Becoming the valedictorian of the English proficiency exam with a total score of 18.7, surpassing many students from famous inner-city schools, is an impressive result for a female student from a school in a suburban district of Hanoi.

Kim Anh said she was very happy that her efforts were finally rewarded.

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Ngo Thi Kim Anh, a student at Thanh Liet Secondary School (Thanh Tri District, Hanoi) not only won first prize but was also the contestant with the highest score in the Hanoi City English Excellent Student Competition for the 2024-2025 school year. Photo: NVCC.

Sharing with VietNamNet, Ms. Tran Mai Huong, Principal of Thanh Liet Secondary School, said that this result can be said to be a miracle and exceeded the expectations of teachers and the school. Because Kim Anh is not only the first student of the school but also the first student of Thanh Tri district to win first prize in English at the city-level excellent student competition.

“We were very surprised by this result, because the female student of the school not only won first prize but also had the highest score, surpassing even students in the inner city area. However, this is a result completely worthy of her efforts,” said Ms. Huong.

Last year, when she was only an 8th grader, Kim Anh was selected to compete in the city-level English proficiency exam, which was for 9th graders. That time, the female student was only 0.1 points shy of being in the winning group.

Ms. Quach Thi Ngoc Dung - Kim Anh's mother could not hide her emotion at the achievements her child had achieved after her efforts and hard work.

Ms. Dung said that her child is very diligent and self-disciplined in studying. Having studied English since primary school like her peers, Kim Anh began to show her passion for English in grade 6 after being selected for the school's excellent student team. In grade 8, the homeroom teacher and English teacher recognized her English ability, so they decided to let her take the excellent student exam ahead of her peers in grade 9.

“In the excellent student exam last year, my child was only 0.1 points short of winning the prize. Therefore, from the beginning of this school year, he has shown his determination and worked even harder. Before the exam, he felt a bit of pressure, because this was his second year taking the excellent student exam while the teachers and school had high expectations for him. When he found out the result, he hugged me and cried with joy,” said Ms. Dung.

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Ms. Quach Thi Ngoc Dung and her daughter Ngo Thi Kim Anh. Photo: NVCC.

Mrs. Dung commented that her daughter is a perfectionist. “When she sets a goal for something, she will be very determined to do it no matter how difficult it is,” said Mrs. Dung.

Talking about studying, Kim Anh said that she has no special secret. “You could say that my English learning is a combination of studying, playing and entertaining. The most important thing for me is discipline and maintaining a regular, balanced balance between studying and playing.”

In addition to studying at school, Kim Anh usually spends about 3 hours in the evening studying and learning more about English.

In addition to studying, the female student also reduces stress by listening to music and watching movies in English. “Listening and learning English songs and conversations is also a method to improve pronunciation. I think memorizing English (vocabulary, grammar) through speaking and communication is also an effective method,” Kim Anh said.

When it comes to movies, Kim Anh doesn’t watch too many genres. “The first time, I will watch the movie in English but with subtitles. The second time, I will watch it again without subtitles and just follow along by listening to English. During that process, I will take notes of words that I don’t remember the meaning of or find difficult to understand and look them up later. When watching movies, I also imitate and speak the language of the characters in the movie to learn pronunciation and intonation like a native speaker,” the female student shared.

The female student also took the opportunity to talk in English with classmates who had the same passion and interests.

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The female student shared that she set a goal of being able to be admitted to an English major class at one of the specialized schools in Hanoi. Photo: NVCC.

With other subjects, Kim Anh has her own, different ways of studying. To get good results in Literature, Kim Anh reads many books, literary works, newspapers to learn how to state arguments, give evidence, examples,... in a flexible and lively way.

With Math and many other subjects, Kim Anh always tries to understand the essence of basic formulas and theorems before moving on to advanced exercises. “Advanced exercises are often developed from basic knowledge, so I always tell myself to understand the essence before moving on to advanced exercises.”

Kim Anh is considered by her teachers to be hardworking, polite, proactive, and highly self-aware. She has excellent academic results every year and is good at all subjects, especially English. She also enthusiastically participates in school and class activities and movements.

These days, Kim Anh is still actively studying and reviewing for the upcoming 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi. The female student shared that she aims to be admitted to an English major class at one of the specialized schools in the area, with her highest wish being Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.

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