On the afternoon of 12/6, Professor Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Deputy Director of the Quality Management Department, Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), announced that the Ministry had convened a meeting with 34 provinces and cities regarding graduation exam grading. This meeting focused on enhancing objectivity and introducing innovations for the Literature subject. For the first time, this subject's exam papers will be graded using a rubric, a method designed to ensure fairness and reduce subjectivity. "We have trained graders nationwide on this matter", Mr. Ha said.

Elaborating on the new approach, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong emphasized that for the Literature subject, if exam questions are open-ended, "answers must naturally be open-ended". He added that when grading, examiners must respect candidates' opinions and perspectives, provided they can defend their viewpoints, even if they challenge the exam's content. "This fosters students' creativity and character", Mr. Thuong stated. "We aim to educate individuals with knowledge, qualities, capabilities, who are confident in expressing themselves within established principles and frameworks".

According to information on the pedagogical professional website of Ha Noi National University of Education, a rubric is a detailed description of evaluation criteria and the achievement levels for each criterion. These levels are often presented as descriptive scales or combined with numerical scales to detail the levels students achieve.

Mr. Thuong also highlighted that MOET has thoroughly instructed that grading must ensure objectivity, fairness, and comprehensiveness. The Ministry requires provinces and cities to update the progress and results of each grading session for the Literature subject. Any unusual occurrences, such as a single batch of exams containing too many high or low scores, must trigger a review. MOET will also establish an unannounced inspection committee for any grading council. "We must strive to ensure the utmost fairness and objectivity", Mr. Thuong affirmed.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong speaking at a press conference after the National High School Graduation Exam, on the afternoon of 12/6. Photo: MOET

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong speaking at a press conference after the National High School Graduation Exam, on the afternoon of 12/6. Photo: MOET

The National High School Graduation Exam took place over two days, 11-12/6, involving over 1,2 million candidates. The graduation exam scores will be announced by the Ministry of Education and Training on the morning of 1/7.

By Duong Tam - Thanh Hang