Guidelines on Organizing the Selection Exam for Excellent 9th Grade Students in Ho Chi Minh City for the Academic Year 2024-2025

What are guidelines on organizing the selection exam for excellent 9th grade students in Ho Chi Minh City for the academic year 2024-2025?

On September 4, 2024, the Department of Education and Training of HCMC issued Official Dispatch 5335/SGDDT-GDTrH in 2024 regarding the organization of the selection exam for excellent 9th grade students for the school year 2024-2025.

Guidelines on organizing the selection exam for excellent 9th grade students in Ho Chi Minh City are as follows:

1. Exam Content: General Education Curriculum 2018.

2. Exam Subjects, Exam Duration

The exam subjects include: Literature, History and Geography, Mathematics, Natural Science, Informatics, English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Technology (industry-oriented), Technology (agriculture-oriented).

Among them, the Natural Science subject consists of 2 parts:

- Mandatory part (accounting for 30% of the score): general knowledge;

- Elective part (accounting for 70% of the score): students can choose one of the following 3 content tracks:

+ Substance and changes of substances; Earth and sky

+ Energy and changes; Earth and sky

+ Living organisms; Earth and sky

History and Geography subject: students can choose one of the two sub-subjects: History, Geography.

Informatics subject: programming on a computer.

Foreign language subjects have a listening skills section.

Exam duration: 120 minutes.

3. Exam Date

Exam date: Friday, March 14, 2025.

Student gathering time: 07:00.

Exam starting time: 08:00.

4. Exam Venues

- Nguyen Van To Lower Secondary School (140 Tam Dao Street, Ward 14, District 10) organizes exams for Foreign Languages (English, French, Chinese, Japanese).

- Marie Curie Upper Secondary School (159 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3) organizes exams for Literature, and Natural Science.

- Tran Dai Nghia Lower and Upper Secondary School (53 Nguyen Du, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1) organizes exams for Mathematics, History, and Geography.

- Le Hong Phong Specialized Upper Secondary School (235 Nguyen Van Cu, Ward 4, District 5) organizes exams for Informatics.

- Ha Huy Tap Lower Secondary School, Binh Thanh District (07 Phan Dang Luu, Ward 3, Bình Thạnh District) organizes exams for Technology subjects.

More details can be found in: Official Dispatch 5335/SGDDT-GDTrH in 2024 (download)

Guidelines on Organizing the Selection Exam for Excellent 9th Grade Students in Ho Chi Minh City for the Academic Year 2024-2025​ (Image from Internet)

Are award-winning students in the 9th grade excellent student exam in Vietnam eligible for direct admission to Grade 10?

According to Article 7 of the Regulations on Admission to Lower and Upper Secondary Schools issued with Circular 11/2014/TT-BGDDT (amended and supplemented by Clause 4, Article 1 of Circular 05/2018/TT-BGDDT and Article 1 of Circular 18/2014/TT-BGDDT):

Direct Admission and Preferential Policies

1. Direct admission to upper secondary school for the following candidates:

a) Students of ethnic boarding schools;

b) Students belonging to very small ethnic minority groups;

c) Disabled students;

d) Students winning national and international awards in culture; performing arts; sports; National Science and Technology Competition for lower and upper secondary school students.

2. Candidates eligible for preferential scoring.

The Department of Education and Training stipulates the additional score level for each group of candidates eligible for preferential scoring, with the differential score between the two consecutive preferential groups being 0.5 points on a 10-point scale, including:

- Children of martyrs;

- Children of severely injured soldiers with a working capacity decrease of 81% or more;

- Children of sick soldiers with a working capacity decrease of 81% or more;

- Children of people granted the "Certificate of Beneficiaries of Policies Equivalent to War Invalids" where the person granted is identified with a working capacity decrease of 81% or more.

b) Group 2 candidates:

- Children of Heroes of the Armed Forces, Labor Heroes, Mother Heroines of Vietnam;

- Children of injured soldiers with a working capacity decrease below 81%;

- Children of sick soldiers with a working capacity decrease below 81%;

- Children of people granted the "Certificate of Beneficiaries of Policies Equivalent to War Invalids" where the person granted is identified with a working capacity decrease below 81%.

c) Group 3 candidates:

- A person with either parent belonging to an ethnic minority group;

- Ethnic minority individuals;

- Students living and studying in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions.

- Children of resistance activists affected by toxic chemicals;

- Children of revolutionary activists before January 1, 1945;

- Children of revolutionary activists from January 1, 1945, until the August Revolution in 1945.

...

Thus, students winning awards in the 9th grade excellent student exam are not among the groups eligible for direct admission to Grade 10 at puiblic schools. Direct admission to Grade 10 at puiblic schools is only applicable for:

- Students of ethnic boarding schools;

- Students belonging to very small ethnic minority groups;

- Disabled students;

- Students winning national and international awards in culture; performing arts; sports; National Science and Technology Competition for secondary and Upper Secondary School students.

What are conditions for 9th grade students in Vietnam to be recognized for lower secondary graduation?

Based on Article 4 of the Regulations on Recognizing Lower Secondary Graduation issued with Circular 31/2023/TT-BGDDT, 9th grade students are recognized for lower secondary graduation when they meet the following conditions:

- Not over 21 years old (calculated by year) for students completing the general education program at the lower Lower Secondary School level; from 15 years old and up (calculated by year) for learners completing the continuing education program at the lower Lower Secondary School level.

In the case of students returning from abroad, skipping grades, or learning at an age higher than the prescribed age, they must follow the regulations on age by level of education of the Ministry of Education and Training.

- Have completed the general education program at the lower Lower Secondary School level or the continuing education program at the lower Lower Secondary School level.

- Have complete dossiers as prescribed.