Do not use foreign language certificates for admission to grade 10: Need a suitable roadmap

Regarding this content, Nghe An Newspaper has recorded many opinions of parents and students..

Student Nguyen Thao Chi – class 9A – Hung Binh Secondary School

This year, in Vinh city, the number of students taking the entrance exam for grade 10 has increased dramatically compared to last year. Therefore, when we received a document from the Ministry of Education and Training about not directly recruiting students with IELTS certificates, we felt regretful. In fact, in the past, we tried and made a lot of effort to get the IELTS 7.5 certificate.

With these difficulties, I think I have to try harder for the upcoming exams. For me, the main goal is to go to a specialized school, so I not only study English but also pay attention to the foundation subjects to serve as the basis for admission.

Student Nguyen Diep Chi – class 9C – Hung Binh Secondary School

I felt quite disappointed when I received the notice from the Ministry of Education and Training. Maybe, in the upcoming 10th grade entrance exam, we will have more risks because this is a difficult exam with a high competition rate.

I myself took the IELTS exam at the end of grade 8, so I was lucky not to spend too much time on this subject. Therefore, up to now, I still maintain studying all subjects to prepare for the entrance exam to grade 10 and take an additional English major to take the entrance exams to specialized schools.

Personally, I still hope that the education sector should have plans to prioritize students with foreign language certificates because this is a difficult subject, requiring many skills and students have to work hard to review and get the certificate. I myself have studied for the IELTS certificate since grade 6 under the school's enhanced English program.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Tu Anh - English teacher, homeroom teacher of class 9C - Hung Binh Secondary School:

The 2023-2024 school year is the first year that our school’s students graduate from the Intensive English Program. After 4 years of being a homeroom teacher and accompanying the students, I see this as an appropriate policy to improve the quality of English in the school.

At the end of the course, I saw the students improve and many parents agreed, many students have IELTS certificates. Among them, there are students who achieved IELTS certificates of 8.5; 8.0; 7.5 and the lowest is 6.0. This is the investment effort of the school, of the parents and the tireless efforts of the students.

When listening to informationMinistry of Education and TrainingI feel very sorry that IELTS certificates are not used for direct admission or priority admission to high schools. I hope that the Ministry and the education sector need to have a policy of adding points or a 1-year delay so that students can prepare. That will also encourage the spirit of learning and improve the quality of English in the province.

Student Nguyen Dieu Huyen - class 9A - Dang Thai Mai Secondary School

Myself and my friends at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School have placed a lot of expectations on the IELTS certificate and always try to achieve the highest results. Like in our class, most of our friends have certificates and some of them have IELTS certificates of 8.0 and 7.5.

Of course, in the past time, at school, my friends and I have tried to study all subjects equally, so we are trying not to disrupt our studies too much at school. However, for students who have almost dropped other subjects and focused too much on getting the IELTS certificate, you may be shocked by the time left to prepare for the final exam because there is not much time left. This is a rather sudden document.

For a long time, many people have argued that students who study IELTS only study English well and disagree with the policy of prioritizing foreign language certificates in admission at the beginning of the school year. However, in reality, if students have studied English well (especially in specialized subjects), studying for the IELTS exam does not take too much time and they can still study many other subjects well in parallel.

I myself currently have an IELTS certificate, my main orientation is the English specialized class of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Therefore, I will still try to study well the basic subjects of Math, Literature, English and study the specialized subject of English. Having taken the IELTS certificate has helped me a lot in the review process.

Ms. Phan Thi Hai Yen – English teacher – Dang Thai Mai Secondary School

I have carefully read the document of the Ministry of Education and Training and at the present time when the 10th grade entrance exam in localities is only 3 months away, it can be seen that this is a rather abrupt document. Because, currently, most 9th grade students, parents and students have prepared the conditions, including IELTS certificates, as a prerequisite for admission to the first level.

This is a very long journey, the students have started school since grade 6 and after hearing the information, the students were quite disappointed. In fact, these students study very well, not only English but also other cultural subjects.

There are many reasons for the Ministry to make this decision. However, the implementation process of the document of the Ministry of Education and Training should have been carried out earlier so that students and parents can prepare. Personally, I think that students with IELTS certificates deserve to receive priority.

Ms. Thu Hien - Vinh City (Parent whose child achieved IELTS 8.5 certificate)

In my opinion, the Ministry's document needs to have a roadmap or be issued sooner so that parents and students have appropriate direction. At this time, children are rushing to prepare for the final exam and stopping would be a pity because they have spent a lot of time reviewing.

I am also concerned because the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training were issued in 2019. Meanwhile, many localities have applied this method for admission or direct admission at the beginning of the school year for many years. Therefore, parents and students try to haveIELTS certificateIt is understandable that the document is a passport for primary school admission. The delay in issuing the document will affect the allocation of review time for children.

In fact, many families have spent time, money and effort to get an IELTS certificate, some have even taken the test many times to achieve the expected score. We, the parents, hope that if the Ministry makes any changes, it will delay the time so that the children have more motivation to try.

According to the announcement of 10th grade enrollment in the previous school year, Nghe An has enrolled students in English-enhanced classes implementing the Foreign Language Project. Accordingly, students in the province (studying in secondary schools in Nghe An province) can register for admission to English classes implementing the Foreign Language Project at high schools permitted by the Department of Education and Training with the admission method based on the results of 4 years of secondary school study and the results of international English proficiency certificates.

This year, Nghe An has not yet proposed a plan for 10th grade admission.