.25 points; Thang Long High School was 8.3 points, 8.2 points and 8.45 points; Kim Lien High School was 8.25 points, 8.65 points and 8.35 points; Cau Giay High School was 8.05 points, 8.3 points and 8.0 points; Yen Hoa High School was 8.45 points, 8.45 points and 8.5 points.

Timelines to note

It is expected that by July 8 at the latest, schools will receive the exam result reports to issue to students. Students who wish to have their results reviewed must submit their applications between July 4 and July 10.

From July 10 to July 12, admitted students must confirm their enrollment (online or in person).

On July 17, schools that do not meet their enrollment quota will enroll additional students; and from July 19 to July 22, additional admitted students will confirm their enrollment.

On July 28, candidates will receive the results of the exam review, and from July 28 to July 30, schools will continue to process student records after the review and successful candidates (after the review) will confirm their enrollment.

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VINH HA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/diem-chuan-vao-lop-10-o-ha-noi-cang-nhu-day-dan-2025070422584901.htm