The English exam was quite manageable for many candidates.

Candidates in Vinh City look relaxed after the final exam. Photo: Duc Anh

At the exam center at Le Viet Thuat High School, stepping out of the exam room, candidate Dang Thi Anh Thu - a student from Le Viet Thuat High School - said: "I'm taking the Natural Sciences exam, so..."EnglishEnglish isn't my strong point. However, given my goals for this year, the English exam wasn't too difficult; I was able to answer the 30 questions at an average level.

I answered the rest based on intuition, but I'm not very confident because there are many new words in the reading section and I'm not sure about the answer.

Student volunteers assist a candidate who was involved in an accident at the exam site at Le Viet Thuat High School. Photo: Duc Anh

Candidate Tran Thi Cam Nhung, who is taking the D-block exam this year, said: "I found this year's exam not too difficult and easier than the mock exam from the Department of Education and Training. Except for the first 30 questions, which are for average students, the differentiating part is in the last 10-15 questions, including two reading passages. The first reading passage talks about a special road that can generate electricity when people walk on it... This question seems easy in terms of the question itself, but it's difficult to identify the phrase to choose the answer because you have to understand the words correctly."

For many candidates, the reading comprehension section of this year's exam was quite difficult due to the presence of many new words. Photo: Duc Anh

The second reading comprehension passage was about the use of smartphones. I think the questions in this one were a bit difficult.

In Quynh Luu district, most candidates leaving the exam room were very happy and excited because this year's English exam questions were of moderate difficulty, closely matched the sample questions, and suited the students' abilities. According to the majority of candidates, many students only needed half the time to complete the 50 questions, and many students will achieve high scores in this subject this year.

Candidates at the exam center at Quynh Luu 1 High School. Photo: Hong Dien

Bui Sy Ngoc Phuc, a candidate at the Quynh Luu 1 High School exam center, shared: "I completed my exam in 45 minutes, and the remaining time was used to review the questions and correct my answers. My approach was to first tackle questions requiring knowledge and comprehension, then move on to more advanced application-based questions. I am confident that my exam score will be above 8 points."

When asked for their assessment of this year's Foreign Language exam, many candidates in Thai Hoa town said that the exam was relatively easy, not too tricky, and followed the textbook curriculum. Candidates only needed to master the structure and learn a lot of vocabulary to answer many questions. The difficult questions mainly stemmed from some new vocabulary that students were unfamiliar with, and without a rich vocabulary, it would be difficult to answer them.

Candidates at the exam center at Co Do High School. Photo: Minh Thai

Candidate Nguyen Phuong Thao from Co Do High School said: "The exam tested students' knowledge of phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension and writing skills. The exam had a high level of difficulty, with some reading comprehension questions that were hard to answer; many students in my room could barely do these questions."

“The exam had about 10 questions that required students to analyze and reason in order to answer them; this was the most difficult part and the section that differentiated students. I answered over 70%. With this exam, average students could easily get 5-6 points, while excellent students could easily achieve high scores,” said Nguyen Viet Thang, a student from Tay Hieu High School (Thai Hoa Town).

Candidates review their English exam papers at the Con Cuong High School examination center. Photo: Ba Hau.

English is not an advantage for students from mountainous areas. Therefore, not all candidates performed well on this year's exam. Candidate Ngan Huyen Trang, a student from Muong Qua High School (Con Cuong district), commented: "The most difficult part of the English exam was the reading comprehension section, but there weren't many questions of this type. Even average students could score a 5. Overall, I found the exam to be relatively broad and clearly differentiated students' abilities. I only managed to complete 50% of the test."

Meanwhile, candidate Vi Thi Suong, a student from Con Cuong High School, said she only did well on 30 out of 50 questions. “The reading comprehension section was too long, consisting of two passages. I spent a lot of time on this section because many ideas were too long to read and were very difficult to understand. Even so, I still admit the exam was very good. Besides the common, simple questions, there were also sections that required candidates to have general knowledge to understand and answer well.”

At the exam site at Dang Thuc Hua High School in Vo Liet commune (Thanh Chuong district), after the final exam session, candidates left with joyful and excited feelings.

Candidates at the exam center at Dang Thuc Hua High School (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Huy Thu

Dinh Tuan Anh, a student from class 12E, shared with a radiant smile: "The multiple-choice English exam this afternoon was quite manageable and closely aligned with the high school curriculum. Thanks to diligent studying and hitting the right topics, I did quite well. Out of 50 multiple-choice questions, I'm confident I answered 44 correctly, while for the remaining questions I circled based on intuition, not entirely certain. I predict my score will be 8 or higher."

After the Foreign Language exam at Anh Son 1 High School, many students emerged with radiant faces after successfully passing the test. Nguyen Anh Tuyet happily stated that she did very well on the exam today. The last 10 questions were quite difficult and took a bit more time, while the earlier questions were relatively easy. She felt the exam was well-suited to her abilities; although she's not an English specialist, she's confident she answered about 75% correctly. She feels relieved and is eagerly awaiting the results now that her exam is over.

Candidates at the Anh Son High School examination center. Photo: Thai Hien

After the exam ended, most candidates at the Do Luong district exam center were delighted because the exam questions were not too difficult. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, a student in class 12D1 at Do Luong 1 High School, happily said: "I answered 50 out of 50 questions, but I'm not sure if they're all correct." His classmate, Nguyen Quynh Anh, added: "I answered 40 out of 50 questions, but I'm sure they're all correct."

Candidates at the exam center at Do Luong 1 High School. Photo: Ngoc Phuong

Many candidates in Do Luong district answered 40 or more questions correctly. According to Dang Ngoc Dat, out of 50 questions, only the last 5 were difficult. Dat's friend, Nguyen Duy Cuong - Class 12T2, said: "This year's exam was only relatively difficult in questions 36, 41, and the 5 high-level application questions."

Commenting on this year's exam, Ms. Le Thi Phuong Loan - English teacher at Do Luong 1 High School said: "This year's exam is easier than last year's, closely following the sample exam, with no unusual questions. However, in exam code 422, questions 21, 24, and 44 are the ones designed to differentiate between students."

Thus, at this point, candidates have completed the 2021 high school graduation exam. Although the exam was held under very difficult conditions, according to the report of the Department of Education and Training, there were no violations of exam regulations by candidates or invigilators at the Nghe An examination board.

All examination sites experienced no unusual incidents. The final exam session proceeded normally, safely, and in accordance with regulations. In the Foreign Language subject, 29 candidates were absent throughout the province.

Duc Anh - My Ha - Collaborator