English score distribution for high school graduation exam 2025: The number of 10 points decreased dramatically
Nationwide, 141 candidates scored 10 in English, four times lower than last year.
The Ministry of Education and Training announced on the afternoon of July 15 the distribution of English scores for the 2025 high school graduation exam of nearly 353,000 candidates. Nationwide, 141 candidates scored 10 in English, a four-fold decrease compared to last year.
The average score of candidates was 5.38 points, down 0.13 points compared to last year. The median score was 5.25 points, up 0.05 points.
Hanoi leads in English scores for high school graduation exams, after 8 years of Ho Chi Minh City holding this position. According to 34 new provinces and cities, Hanoi leads in average English scores with 5.78 points. New Ho Chi Minh City (including Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and the old Ba Ria - Vung Tau) ranks second with 5.658 points.
The third place is Quang Ninh with 5,459 points. The top 10 also includes Dien Bien, Phu Tho, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa. In terms of 10 points, Hanoi leads with 56 students, followed by Ho Chi Minh City and Bac Ninh.
According to experts, the top provinces and cities with the highest average scores in English are only for reference because the number of candidates taking the exam in each province and city is different. For example, Ho Chi Minh City has more than 61,900 candidates, Hanoi has nearly 59,600 but Dien Bien has only 554 candidates taking the exam in this subject.
The 2025 high school graduation exam will take place on June 26-27 with about 1.1 million candidates. Students following the new general education program, in addition to the two compulsory exams of Math and Literature, will choose two subjects they have studied in the program. Nearly 353,000 students chose English with a test consisting of 40 multiple-choice questions and a time limit of 50 minutes.
Right after leaving the exam room, many candidates complained that the English test was difficult and long, with many new academic words far from high school level. Some students with IELTS certificates of 7.0 in Reading and Speaking were not confident with the graduation exam, only getting about 7 points.
Teachers gave similar comments, saying that many questions were at B2-C2 level while the English output standard for 12th graders is B1, equivalent to level 3/6.
