In the Circular amending and supplementing a number of articles of the current High School Graduation Exam Regulations issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on March 6, in addition to the TOEFL ITP 450, TOEFL iBT 45, and IELTS 4.0 certificates, the Ministry of Education and Training has added a number of certificates to the list of English certificates used to exempt foreign language exams.
English certificates exempted from foreign language test in high school graduation exam 2024
Specifically, these are the certificates B1 Preliminary/B1 Business Preliminary/B1 Linguaskill; TOEIC; Aptis ESOL B1; PEARSON PEIC B1; foreign language certificates according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam level 3 (VSTEP B1). Of which, VSTEP B1 is the only Vietnamese certificate. Candidates with this certificate will also be converted to a score of 10 in English in the 2024 high school graduation exam.
When was the VSTEP certificate created and how is it used?
It is known that VSTEP (Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency) is an English proficiency test according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam, issued in 2015, equivalent to levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 according to the European reference framework (CEFR). This certificate completely replaces the previous A, B, C foreign language certificates.
The 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam was stipulated in a circular of the Ministry of Education and Training in 2014. The 6 levels include: Level 1 is equivalent to the A1-CEFR certificate, level 2 is equivalent to the A2-CEFR certificate, level 3 is equivalent to the B1-CEFR certificate, level 4 is equivalent to B2-CEFR, level 5 is equivalent to C1-CEFR and level 6 is equivalent to C2-CEFR.
List of 30 schools that organize VSTEP certification exams
The Ministry of Education and Training stipulates that primary and secondary school English teachers must have a VSTEP level 4 certificate (equivalent to B2-CEFR) and high school English teachers must have a VSTEP level 5 certificate (equivalent to C1-CEFR).
VSTEP is also one of the certificates used for university graduation, entrance examination and graduate graduation at many universities.
Which English certificates are scored 10 points in the 2024 high school graduation exam?
While the IELTS certificate is valid for 2 years, the VSTEP B1 certificate does not specify a validity period.
According to data from the Department of Quality Management, Ministry of Education and Training, as of July 2023, there are 30 university education institutions nationwide that are permitted by the ministry to organize VSTEP certificate exams.
Which certificate do Vietnamese people prefer?
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, a PhD student in English teaching at Ho Chi Minh City Open University, commented: "The VSTEP certificate is considered a domestic English certificate with equivalent conversion value to other certificates such as IELTS or TOEIC according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam. The level of difficulty is also different."
Candidates taking the 2024 high school graduation exam with a VSTEP B1 certificate will be exempted from the foreign language exam.
Mr. Tri gave an example of an IELTS test, the candidate's ability will have a corresponding score, but VSTEP will have different tests for each level.
VSTEP exam fees are also quite "soft", only ranging from 1.5-1.8 million VND, so it is flexible and cost-effective for candidates.
"If candidates only need to submit documents for domestic use, VSTEP will be a reasonable choice, but if considering the requirements for studying abroad or applying for international scholarships, IELTS will be more preferred. However, even many young people who do not need to study abroad still prefer to study for the IELTS certificate because it is popular and has international value," said Mr. Minh Tri.
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