On 7/9, Nguyen Van Binh, Head of the Examination Management and Quality Assurance Department at the Department of Education and Training, shared the roadmap for 10th grade admissions. This roadmap aims for objectivity, fairness, and reduced pressure, including consideration of a selection-based method.

According to Binh, selection should not solely rely on academic records, as this could shift pressure from an entrance exam to the entire learning process. Instead, the Department is pursuing a long-term approach by changing how students are assessed.

For the current academic year, the Department plans to organize common, simultaneous assessments for certain grade levels: 5, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Initially, three subjects—literature (Vietnamese), mathematics, and English—may be chosen.

This initiative aims to measure student progress, allowing schools to review their quality and establish a common assessment standard. This standard will ensure objectivity, fairness, consistency, and high reliability. The Department views this as a prerequisite for moving towards 10th grade admissions by selection.

To achieve this, Binh stated that assessment papers must be uniformly developed. The organization, invigilation, and marking processes need to be appropriate, potentially involving centralized or cross-marking to "limit external influence". The Department is also considering computer-based assessments to facilitate immediate result updates, analysis, and evaluation.

Subsequently, the Department will consider expanding the scope, number of subjects, and assessment methods. It will also prepare infrastructure, facilities, data systems, and a question bank.

Binh noted that in the initial phase, these assessments are not intended to create an additional exam or impose extra pressure on students. Schools are not required to immediately use these results for semester grades.

"Students and parents should view this as a preparatory process, a gradual trial and refinement, not an immediate change in admission methods", Binh emphasized.

"Once all conditions are met, assessment results will be studied for subsequent steps".

Binh also suggested that reducing pressure for 10th grade admission should not solely focus on the number of subjects or the exam-versus-selection debate. In the long term, the city aims to increase investment in facilities, expand schools, and ensure sufficient public school placements.

"This is the fundamental solution to alleviate competitive pressure in 10th grade admissions", he stated.

In its directives for the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, the Hanoi People's Committee also stipulated that any change in 10th grade admission methods must follow a roadmap, based on a full assessment of implementation conditions and impacts. Changes should not be made "automatically" without sufficient justification.

Hanoi students take the 10th grade exam in 5/2026. *Photo: The Bang*

Hanoi currently admits 10th graders through entrance exams. In the past academic year, approximately 124,000 out of 147,000 junior high school graduates registered for public 10th grade entrance exams. The admission rate for those who took the exam was 66%, making it one of the most competitive nationwide.

Thanh Hang