The high school literature exam is tricky and difficult to score high marks on.

Candidates seemed quite relaxed after the first exam session at the Con Cuong examination center. Photo: Bui Hau

At the end of the first exam session, candidate Vi Thi Nhung - a 12th-grade student from the High SchoolCon CuongThey believe that with this Literature exam, it's easy to get an average score, but difficult to get a high score.

Commenting on the reading comprehension section with the excerpt, Nhung said it was a good question. However, if candidates rely on rote learning, lack life skills, and have limited social knowledge, it will be difficult for them to express their thoughts on the mission of each individual in awakening the nation's potential in today's life (Essay question worth 2 points).

Regarding the 5-point essay question, candidate Nhung commented: "Analyze the contrast between the beauty of the image of the boat in the distance - Nguyen Minh Chau. This is a fairly familiar question, often asked in exams, but in my opinion, it's difficult to get a high score, especially for those who are overconfident, careless, or don't deeply understand the work."

Bui Hau

LIVENghia Dan,Candidate Huynh Khanh Huyen, class 12C1, 1/5 High School, commented, "This year's Literature exam had a lot of knowledge from the textbook. But I only managed to get about 6 points because there were many difficult questions, especially the section on relating concepts."

In my opinion, young people have many responsibilities, but it's not easy to articulate them accurately and effectively. I believe that young people shouldn't shy away from difficulties, hardships, or challenges, and they should be proactive, creative, and innovative.

Candidates exchange answers at the exam site at High School No. 1-5. Photo by Minh Thai.

Minh Thai

In the districtQuynh Luu,Entering the 2018 National High School Graduation Examination, nearly 3,000 candidates from the entire district participated in the exam at 5 examination centers. At the Quỳnh Lưu 1 High School examination center, according to our observations, most candidates performed well on their exams.

Ho Huu Nghi, a student in class 12A1 at Quynh Luu 1 High School, said: "This year's Literature exam wasn't difficult. Although I specialize in Natural Sciences, I felt the exam was suitable for my abilities. Among the questions, I liked the one about the country's natural potential in each individual the most. This question relates to a social issue, requiring candidates to present their thoughts on the matter and present their arguments convincingly to achieve a high score."

Candidates at the exam center at Quynh Luu 1 High School. Photo: Viet Hung

Meanwhile, Ho Thi Huong Mo, a student in class 12A4 (Quynh Luu 1 High School), said that the exam questions were within the textbook curriculum. However, because this exam combined two exams: the high school graduation exam and the university entrance exam, she thought that 30% of the questions were advanced to differentiate students. She believes that students who have a solid grasp of the textbook knowledge can achieve 6-7 points, and she herself completed the exam at a level of 70%.

Viet Hung

In the districtQuy Hop,At the exam center of Quy Hop I High School, Tran Thi Huyen Trang, a student specializing in Mathematics, said that she did quite well on the Literature exam this morning, finishing it in only two-thirds of the allotted time. She expects her score to be around 70-80%.

Candidates at the Quy Hop examination center appeared quite relaxed. Photo: Phan Giang

According to Le Thi Thuy Trang, a student specializing in Literature, the Literature exam effectively differentiated students from other academic tracks, with a particularly engaging section. Personally, Trang felt the exam was a bit long because Literature isn't her strong point. The reading comprehension section was quite good, with many interesting questions, especially the question about the author's perspective in the two lines of poetry: "We sing too much about potential/potential that lies dormant."

Phan Giang

In Vinh City,Before the 120 minutes were up, some candidates at the Phan Boi Chau High School exam center had already left the exam room in a cheerful mood.

However, many candidates taking the C or D subject groups felt that the Literature exam lacked surprises and novelty. Pham Trong Son (a student from Huynh Thuc Khang High School) stated: "The social commentary question about national resources and potential, relating it to personal experience and responsibility to the country, wasn't particularly new. Although it was related to the reading comprehension question, the topic had been mentioned quite a lot in previous tests and mock exams."

Candidates in Vinh City are happy to have completed the first exam. Photo: My Ha.

Candidate Le Vo Van Anh believes that the essay question comparing the two works, "The Boat Far Away" from the 12th-grade curriculum and "Two Children" from the 11th-grade curriculum, is a question designed to differentiate students. It requires a comparison and contrast of two contexts, two spaces, and two time periods, from which to draw life lessons.

At the end of the first exam, according to the Department of Education and Training, 64 candidates dropped out. At the Le Viet Thuat High School exam center, one candidate was suspended for bringing unauthorized materials into the exam room.

Commenting on this year's Literature exam, Ms. Nguyen Khanh Ly, a Literature teacher at Vinh University High School for Gifted Students, said: "The exam structure remains stable compared to previous years and is consistent with the format of the sample exam."

The exam also focuses on key knowledge points in the curriculum, for example, social commentary topics related to the mission of humanity, especially the responsibility of the younger generation towards the country. This is also a hot topic, emphasizing love for one's homeland and country.

The social commentary section also includes lessons from key parts of the curriculum, such as the works "Two Children" and "The Boat Far Away."

The advantage of this exam is its ability to differentiate students, with a fairly strong differentiation among students. It allows average students to score 5 points. The score range is not high, mainly between 5 and 7 points, because the exam requires many difficult tasks such as comparison, analysis, evaluation, and extended connections.

The exam covered knowledge from grade 12, with connections to knowledge from grade 11 as planned.

However, the exam is quite long, and the procedures involved are rather numerous, intricate, and complex. According to the Ministry's format, the first step is analysis, comparison, correlation, and evaluation. In contrast, this exam includes many steps of comparison, making it difficult for students.