Ho Chi Minh City has its first testing center belonging to a department of a world-leading university.

This examination center is also an international school in Ho Chi Minh City, but the opportunity to take exams to obtain international degrees and certificates according to British standards will apply to students outside the school and abroad.

South American International School officially recognized as OxfordAQA Examination Center from the academic year 2024-2025

The testing center does not limit the number of candidates.

On March 1, the South American International School was recognized by Oxford University Press (OUP), a subsidiary of the leading University of Oxford in the UK, as the first OxfordAQA Examination Center in Ho Chi Minh City. This means that from the 2024-2025 school year, the school is authorized to teach and organize international GCSEs and A-levels exams - exams that use results for popular admissions in the UK as well as around the world.

OxfordAQA is a prestigious examination board, established by the cooperation between OUP and AQA (the UK examinations organization), currently taught in more than 500 schools worldwide. According to the UK Qualifications Recognition Centre (UK NARIC), OxfordAQA, Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel are the examination boards recognized for degrees and certificates equivalent to GCSEs and A-levels in the UK.

Speaking to Thanh Nien on the sidelines of the event, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, Principal of Nam My International School, said that as an OxfordAQA Examination Center, students at the school in particular and in the region in general can take the international GCSEs and A-levels exams in the South. The highlight is that the school does not limit the internal scope, so students outside the school, even those studying other programs, can still register to take the exam if they meet the requirements.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, Principal of Nam My International School, during a discussion with parents.

Open learning opportunities

Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Southeast Asia Regional Manager of the Oxford International Program (OUP), said that Southeast Asia currently has a total of 50 OxfordAQA Examination Centers and this number in Vietnam is 5, of which 3 centers are schools in Lao Cai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and 2 centers are affiliated with the British Council. At these centers, international students can also take the exam and receive a degree, not just Vietnamese.

In addition, many other international schools in Vietnam are also teaching OxfordAQA's programs or some subjects, but have not yet met the accreditation criteria to become affiliated testing centers, Ms. Hang noted.

Sharing more about the curriculum, Ms. Hang said that the unit always updates learning materials every 5 years, and most recently, it has introduced artificial intelligence (AI) into lessons from grades 1 to 12. Another notable point is that in OUP's textbooks, in addition to paper documents and online exercises, the publisher also uses AI to produce adaptive questions based on the actual abilities of students, thereby better personalizing teaching.

"This also helps students to be more proactive in their studies instead of just waiting for homework from teachers," Ms. Hang commented.

Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Southeast Asia Regional Manager of Oxford International General Program (Oxford University Press), introduced the assessment framework in the OxfordAQA curriculum that is being applied by a number of international schools.

Speaking online, Mr. Tom Galvin, Head of OxfordAQA Quality Management, said that the unit's international GCSEs are designed for students aged 14-16, while A-levels are for students aged 16-18. The special feature of these diplomas is that they are accepted by more than 700 universities in Asia, Europe, North America, Australia... and all universities in the UK for admission.

In Vietnam, students can use A-level to apply to top universities: Hanoi University of Science and Technology, National Economics University (Hanoi), Foreign Trade University (Hanoi), International University (Ho Chi Minh City National University). In addition, students can also apply to units with international elements, such as VinUni University (Hanoi), British Vietnam (Hanoi), Viet Duc (Ho Chi Minh City), RMIT (Ho Chi Minh City)...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tphcm-lan-dau-co-trung-tam-khao-thi-thuoc-bo-phan-cua-dh-hang-dau-the-gioi-18525030210533908.htm