IELTS is not recommended for people under 16 years old, so many teachers and English experts believe that using this certificate for 10th grade admission is inappropriate.
In recent years, some localities have included IELTS - a standardized English test for non-native English speakers - in their 10th grade admission plans. The three main forms used by provinces and cities are direct admission, bonus points, exemption from exams and conversion into English subject scores for candidates with IELTS, usually from 4.0/9.0 and above.
The Ministry of Education and Training last weekend requested to stop this practice. According to the high school admission regulations issued by the Ministry, there is no priority for candidates with IELTS and other international language certificates.
While many provinces and cities believe that giving priority to candidates with IELTS helps reduce exam pressure and create motivation to learn foreign languages locally, Dr. Lai Thi Phuong Thao, Vice Principal of the Foreign Language Specialized High School, University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, assessed the Ministry's decision as reasonable.
According to Ms. Thao, using IELTS to recruit 10th graders, regardless of form or level, is essentially not age-appropriate.
"IELTS does not limit the age of learners, but does not encourage students under 16 years old," said Ms. Thao.
Meanwhile, to have a certificate for admission to grade 10, students need to study IELTS from grade 7 or 8. This goes against the recommendations of the IELTS test organization. The IELTS test content has many scientific and specialized contents, requiring students to have basic knowledge and certain understanding of specific fields. These requirements are not suitable for a 13-14 year old student.
Agreeing, Dr. Phung Thuy Linh, founder of Eduling Education Organization, an English expert of the US State Department, said that IELTS is for those who want to study at a university in English, or settle in some English-speaking countries. Therefore, this certificate is suitable for students from high school and above, used in university admission or to demonstrate language proficiency for other purposes.
Not only experts, 73% of more than 4,200 readers participating in VnExpress 's survey said that candidates with IELTS should not be directly recruited and priority should be given to candidates with IELTS in public grade 10 admissions.
VnExpress survey results, as of 8am on February 27. Screenshot
Associate Professor Dr. Le Van Canh, former English lecturer at the University of Foreign Languages, also said that recruiting 10th grade students using IELTS creates inequality.
Currently, the IELTS exam fee is more than 4.6 million VND. This amount does not include tuition fees at the centers, which usually range from 20-40 million VND for a 4-6 month course. If studying on their own, candidates often still have to invest in learning materials or online courses.
"The opportunity to enter grade 10 with IELTS for disadvantaged students will be narrowed compared to those who have the conditions to study and take this certificate," said Mr. Canh, adding that studying for IELTS is just as stressful as taking the grade 10 exam.
This is also shared by Mr. Nguyen Tan, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Thua Thien Hue. Mr. Tan believes that adding points and directly admitting candidates with IELTS and foreign language certificates is unfair to those who do not have the conditions.
The third reason that shows the unreasonableness of IELTS in 10th grade admission, according to teachers, is that the current high school program is not compatible with the content of IELTS.
According to the general English program of the Ministry of Education and Training, high school graduates can achieve level 3 in the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam. IDP, one of the two IELTS test organizers in Vietnam, converts level 3 to equivalent to 4.0-5.0 IELTS.
"If a candidate takes the 10th grade exam and has an IELTS score of 4.0 or higher, it means they meet the high school graduation standards. So the question is, will they be given a different curriculum during the three years of high school? How will the teachers teach?", Dr. Thao raised the issue.
| Common Framework of Reference (CEFR) | IELTS | TOEIC | TOEFL | 6-level foreign language proficiency framework (VSTEP) |
| A1 | 1.0-2.5 | 255 | 19 | 1 |
| A2 | 3.0-3.5 | 400 | 40 | 2 |
| B1 | 4.0-5.0 | 340 | 45-60 | 3 |
| B2 | 5.5-6.5 | 600 | 61-79 | 4 |
| C1 | 7.0-8.0 | 850 | 80-99 | 5 |
| C2 | 8.5-9.0 | 910+ | 100 | 6 |
Besides many opposing opinions, there are also opinions that IELTS and foreign language certificates still have certain value in admission to grade 10.
Dr. Vu Thi Phuong Anh, who has been a strategic consultant for the National Foreign Language Project since 2014, said that the Ministry of Education and Training should not prohibit localities from adding points or directly admitting candidates with IELTS and other foreign language certificates, but can control the number of direct admissions or adding points by limiting the rate, for example 5-10%.
"Each locality has different economic conditions and student characteristics. For example, a place where English is very poor also needs policies to encourage and develop them. This is a legitimate goal and desire," she said.
An English teacher in Lao Cai opposes the use of IELTS for direct admission, but believes that it is possible to exempt students from the exam and convert IELTS scores to English scores for admission to grade 10. According to her, the Ministry's change should be applied from next year, because students this year may have studied IELTS for admission according to the old admission plan. A sudden change will affect the plan and efforts that students have put in.
Candidates in Ho Chi Minh City take the entrance exam for public grade 10 at Trung Vuong High School, District 1, June 2023. Photo: Quynh Tran
In case localities still want to use foreign language certificates in enrollment activities and encourage English learning, experts say it is necessary to find certificates suitable for the age of secondary school students, instead of IELTS.
According to Vietnam's 6-level foreign language proficiency framework - the output standard for secondary school students is level 2.
"If we replace it with another test, localities and schools should choose a certificate that focuses on English language skills rather than traditional grammar and vocabulary," Dr. Linh suggested.
Thanh Hang - Binh Minh
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