The benchmark score for entering grade 10 in Hanoi has dropped by 16.25 points, what happened?

Candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi recently - Photo: NGUYEN BAO

Benchmark falls 'unprecedented in history'

For many years, Doan Ket - Hai Ba Trung High School has been the number 1 choice of many students when registering for their second choice.

The standard score for entering grade 10 at this school is usually 2-4 points higher than that of the top schools, but is often ranked in the second group. Therefore, the school is both a safe and secure choice for many candidates.

In the past 3 years, along with Quang Trung - Dong Da High School, Doan Ket - Hai Ba Trung High School has risen to the top (in 2023, these two schools both have a standard score of 40 points). These are also the two schools that had a record number of second-choice registrations in previous years.

This year, while schools of the same rank still maintain the number of candidates registering for their wishes at an average or high level (such as Tay Ho High School, Tay Ho District), Tran Hung Dao High School (Thanh Xuan District), Nguyen Van Cu, Gia Lam, Truong Dinh (Hoang Mai), Doan Ket - Hai Ba Trung High School has decreased sharply.

In the 2024-2025 school year, this school was assigned 675 quotas for grade 10, but only 554 candidates registered for their first choice (competition ratio 1/0.82). The number of candidates registering for their second choice was also very small, only 389, and for their third choice was 21.

With this number, Doan Ket - Hai Ba Trung High School is among the nearly 10 schools with the lowest number of candidates registering their wishes in the city. Looking at this number, we can also predict that the school's benchmark score will decrease this year. But a decrease of 16.25 is too surprising, unprecedented in the history of this school and also rare in Hanoi's 10th grade entrance exams.

Quang Trung High School - Dong Da also cooled down when the number of registrations for all three wishes was over 2,000 candidates.

Candidates are afraid of failing so they avoid?

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hai - principal of Doan Ket High School, there may be many students who want to enter the school but because the admission scores in recent years have been high, they are hesitant.

Candidates who want to be safe when registering for both their first and second choices will not choose the school. The number of applicants for their first choice is lower than the target, so the admission score is naturally lower than last year.

This year's benchmark score has decreased, will the quality decrease? Ms. Hai said that this year, most of the candidates admitted to the school had scores much higher than the benchmark score, with only 1 student achieving a score of 23.75. Therefore, the school is not worried about a decrease in quality.

In the 2019 10th grade entrance exam, Hanoi also had a shocking case: Thang Long High School, Hai Ba Trung District, had its score reduced by 10 points compared to the previous exam. This school used to be the "five tiger generals" of Hanoi's high school education.

In previous years, Thang Long High School, along with Kim Lien High School - Dong Da District, was often at the top of the public high school admissions score list. However, in 2019, the admission score dropped from 40 points the previous year to 30 points. At that time, one of the reasons given by the school was that "candidates were hesitant because the school was in the top group in terms of admission scores".

The explanation of Thang Long High School in the past and Doan Ket - Hai Ba Trung High School this year has not satisfied the concerns and curiosity of many people. But this year is truly a year of surprise, when many "tiger generals" also reduced their standard scores, such as Chu Van An High School, Viet Duc High School reduced by 1.75 points compared to last year, Tran Phu - Hoan Kiem High School reduced by 2.25 points... Many other schools reduced from 1.0 - 3.75 points.

Meanwhile, there are schools with sudden increases in benchmark scores such as Quoc Oai High School and Bat Bat High School, both with increases of 8 points. Next is Ngoc Hoi High School with an increase of 5.75 points, Tho Xuan High School with an increase of 5.25 points...

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/diem-chuan-vao-lop-10-ha-noi-co-truong-giam-sau-16-25-diem-chuyen-gi-xay-ra-202407021104464.htm