Many parents in Nghe An are 'sitting on fire' before the 10th grade entrance exam

Worrying about exam season

Vinh city has always been a hot spot for the entrance exam.grade 10because the admission rate to public schools in the city is only about 60%. The opportunity seems to be only one, when last year, all schools in the city and many other public schools in the province only recruited candidates who registered for their first choice.

Since her child entered grade 9 and especially with only 2 months left until the entrance exam to grade 10 begins, Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen's family (Truong Thi ward, Vinh city) has been "sitting on fire". For nearly a year now, family outings and plans have been postponed, partly because of time spent with her son studying for the exam, and partly because no one has the mind when there are still long and difficult exams ahead.

Talking about this, Ms. Yen said: My son's academic performance is only average, so it is very difficult to set a goal of getting into a top school. Therefore, at this time, the family must encourage him to try to study all subjects to avoid losing points. In addition, he also has to review for specialized subjects, and his schedule is tight during the week. It seems that every subject has to be studied 2-3 times a week, not to mention extra classes at school.

Grade 9 students are under a lot of pressure before exam season. Photo: My Ha

Not only parents, but students themselves are also under a lot of pressure, especially students in Vinh city, Dien Chau, Do Luong... areas with a high competition rate for grade 10. Student Pham Tien Nam - class 9A - Cua Nam Secondary School (Vinh City) said: I think I will register for the entrance exam to Ha Huy Tap High School because last year the school's admission score was lower than other schools in the city. Although this is not my first goal, I think this is a safe solution, instead of having to study at a non-public school.

As the homeroom teacher of class 9A - Cua Nam Secondary School, teacher Thuy Linh said: Although it is a key class of the school, the pressure of admission for students is still very large because most of them wish to enter public schools or specialized schools. Before that, from the end of grade 8 and the beginning of grade 9, we let students register their wishes and regularly encouraged them to persevere in realizing their dreams. However, after many years of teaching grade 9, I see that students are under a lot of pressure because there are many candidates but the number of quotas is limited. In my class, only those who are truly capable can confidently register for the exam to enter top schools, the rest of the students choose a school with a high probability of admission.

Class time of students at Cua Nam Secondary School - Vinh city. Photo: My Ha

Through a survey of class 9A, there are currently about 20 students enrolled.specialized schoolsHowever, most of these people only register for a public school with moderate admission scores such as Ha Huy Tap High School or Le Viet Thuat High School to choose a sure "backward" step for themselves.

In addition, about 20 students are also speeding up to get their foreign language certificates. As a math teacher, Ms. Thuy Linh also said that the professional team regularly reviews the program, review plans, and regularly tests old lessons, 1 period, 15 minutes, and gives students practice tests. During that process, if any student cannot keep up with the program, they will be reminded, encouraged, and continue to improve to avoid knowledge gaps. More importantly, under the pressure of the exam, Ms. Linh and many other teachers "must regularly encourage students to stay calm, confidently review, and contact their parents to grasp the review situation at home."

Cua Nam Secondary School (Vinh City) has more than 200 9th grade students. At this time, they are starting their midterm exams and from now until the official exam takes place, it is expected that they will have 3-4 other exams and tests to evaluate and classify students.

Speaking more about this, teacher Ho Thi Thanh An - Principal of Cua Nam Secondary School said: In addition to the mid-term and final exams, we are having an important exam organized by the Department of Education and Training according to the common exam questions. In addition, students can also take a test through the LMS system of the Department of Education and Training. The results of this exam are very important and are the basis for us to evaluate and differentiate students according to the levels of excellent, good, average, weak and organize appropriate review for each subject. This is also the basis for students to apply for admission to high schools. The school also plans to stream about 20% of students with average and weak academic performance.

In mountainous districts, the pressure to enroll in grade 10 does not seem too difficult because the admission score is quite low. However, for students who wish to be admitted to the province's ethnic boarding schools, the pressure is still not small.

Student Lau Y Ha - deputy class monitor of class 9A - Muong Long Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities (Ky Son) - Ha's target this year is the Provincial Ethnic Minorities Secondary School. This is a school with limited enrollment, the number of candidates registering for the exam is large, so in order to be admitted, Ha has to speed up her review. Sharing this, Lau Y Ha said: I am most worried about English because my tests are mostly only 4.5 points. I find it difficult to learn grammar, and my essays are not good either.

English is always a difficult subject for students in mountainous areas. Photo: My Ha

As an English teacher for grade 9 students at Muong Long Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, teacher Ly Ba Long also said: Compared to the lowlands and many other favorable areas, Mong students have more difficulty learning English because this is their third foreign language. Currently, to prepare for the 10th grade entrance exam, we are systematizing all knowledge so that students can master the program in textbooks. The whole school only has 2 students registered for the exam to enter the Provincial Ethnic Minorities School, so we will tutor and tutor them so that they can do some more advanced exercises.

Many changes to avoid pressure on candidates

The entrance exam for grade 10 in Nghe An is considered more difficult than the university entrance exam. The reason for this is that in recent years, the number of students in the province has increased but the enrollment quota has not increased. Meanwhile, the admission rate to public schools is only about 75%.

At this time, although there is no admission plan for grade 10, a lot of information surrounding this exam makes many parents worried, especially around the issue of admission plan, admission rate and direct admission plan based on foreign language certificate.

Class time of 9th grade students - Muong Long Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities - Ky Son. Photo: My Ha

Previously, talking about this year's 10th grade entrance exam, Mr. Thai Van Thanh - Director of the Department of Education and Training also said that there will be adjustments in a more beneficial direction for candidates and reduce pressure on the 10th grade entrance exam. Specifically, candidates will be allowed to change their wishes after completing the 10th grade entrance exam based on self-assessment of their test results, consulting with teachers, parents, etc. to increase their chances of admission.

This year, the IELTS class enrollment will also have some adjustments. The enrollment method will be based on IELTS scores and other international language proficiency certificates with equivalent conversion rates. The IELTS class enrollment will be conducted before the 10th grade high school entrance exam takes place. If admitted, candidates only need to be recognized as graduating from junior high school without having to take the exam and pass any public high school like previous years. This year, the enrollment plan for Huynh Thuc Khang High School at campus 2 is also being urgently implemented to increase the public enrollment quota for candidates in Vinh city.

In addition to the above changes, this year's exam is expected to remain stable with three subjects: Literature, Math, and English, and the same coefficient of 1. According to the plan, this week, the 10th grade admission plan will be submitted by the Department of Education and Training to the Provincial People's Committee for decision. After announcing the exam subjects and exam dates, the Department will continue to announce the enrollment quotas of schools, announce the sample exam structure of three subjects for the 10th grade entrance exam and the subjects for specialized schools. It is expected that this year's exam will still be held in June 2023./.