Parents spend money for their children to study IELTS

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh's son (Cau Giay, Hanoi) is a first-year student at Hanoi University of Foreign Languages.

“My child did not get enough 37 points to get into the desired faculty (foreign language score doubled), his academic record was not good, his ability assessment score was low, if he did not have 6.5 IELTS, he would not have a chance to get into a top school,” Ms. Thanh explained why she did not hesitate to spend money on tutoring for her child, even though the amount was half of her annual income.

Ms. Thanh's child has been studying IELTS since grade 6, 2 sessions per week at a fairly famous center with dozens of facilities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Here, her child follows a 4-year program, with a minimum output commitment of 6.5. After this time, if the student is not confident enough to take the test or does not achieve the desired score, they can come for free review.

“Here, I have the opportunity to communicate with native speakers and learn English presentation skills, so I am more confident,” said Ms. Thanh.

However, a few months before the IELTS exam, seeing that her child was not confident, Ms. Thanh gave her child a 3-month intensive course with a Vietnamese teacher, costing 9 million VND. Although the results were not as expected, the whole family was relieved when her child scored enough points to be admitted to a good university.

Candidates taking the 2024 high school graduation exam. Photo: Nguyen Hue

Having a child studying in grade 11 at Hoang Liet High School (Hoang Mai, Hanoi), Ms. Bich Van has just registered her child for an IELTS course at a center near her home.

"My child will study for one year to gradually improve his score from 2.0 to 6.5, with the original cost being more than 38 million VND, but with a discount, it will be less than 30 million VND," said Ms. Van.

According to the roadmap, by mid-grade 12, her child can take the IELTS test and get a score of 6.5-7.0 if he commits to attending school regularly, completing all assignments, participating in mock tests...

Ms. Van said that since middle school, her child has been taking extra English classes, 2-3 sessions/week, usually with teachers near home, to supplement the class program or to review for the high school entrance exam.

According to her, even though the Ministry of Education and Training will not use IELTS scores for university admission in the next few years, she will not hesitate to spend money on her child's exam preparation because "it will somehow help improve his English level, which will be beneficial when he goes to university and later goes to work. Like me, because of my poor foreign language skills, I missed many opportunities."

Mr. Pham Hung Thuyen, Lecturer at Foreign Language School (Thai Nguyen University). Photo: GVCC

Like Van's family and Ms. Thanh's, many parents are now willing to spend money on IELTS courses for their children when they learn about the policy of using these results to apply to some universities and high schools.

IELTS training courses on the market are quite diverse, studying directly or online or a combination of both, with costs ranging from a few million to hundreds of millions of VND, depending on the reputation of the center or teacher, the number of students in the class, study time, output score commitment...

Mr. Pham Hung Thuyen, Lecturer at the Foreign Language School (Thai Nguyen University) - who achieved 8.5 IELTS and has been teaching at the foreign language center for many years, said that among the students who registered to study IELTS, nearly 40% are high school students, nearly 99% have the goal of obtaining a certificate for university admission.

However, according to the teacher, most of these students have a low English foundation, and have only previously learned vocabulary and grammar, so they are not able to use the language, speak poorly, and do not know how to write correct sentences...

“Parents often expect their children to get high scores after IELTS courses, but most of them are investing in the top without nurturing the roots,” said Mr. Thuyen.

According to him, IELTS preparation is only suitable for students aged 14 and above, who have formed a relatively positive outlook on life; have had enough exposure to social, scientific and abstract topics to understand or guess scientific concepts or topics of various types of questions... The process of studying and taking this certificate will discourage younger students, even making them "afraid" of English.

He also believes that investing in IELTS preparation does not help students much, except for those who intend to study abroad. For high school students, achieving 6.5 or higher can be an advantage for early admission to some universities. However, to achieve that score at the end of high school, students must have a solid grasp of vocabulary (meaning and word types), grammar, know how to arrange sentences, and have good listening skills since middle school.

“Primary and secondary school students should learn basic English well in all four skills, then focus on IELTS in high school if they have a clear goal of using this score to apply to university or study abroad. Parents should not rush to let their children participate in IELTS preparation courses regardless of their current level or force their children to study this program too early,” the lecturer said.

Many parents 'burn money' for their children to study IELTS because they mistakenly think that a high score is a talent . Experts say that public opinion is causing parents to misunderstand that achieving a high IELTS score is a talent. Therefore, many parents follow the crowd mentality, causing unnecessary pressure on their children.