Today announced the 2025 high school graduation exam plan

The 2025 high school graduation exam plan will be announced on the afternoon of November 29, the third time the exam has changed in 10 years.

The Ministry of Education and Training said the plan was made after many steps of consulting with people, teachers nationwide, experts, universities, and the National Council for Education and Human Resources Development.

During the consultation sessions, the number of exam options proposed by the Ministry also changed. In March, the Ministry announced the draft of the 2025 high school graduation exam with four compulsory subjects: Math, Literature, Foreign Language and History. In addition, students must choose two other subjects from the seven subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Economic and Legal Education, Information Technology, and Technology.

By August, the Ministry of Education and Training proposed three options. Option 1 was two compulsory subjects (Literature, Mathematics) and two elective subjects. Option 2 was three compulsory subjects (Literature, Mathematics, Foreign Language) and two elective subjects. Option 3 was four compulsory subjects and two elective subjects as in the first proposal.

According to the Ministry, the results of the last survey showed that the majority chose the option of two or three compulsory subjects. Specifically, when surveying nearly 130,700 officials and teachers between options 2 and 3, nearly 74% chose option 2 - taking three compulsory subjects. After that, the Ministry surveyed about 18,000 more officials and teachers in Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Tay Ninh, Lang Son and Bac Giang with all three options, 60% chose to take two compulsory subjects.

In mid-November, at a meeting with the National Council for Education and Human Resources Development, the Ministry of Education and Training proposed that the high school graduation exam from 2025 include two compulsory subjects and two optional subjects.

Candidates taking the 2023 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quynh Tran — Candidates taking the 2023 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: *Quynh Tran*

According to the Ministry, only two compulsory subjects will help reduce exam pressure for students, reduce costs for their families and society because compared to the current exam, the number of subjects will be reduced by two and the number of exam sessions will be reduced by one. This option will also not cause an imbalance between social sciences or natural sciences.

With 9 subjects to choose from, the Ministry believes that students have been tested and evaluated comprehensively, with scores reflected in their transcripts. The choice of two subjects creates conditions for candidates to pursue their career orientation, abilities and interests.

The 2025 high school graduation exam will focus on enhancing capacity assessment, in line with the roadmap for implementing the 2018 general education program. Literature will be an essay test, the remaining subjects will be multiple choice tests, similar to the present.

The Ministry also plans to maintain the paper-based high school graduation exam until 2030, while increasing the application of information technology; after 2030, gradually pilot computer-based exams with multiple-choice subjects in qualified locations.

Exams in two compulsory subjects mean that Foreign Language is an optional subject. This causes many concerns, but the majority agree. A survey conducted by VnExpress on November 14 with more than 9,600 readers participating, about 80% agreed with this plan.

2025 is the year when the first batch of students under the new general education program will take their graduation exams. Currently, the high school graduation exam is organized with 6 subjects, including Math, Literature, Foreign Language, Natural Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) or Social Science (History, Geography, Civic Education).

Thus, in 10 years (2015-2025), Vietnam's high school graduation exam has changed three times. From combining high school graduation and university and college admissions (two in one), the exam returned to its main goal of graduation, and its use for university admissions is more limited.

Duong Tam

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