On January 25, 2017, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam issued Circular 04/2017/TT-BGDDT regarding the promulgation of the national high school examination regulations and recognition of high school graduation.
Article table of contents
For the purpose of using exam results to recognize high school graduation; providing additional information to evaluate the quality of general education, as well as providing data for university and college admissions, the national high school graduation exam is held annually. The Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam has issued the National High School Graduation Exam and Graduation Recognition Regulations.
This regulation is applied to high schools, centers for continuing education, and other educational institutions implementing the high school education program or continuing education high school level program (collectively referred to as high schools); Departments of Education and Training); universities, academies, colleges with teacher training programs (collectively referred to as universities and colleges); and organizations and individuals participating in the exam and recognizing high school graduation. The high school graduation exam has specific points to note.
Organization of 05 Exams: 03 Independent Exams and 02 Combined Exams
According to the regulation, 05 exams will be held. Specifically:
- 03 independent exams are: Mathematics, Literature, Foreign Language;
- 02 combined exams are Natural Sciences (including Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Social Sciences (including History, Geography, Civic Education for students following the high school educational program; History, Geography for students following the continuing education high school program).
For Recognizing High School Graduation
- Students following the high school educational program must take 4 exams, including 3 independent exams Mathematics, Literature, Foreign Language and 1 combined exam chosen by the student from the 2 combined exams;
- Students following the continuing education high school program (referred to as continuing education students) must take 3 exams, including 2 independent exams Mathematics, Literature and 1 combined exam chosen by the student from the 2 combined exams. To increase the chances for university and college admissions according to the current regulation of University and College Admissions Regulation, students can choose to take both combined exams; the higher score from the combined exams will be selected to calculate the high school graduation recognition score.
For University and College Admissions
Graduated high school students must take independent exams, combined exams or component subjects of the combined exams, appropriate to the combination of exams and subjects for admission to majors or groups of majors as regulated by the universities and colleges.
Exam Dates, Content, Schedule, Form, and Duration
- The national high school graduation exam is held annually. The exam dates, schedule, form, and duration are prescribed in the annual National High School Graduation Exam Guidelines issued by the MOET.
- Exam content:
- In 2017, the exam content is within the grade 12 high school program;
- In 2018, the exam content is within the grades 11 and 12 high school program;
- From 2019 onwards, the exam content is within the high school education program.
Special Cases for High School Graduation
Candidates eligible for the exam will be considered for special graduation recognition in the following cases:
- Accidents, illness, or unexpected special events occurring no more than 10 days before the exam date or during the first exam session, preventing participation in the exam.
- Conditions: academic performance and conduct in grade 12 must be at least "fair".
- Accidents, illness, or unexpected special events after taking at least one exam and unable to continue, or voluntarily continuing the remaining exams after accidents, illness, or unexpected special events.
- Conditions:
+ Scores of completed exams for graduation recognition must be at least 5.0;
+ Academic performance in grade 12: at least "average"; conduct: at least "fair".
No later than 07 days after the final examination session, students must submit special consideration documents to the head of the unit where the student registered for the exam. The head of the unit will be responsible for collecting and forwarding special consideration documents to the Department of Education and Training.
High School Graduation Score
The graduation recognition score: includes scores of exams taken to recognize high school graduation as prescribed in clause 1, Article 3 of this Regulation, priority points, encouragement points (if any), and the average score of the whole year in grade 12; each exam score is converted to a 10-point scale for graduation recognition score calculation.
High School Graduation Recognition
- Candidates eligible for exams, not disciplined with exam cancellation, all exams, and component subjects of the combined exams taken for graduation recognition must score above 1.0 out of 10, and have graduation recognition score of at least 5.0 to be recognized for graduation.
- Candidates eligible for exams and exempted from all exams in graduation recognition as prescribed in clause 2, Article 32 of this Regulation are recognized for graduation.
- Candidates eligible for exams and exempted from all national high school graduation exams as prescribed in Article 33 of this Regulation are recognized for graduation.
See more about the exemption from exams in high school graduation recognition; exemption from all national high school exams; and priority, encouragement points in Circular 04/2017/TT-BGDĐT effective from March 10, 2017, replacing Circular 02/2015/TT-BGDĐT and Circular 02/2016/TT-BGDĐT.
