Odd scores of national high school essay exams are rounded to 2 decimal places.

Illustration photo.

The Ministry of Education and Training has just issued a draft circular amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Regulations on National High School Exams and High School Graduation Recognition related to independent candidates, on exam marking, and how to handle candidates who violate regulations... compared to Circular No. 04/2017/TT-BGDDT issued on January 25, 2017.

Specifically, in Clause 2, Article 12 on the conditions for participation in the contest, the content will be removed:

“In case of not being eligible to take the exam in previous years due to poor conduct in grade 12, the People's Committee of the commune where you reside must confirm that you have not violated the law.”

The application form for candidates who do not have a high school diploma has also been revised and supplemented as follows:

Those who have completed the high school program or the high school continuing education program in the year of the exam must have a "High school transcript or high school continuing education transcript (valid copy)", instead of "High school transcript; transcript or Test form of self-study learners for continuing education (copy)" as before.

For independent candidates, it will not be necessary to have: "Birth certificate (copy) and Confirmation paper from the People's Committee of the commune where they reside according to the content specified in Point c, Clause 2, Article 12 of the previous Regulations if they are not eligible to take the exam in previous years due to poor conduct in grade 12" - as in the previous regulations.

For candidates who have graduated from secondary school and do not have a high school transcript or a high school continuing education transcript, they must have confirmation from the educational and training institution where the candidate studied that they have completed cultural subjects in the high school education program according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. Candidates must submit a secondary school diploma (valid copy), no need for a junior high school diploma.

Regarding the grading of essay tests, Article 25 is amended and supplemented: "Tests are graded on a 10-point scale; the odd points of the total score of the entire test are rounded to 2 decimal places"

Thus, the only remaining essay subject in the 2017 national high school exam, Literature, will not be assigned a score of 0.25 as previously regulated.

Remove priority for children of beneficiaries of policies such as war invalids

In the first and second bullets of point a and point b, clause 1, Article 36 (on priority points for subjects eligible for 0.25 and 0.5) as amended, the subject "children of people enjoying policies like war invalids" is no longer mentioned as in the old regulations.

Regarding handling candidates who violate exam regulations, instead of revoking their right to study at schools in that year and revoking their right to take exams for the next two years, the draft amends Clause 6, Article 49 to:

“Cancel the exam results and prepare a file to send to the competent authority for consideration and handling according to the provisions of law for candidates who violate one of the following errors: Forging documents to enjoy preferential or incentive regimes; Using illegal diplomas and certificates; Letting others take the exam or do the test for them in any form; Having acts of causing disturbance or sabotaging the exam; assaulting officials or other candidates; Using illegal exam result certificates."

The cost of participating in organizing the exam is paid by the locality.

According to the draft, universities and colleges will establish delegations of staff and lecturers to coordinate the organization of exams at examination councils in localities as directed by the Ministry of Education and Training. They will not have to pay for travel and accommodation expenses for staff and lecturers participating in the organization of exams.

Instead, the budget for cadres and lecturers of universities, academies, colleges and universities mobilized by the Ministry of Education and Training to their localities to participate in organizing exams will be paid by the localities according to current regulations.

The Ministry of Education and Training is asking for public comments on this draft until February 20, 2018.