IELTS certificate review - a race not for students in disadvantaged areas

Disadvantages for students in remote areas

Since the end of grade 9, student Nguyen Thu Uyen (grade 12A - Huynh Thuc Khang High School, Vinh City) has hadIELTS certificate5.5 and that pass is one of the bases for her to be admitted directly to grade 10. However, while in the first time taking the exam, Uyen only spent less than 1 week focusing on studying and "taking the exam by luck" and still got IELTS 5.5, Uyen's second attempt to get IELTS 7.5 cost much more. During the 2 years of studying for this certificate, Uyen shared that she went through many classes at many different centers, even at times she studied 1 on 1 with a tuition fee of 600,000 VND/session.

A foreign language class of students at Huynh Thuc Khang High School (Vinh City). Photo: My Ha

At Nguyen Xuan On High School (Dien Chau), last school year, the student with the highest IELTS score in the school was 7.5. However, up to now, the school has had a student achieve IELTS 8.0. The number of students with Foreign Language certificates has also increased from 19 students in the previous school year to about 30 students this school year.

To get a Foreign Language Certificate, students and parents at Nguyen Xuan On High School have to work hard because most of them have to register for a course in Vinh. Therefore, many parents have to take their children to Vinh every day to attend classes with a round trip distance of nearly 80km/day. This is even more difficult for schools in the highlands because the students are far from the center, there are no IELTS teachers in the locality and the economic conditions are not enough to pay the tuition fee with the minimum amount of about 100,000 VND/session.

Class 12A - Huynh Thuc Khang High School with 99% of students having Foreign Language certificates. Photo: NTCC

A teacher at Le Hong Phong Secondary School (Hung Nguyen) said, "In our school, students with IELTS certificates are considered to be well-off because families in rural areas do not have the money to pay for their children to study for the exam, which costs 100,000 - 200,000 VND/session.

Teacher Ho Thi Thuy - a teacher at Que Phong High School added: In our school, the number of students with IELTS certificates is very small every year, even none. The conditions of the students here are very difficult, they do not have money to go to school, do not have teachers to teach, and do not have an environment for them to practice foreign languages.

Avoid lopsided learning

As directed byHigh school graduation exam 2023issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on April 7, 12th grade students need to take four exams to be considered for graduation recognition. Of which, 3 are independent exams including Math, Literature, Foreign Language. In addition, candidates can choose one of two combined exams: Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Social Sciences (History, Geography, Civic Education for general education programs; or History, Geography for continuing education programs).

An extracurricular session on Foreign Languages ​​of students of Nguyen Xuan On High School. Photo: NTCC

Also according to regulations, if candidates have IELTS 4.0 or TOEFL iBT 45 points, they are exempted from the Foreign Language exam for consideration of high school graduation. Cases exempted from the Foreign Language exam will be counted as 10 points for the Foreign Language subject.

Students with IELTS certificates of 4.0 or higher in Nghe An are not a small number. In 2022, the whole province had 782 candidates exempted from the Foreign Language exam due to IELTS certificates of 4.0 or higher. This number increased by more than 250 students compared to the previous year. Of which, the most were in 2 specialized schools, namely Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (190 students), students of Vinh University High School for the Gifted (189 students).

In the remaining schools, the number of students exempted from the exam is also quite large, such as Huynh Thuc Khang High School (140 students), Ha Huy Tap High School (50 students), Do Luong 1 High School (43 students), Le Viet Thuat High School (30 students), Cua Lo High School (20 students)...

An English lesson with a foreign teacher at Ha Huy Tap High School. Photo: My Ha

At this time, 12th grade students across the province are also in the process of registering for the 2023 High School Graduation Exam. Although there are no final figures yet, it is expected that the number of students with Foreign Language certificates will be quite large.

According to many students, having an IELTS certificate helps students have many opportunities, not only to be considered for graduation recognition but also to apply for direct admission to universities and colleges. As a homeroom teacher of class 12A and through the reality of her students, teacher Tran Thi Tuyet - an English teacher said that "the Ministry's policy of allowing students with a Foreign Language certificate to be exempted from the English exam is appropriate. Because to pass the graduation exam, students only need 5 points and this is within reach for students with a certificate of 4.0 or higher".

After many years of preparing students for exams, teacher Tran Thi Tuyet also said that getting an IELTS certificate is not easy and students have to spend a lot of effort, money and passion to achieve it. Therefore, before deciding to study IELTS, students must determine their goals and have a suitable exam preparation schedule "it is best for students to complete from the beginning of the first semester of grade 12 and spend the remaining time reviewing other subjects".

Teacher Nguyen Thi Ha - Principal of Nguyen Xuan On High School also agrees with the policy of allowing students with IELTS certificates to be exempted from the graduation exam because "the graduation exam to achieve an average score is not difficult".

An experience with the international program at TH School of Nghe An students. Photo: My Ha

However, according to Ms. Ha, it is not appropriate for students to focus too much on "hunting" for certificates and neglect other subjects. "Many students only have one goal, which is IELTS, so their ability in other subjects is limited and affects the quality of mass education. Therefore, if the Ministry and universities place too much importance on foreign language certificates, it will lead to unbalanced development. Meanwhile, foreign languages ​​are only a means of support to access foreign countries and work with foreign countries, and students who want to practice well need knowledge of many other subjects," Ms. Ha said.