Female student from Phan School achieves top score in Block C nationwide.

(Baonghean.vn) - In the 2017 National High School Graduation Examination, Nghe An province made two special marks with two top scorers nationwide in Block B and Block C. Among them, To Khanh Ly, a student from class 12C3 of Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School, was one of four candidates with the highest Block C scores nationwide, with 29 points, including 9.25 in Literature, 9.75 in History, and 10 in Geography.

In just a short time, Khanh Ly will be a student at Hanoi Law University… Speaking about her choice, the top-scoring student in Block C nationwide confided: "From a young age, I have always dreamed of becoming a security officer."

However, since the security academies are not recruiting for Group C this year, I applied to the Faculty of Economic Law at the University of Law. Although the environments are different, I believe that here I can still continue to pursue my dream of being a protector of justice.

To Khanh Ly, a student in class 12C3 at Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School, is one of the four candidates with the highest scores in the humanities/social sciences (Block C) nationwide. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Throughout her 12 years of schooling, it seems every step Ly took was meticulously prepared. Ly herself didn't have high expectations and knew her own abilities well enough to make appropriate choices. She recalled the time she applied to Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School; at the time, her preference was for the Literature specialization. But knowing she had only attended a regular middle school and her academic achievements weren't outstanding, she chose the Geography specialization instead. As a result, her choice proved correct, and Ly was one of the top five students with the highest entrance exam scores.

At Phan High School, Ly had also harbored the dream of making it onto the school's national team. However, after failing in 10th grade, Ly abandoned that idea to focus on preparing for the university entrance exam. Ultimately, she made the right choice again, becoming the top student nationwide in the humanities/social sciences group with a very proud result: 29 points.

Recounting her revision process, Ly said: "The 12th grade year was truly an emotional one for us, especially when we received the information that the Ministry of Education and Training was changing the format from essay-based to multiple-choice for History and Geography."

Khanh Ly (on the left) with her Geography teacher from class 12C3 at Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

In the early days of learning and getting used to the new exam format, both the students and the teachers were bewildered. The biggest advantage for Ly and her classmates at that time was that they had already finished the curriculum in 11th grade and had the entire 12th grade to practice with exam questions. During the review process, Ly didn't just memorize things mechanically but used a very scientific learning method, paying close attention to the details: The knowledge for History and Geography was all in the textbooks.

However, during the review process, it is necessary to grasp the main points firmly and avoid confusion. In reality, History and Geography are not too difficult, but there are many questions with similar answers designed to "trick" students. Therefore, in addition to memorizing, students need to understand and firmly grasp the issues.

The top-scoring student in Group C believes that he must study hard to set a good example for his younger classmates. Photo: My Ha

Thanks to thorough preparation, Ly only studied History and Geography in class. The only subject she attended extra classes for was Literature, and she tried to overcome her weaknesses by reading a lot of materials. Regarding her results, Ly said: "After the exam, I gave myself a 10 in Geography. I was quite confident in History, but later realized I made a silly mistake on a question related to the Dien Bien Phu campaign. I was only surprised by my Literature score and didn't expect to get 9.25."

Ly also said: "I really liked the essay topic about empathy and compassion. While writing, I used the case of MC Phan Anh, who donated 500 million VND to support flood victims in Central Vietnam, as an example. I also think that without empathy and compassion, it would be difficult to have such a noble act."

Besides Khanh Ly, 23 other students from class 12C3 of Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School scored 27 or higher on the exam. Among them, there was one runner-up in the humanities/social sciences group. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Ly's first success was also a huge source of encouragement for her parents. Few people know that Ly still has three younger siblings, the youngest of whom is only 3 months old.

The future graduate also shared: "My parents both come from the countryside and moved to Vinh to start their careers, so they didn't have many opportunities for education. Therefore, their greatest wish is for my siblings and me to study well and have stable jobs. As for me, studying is not only for myself but also for my parents and to set an example for my younger siblings to follow."

My Ha