Schedule of High School Graduation Exam 2024 in Vietnam

Schedule of High School Graduation Exam 2024 in Vietnam (Image from the internet)

Regarding this matter, LawNet provides the following guidance:

On March 22, 2024, the Ministry of Education and Training (Hanoi, Vietnam) issued Official Dispatch 1277/BGDDT-QLCL providing guidance on the organization of the High School Graduation Exam 2024.

1. Schedule of High School Graduation Exam 2024 in Vietnam

2. Guidance on Invigilation for the High School Graduation Exam 2024 in Vietnam

1. At Exam Sites, enough waiting rooms must be arranged for candidates only taking the first and/or second component exams of a combined exam. Each waiting room must have at least one invigilation staff or supervising staff to manage the candidates in the room. Invigilation staff in the waiting rooms must remind candidates to be present on time in the examination rooms as per their examination notices.

2. Registering signatures of participants in the invigilation work and managing communication equipment:

- For those participating in invigilation work (Exam Site Head, Deputy Head, Secretary, and Invigilation staff): The examination council requires Exam Site Heads to list participants as per Form 1, Annex VII. During the procedure briefing and regulations dissemination session, the Exam Site Head organizes the registration of signature samples; additionally, 02 copies of the signature samples should be photocopied and placed in 03 bags labeled as original/photocopy. Each set of signature samples should be sealed at the Exam Site and handed over to the Council Secretary. The Council Secretary will hand over the original to the Examination Council President for storage, and the photocopies to the Essay Marking Group and the Multiple-Choice Marking Group when handing over the exam bags.

- The Exam Site Head is responsible for collecting communication devices from those performing duties at the Exam Site right before each examination session and for the safekeeping of these devices throughout the exam session with the cooperation of the security police.

3. Each examination room must be equipped with 01 pair of scissors for the invigilation staff to cut open the exam paper bags. For examination rooms with candidates taking only the first and/or second component exams of a combined exam, a subsidiary bag containing exam materials, sealing labels, and necessary tools for the invigilation staff to seal the candidate's Multiple-Choice Answer Sheets (MCAS) immediately after collecting the exam papers must be prepared.

4. Safeguarding and utilizing Multiple-Choice Answer Sheets (MCAS):

- MCAS must be kept in sealed bags until delivered to candidates in the examination room.

- The Examination Council President organizes the packing and sealing of MCAS bags to each examination room, ensuring enough for the number of candidates in the room, labeled with the number of sheets, room name, and session. Additionally, some reserve MCAS bags are prepared for each Exam Site, labeled with the bag name, number of sheets, site name, and session.

- Before the first session of the Exam, the Examination Council President decides the time and place for handing over the MCAS bags to Exam Site Heads, ensuring safety and confidentiality. Before each session, the Exam Site Head hands over the MCAS bags for each room to the room's invigilation staff. Note: A record detailing the number of sheets received and the condition of the MCAS bags must be made during the handover.

- After each session, the Exam Site Head makes a record of the MCAS usage condition, detailing the total number of sheets, used sheets, surplus sheets collected, damaged sheets, and replacement sheets. These records are submitted along with the invigilation dossiers.

5. For sessions involving combined exams:

- Upon completion of the final component exam for candidates in the combined exam session, the invigilation staff collects the MCAS.

- During the entire combined exam session, invigilation staff must closely monitor to ensure that candidates do not write down exam content or leave marks pertaining to the exam on any documents or items other than the official rough paper (with invigilation staff's signature); these documents or items must promptly be confiscated upon detection of violations.

- During the break between two component exams of a combined exam, candidates who have completed the earlier component exam may be allowed outside the room by the invigilation staff upon reasonable request; candidates must place their MCAS with the answer portion facing down on their desks; the second invigilation staff is responsible for ensuring that other candidates do not tamper with the MCAS. Candidates must comply with the supervising staff’s instructions when outside the room. Invigilation and supervising staff must coordinate to allow candidates to leave the room in turn without disrupting exam room and site discipline.

- When bringing the Atlat into the examination room for use in the Geography component of the Social Sciences exam, candidates must write their full name and candidate number on the cover of the Atlat and submit it to the invigilation staff for inspection; the staff will return the Atlat at the beginning of the Geography exam and collect it immediately after the exam, returning it to candidates only upon completion of their final component exam in the combined test.

6. Collecting and handing over exam papers at the end of each session:

- 05 minutes before collecting exam papers, invigilation staff ask candidates to recheck their test codes, candidate numbers, and other personal information on the answer sheets/MCAS.

- For multiple-choice exams/papers, when collecting MCAS, invigilation staff verify the test code filled by the candidate on the MCAS against the distributed test code on the Exam Collection Sheet for accuracy.

- When handing over exam papers to the Exam Site Head (through the Site Secretary), both invigilation staff open the subsidiary bag at the Exam Site office and consolidate them with other room’s papers if any. The outer bag must detail the following: Examination Council; Exam Site; Room; Session (time, date); Exam name; Names and signatures of 02 invigilation staff; Name and signature of the Site Secretary who checked and counted the papers and the Exam Site Head.

7. During invigilation, for any unusual situation, especially those affecting candidates' rights, the invigilation staff must report through the supervising staff to the Exam Site Head for decision before proceeding. Supervising staff must tightly coordinate with invigilation staff to handle cases where candidates must leave the room before the end of the exam session due to force majeure, ensuring the candidates do not interact or communicate with others during their absence.

8. Safeguarding exam papers at the Exam Site and handing over papers:

The safeguarding of exam papers at the Exam Site is conducted according to Article 19 of the Examination Regulations and the following details:

- Surveillance cameras in the exam paper and answer sheet storage room must ensure full coverage of all items containing exam papers and answer sheets and the actions affecting these items; store all data from the storage process of exam papers and answer sheets at the exam site; operate continuously, even during power outages. The camera system must not be connected to the internet and must be connected only via wired connections (if a display screen is available). Daily, the Exam Site Head must cooperate with the police to check the camera's operation. If a display screen is used, it must be placed in an easily observable location and managed by the police.

- The data storage device (hard drive/memory card) of the camera must be sealed immediately after the papers are moved out of the room, witnessed by the Exam Site Head and the police. After being sealed, the data storage device is handed over to the Department of Education and Training or the educational institution where the Exam Site is located for safekeeping according to the Examination Regulations.

- Handing over exam papers from the Exam Site to the Examination Council must be done immediately after the final session of the Examination; in force majeure cases as decided by the Examination Council President. The Examination Council President determines the time and place for the handover and must apply measures to ensure security and safety for the exam papers as regulated for exam materials in Article 18 of the Examination Regulations; police and the Head or Deputy Head of the Council Secretariat must continuously guard the storage room at the handover locations 24 hours/day.

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