Before the 2023 high school graduation exam: Nghe An teachers and students organize practical study and exam review close to the target

Vocational school students confidently "overcome difficulties"

These days, nearly 300 12th grade students of Vocational College No. 4 - Ministry of National Defense are in the final stage of preparing forHigh School Graduation Exam 20222023. In addition to focusing on reviewing for graduation exams, dozens of students are also working hard to prepare for university admission.

With the curriculum shortened to 7 subjects, the advantage of studying culture at vocational schools is that the program is completed 1 semester early. Therefore, in the last months of the school year, grade 12 students have all the time to review thoroughly.

Nghe An students participate in the 2023 High School Graduation Mock Exam. Photo: My Ha

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen – class 12E was a former student at a public school in Vinh city. Due to difficult family circumstances, she dropped out of school to work for a while and then decided to go back to school to get a high school diploma. Deciding to enroll in Vocational College No. 4 – Ministry of National Defense, Quyen studied both general education and graphic design.

This female student also showed many talents in culture and arts and actively participated in school movements. She was also the first student in the streaming system to be elected to the school's Executive Committee. At the age of over 20, although late, Quyen still nurtured the dream of passing the entrance exam to the Military University of Culture and Arts. In recent mock exams, Quyen was one of the students with the highest scores in the school.

Talking about her plans, Quyen shared: In the short term, my goal is to do well in the graduation exam and then use the results to apply for university. I think, for candidates taking the C block exam, in addition to knowledge at school, you need to be diligent, read the knowledge in the textbooks carefully and practice all the questions that the teacher has given to have more chances to get high scores.

Review time for students of Vocational College No. 4 - Ministry of National Defense. Photo: My Ha

Nearly 300 students are studying in the streaming system at Vocational College No. 4 - Ministry of National Defense, each student has a different situation. Among them, there are cases where due to poor or average academic performance, they are oriented to vocational training. But there are also cases like Quyen, after a period of studying culture, they decide to register for university entrance exam.

After nearly 10 years of teaching Literature and reviewing for 12th grade exams with school students, teacher Tran Thi Hong Suong said: The teaching environment at vocational schools is very different from that of general schools and the students are also different, especially in terms of ability. Therefore, in the teaching process, the first thing teachers must do is to train students in awareness and discipline. At the same time, teachers must also pay attention to teaching culture, teaching vocational skills, and encouraging capable students so that they can continue to take university entrance exams.

English lesson of students at Ngo Tri Hoa High School. Photo: My Ha

In preparation for the High School Graduation Exam, teacher Tran Thi Hong Suong added: Almost every year we have students who are special subjects, many of whom are mentally retarded. However, here we cannot separate each class but must organize them to study together with their friends. Therefore, in our school, we cannot use one lesson plan for all students but use different methods and lesson plans depending on each subject.

For example, in a class there are good students, average students, and weak students. They may practice the same test but have different methods. The good group will complete the test, the average group will focus on the most basic knowledge. Meanwhile, the remaining group, including students who cannot speak or have language disorders, their goal is only to achieve graduation scores.

"For this group, I have to stick to the test matrix, let them solve the easiest parts, at the level of understanding and recognition. In addition to teaching regular hours in class, we will stay behind to supplement knowledge for weak students. For about 35% of students registering for the university entrance exam, we organize many mock exams, increase practice tests so that students can perfect their test-taking skills before the official exam takes place," said teacher Tran Thi Hong Suong.

Review close to the subject

In just over 2 weeks, the 2023 high school graduation exam will officially take place. During this final stage, in addition to focused practice and review, many schools are classifying candidates for exam preparation by subject with the goal of 100% of students passing the graduation exam.

Review lesson of 12th grade students - Ngo Tri Hoa High School. Photo: My Ha

At the non-public school - Ngo Tri Hoa High School (Dien Chau district), there are currently more than 300 12th grade students and most of them have registered for the exam according to the Social Science subject group. Through discussion with teacher Vo Thanh Binh - Vice Principal of the school, it is known that: It is not until this time that we have differentiated candidates, but we have reviewed since the beginning of the school year and organized review sessions according to the groups that students have registered for in advance, and taught extra classes in the afternoons. Particularly from the beginning of May until now, we have organized practice tests for students and will continue until close to the exam date so that students do not have interruptions in their studies and review. All classes have a zalo group for teachers to transfer questions to the group every day so that students can practice at home and support students outside of class time.

Up to this point, Ngo Tri Hoa High School has also organized 3 mock exams for students. Based on the published scores, English is still the subject with the lowest quality, with the average score of the whole school being below 3 points. To ensure that students do not have dead points and to improve the average score, English is the subject that receives the most attention.

At this time, schools are focusing on reviewing test questions for students. Photo: My Ha

Through discussion, teacher Le Thi Lan Anh - English teacher said: Our school has very low entrance, many students do not even take the entrance exam to grade 10, they have lost their foundation from the lower grades. Therefore, to set a target of 5 points in English is very difficult because students mainly study at school, do not participate in extra classes and many students are not highly self-aware. In the past weeks, in addition to consolidating knowledge in textbooks, helping students grasp basic grammar, we are still trying to practice questions regularly so that students can master the recognition and understanding part. Meanwhile, with levels from application, advanced and above, most students cannot do it.

In Math, teacher Le Dinh Cuc said: Although we have organized review sessions for students very early, we mainly review old knowledge for them, so that they can grasp basic knowledge and do exercises at the level of recognition and understanding. For some better students, we have exercises at the application level but not many. Our goal is that students will do well on 40/50 questions of the exam and do them with confidence, not losing points on simple questions.

Not only in special schools such as vocational schools, non-public schools, but also in mountainous districts, many schools are also overcoming difficulties in weather, learning conditions, and lack of electricity to help 12th grade students reach their goals early, in which the first goal is to graduate.

At Quy Chau High School, this year, the school has 446 candidates registered for the exam. Due to the school's characteristics of students living far away and having difficult circumstances, about 80% of students stay in their rented rooms to review for the exam. To support students, the school organizes review sessions according to the program for them in the morning, and in the afternoon they study by themselves. In the evening, subject groups send teachers to tutor students in class for free on all days of the week. During this time, although there were many evenings when the power went out and the classrooms had no lights or fans, teachers and students still stayed to review questions and prepare for the upcoming important exam.

Despite the difficulties and hardships, we always encourage teachers and students to try their best. The school will also maintain teaching and learning until the exam date. Firstly, to keep students in school and maintain study habits; secondly, to help students gain maximum knowledge and create the best mindset for them to enter the High School Graduation Exam calmly, confidently and do their test effectively.

Teacher Cao Thanh Luu - Principal of Quy Chau High School

My Ha