Advantages and disadvantages of high school graduation exam options from 2025

According to the report of the Ministry of Education and Training, the education sector has organized to collect public opinions on the draft plan for high school graduation exams from 2025. The opinions are basically in high consensus on the purpose of the exam, the format of the exam subjects, the decentralization, the responsibilities of the local and central levels, the implementation roadmap, the number of elective subjects and the gradual modernization of the high school graduation exam.

Regarding the number of subjects, there are 3 options: 4+2 , 3+2, and 2+2.

With the 4+2 option, candidates studying the high school program take 6 subjects, including: Compulsory exams in 4 subjects: literature, math, foreign language, history and 2 elective subjects from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12.

Candidates studying the continuing education program (GDTX) at high school level take 5 subjects, including: 3 compulsory subjects: literature, math, history and 2 elective subjects from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12.

With the 3+2 option, candidates studying the high school program take 5 subjects, including: 3 compulsory subjects: literature, math, foreign language and 2 elective subjects from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12 (including history).

Candidates studying the high school level GDTX program take 4 subjects, including: 2 compulsory subjects: literature, math and 2 elective subjects from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12.

The survey results show that 130,672 people participated in the survey among high school staff and teachers. Of these, 34,521 people chose the 4+2 option, accounting for 26.41%, while 96,152 people chose the 3+2 option, accounting for 73.59%. In the survey of department leaders and department-level specialized department staff at the Quality Management conference organized by the Ministry of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City in August, 205 people participated, of which 64 people chose the 4+2 option, accounting for 31.2% and 141 people chose the 3+2 option, accounting for 68.8%.

However, during the impact assessment process of choosing option 4+2 in Ho Chi Minh City, Long An , Tay Ninh, Lang Son and Bac Giang, many opinions proposed choosing option 2+2 .

Specifically, candidates studying high school and continuing education programs all take exams in 4 subjects : literature, math and 2 elective subjects from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12 (including foreign languages and history).

Ưu nhược điểm các phương án thi tốt nghiệp THPT - Ảnh 1. — Candidates for the 2023 high school graduation exam

Each option has its advantages and disadvantages.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, each option has different advantages and disadvantages:

The 4+2 option has the advantage that all compulsory subjects are tested. Choosing 2 optional subjects to test helps candidates develop their strengths and facilitates the use of high school graduation exam results for university and college admissions.

However, the 4+2 option increases exam pressure for students, requiring multiple exam sessions, which is costly and cumbersome. In particular, it will aggravate the bias towards social sciences , affecting the training of human resources to carry out the 4.0 industrial revolution, because the 4 compulsory exam subjects alone have created 4 admission combinations that lean towards social sciences.

The 4+2 option will also affect students' subject choices, leading to natural science and technology subjects being less chosen by students, resulting in a surplus of teachers while social subjects are lacking teachers.

Students in mountainous provinces and disadvantaged areas mainly choose to study social subjects. In fact, some provinces have this figure up to 70%, and some high schools have it over 90%.

This deepens the gap in human resource quality between regions. Thus, according to the 4+2 plan, in the long run it will affect the country's development.

Ưu, nhược điểm các phương án thi tốt nghiệp THPT từ năm 2025 - Ảnh 2. — 11th grade students are the first group of candidates to take the high school graduation exam under the new plan that will be announced this afternoon.

Option 3+2 has the advantage that the exam organization and exam for candidates are easier; less pressure, less cost compared to present, candidates only take 5 subjects.

In addition, the 3+2 option helps students to have a better balance in choosing subjects and taking exams between natural sciences and social sciences. Choosing 2 optional subjects to take the exam helps candidates develop their strengths, creating favorable conditions for using high school graduation exam results for university admission. 3 compulsory subjects is also a stable, long-term option that has been and is being implemented.

However, the disadvantage of the 3+2 option is that it may affect the teaching and learning of history for students who do not choose this subject for the exam and may lead to an increasing trend of choosing the combination of math, literature, and foreign language.

Choosing option 2+2 has the advantage of reducing exam pressure for candidates, reducing costs for families and society because candidates only take 4 subjects.

The number of exam sessions is 3, reducing the number of exam sessions compared to the present. The 2+2 option also does not cause an imbalance between the admission combinations, creating conditions for candidates to spend time studying the subjects of their choice that suit their career orientation.

The disadvantage of the 2+2 option is that it may affect the teaching of history and foreign languages - these are two compulsory subjects.

The Ministry of Education and Training recommends choosing option 2+2.

According to the draft plan for organizing exams and recognizing high school graduation from 2025 that the Ministry of Education and Training reported to Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and presented at the meeting of the National Council for Education and Human Resources Development on November 14, the Ministry proposed to choose the option of taking 4 exams (2 compulsory subjects + 2 elective subjects) instead of 5 or 6 subjects as previously proposed for comments.

According to this report, the Ministry of Education and Training said it has proposed three exam options to solicit comments.

Option 1: choose 2 + 2 ; candidates must take compulsory exams in literature, math and 2 subjects they choose from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12 (foreign language, history, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, economic and legal education, information technology, technology).

Option 2: choose 3 + 2 ; candidates must take compulsory exams in literature, math, foreign language and 2 subjects they choose from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12.

Option 3: choose 4 + 2 ; candidates must take compulsory exams in literature, math, foreign language, history and 2 subjects they choose from the remaining subjects studied in grade 12.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, when surveying nearly 130,700 officials and teachers nationwide on the 3+2 and 4+2 exam options, nearly 74% chose option 2 - taking 3 compulsory subjects. After that, the Ministry of Education and Training surveyed nearly 18,000 officials and teachers in Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Tay Ninh, Lang Son and Bac Giang with all 3 options, 60% chose the 2 compulsory subjects option.

Based on objective analysis, comments from the Departments of Education and Training and based on core principles in the process of developing the exam plan, the Ministry of Education and Training recommends and proposes that from 2025, each candidate will take 4 subjects (choice 2 + 2), including: compulsory exams in literature and math and the choice of 2 subjects in grade 12.

For the 9 subjects that candidates are selected to take the exam, including: foreign languages, history, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, economic and legal education, information technology, and technology, the Ministry of Education and Training said that these subjects have been tested, evaluated, and have scores shown in the transcript; during the teaching process, students have been assessed comprehensively in their learning process, during the teaching process in class.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, by choosing 2 subjects out of these 9 subjects, there will be 36 different ways to choose, creating conditions for candidates to choose the exam subject that suits their career orientation, abilities and interests, conditions and circumstances to continue studying, learning a trade or participating in working life.

Tue Nguyen

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