Grades 5, 9, and 12 students to take common end-of-semester exams set by the Department of Education and Training

All students in final grade levels within the same province or city will take common end-of-semester I and II exams prepared by the Department of Education and Training, replacing the current system where each school sets its own papers.

This new policy is outlined in the Circular amending and supplementing regulations on the assessment of general education students (grades 1-12), issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on 20/10.

Under the new regulation, the local Department of Education and Training will lead the development, appraisal, and provision of common exam papers for the end of semester I and II for grades 9 and 12, and for the end of semester I and the end of the school year for grade 5.

The Department will proactively select the number of subjects for these common exams from those assessed with numerical grades. Schools will be responsible for invigilating and grading the exams, and for creating their own exam papers for all other subjects and grade levels.

Junior high schools and high schools meeting the necessary conditions may allow students to take these exams on computers, provided they inform parents and students in advance.

The new regulation will take effect from 1/12. Currently, end-of-semester assessments are primarily managed by local authorities, with schools typically developing and grading their own exams.

This change comes amid concerns about grade inflation, which is attributed to varying assessment methods across different schools. Additionally, the education sector aims to promote "real teaching, real learning, real testing, real assessment" as a key objective for the current school year.

Some localities, such as Ha Noi, have piloted surveys in literature, mathematics, and English for students in grades 5, 9, 10, 11, and 12. This initiative seeks to establish a consistent, fair, and reliable assessment baseline, which will also serve as a foundation for future 10th-grade admissions.