nine students achieve near-perfect literature scores

9.75 is the highest score in the literature subject for the 2026 High School Graduation Exam, achieved by nine students across five provinces and cities.

On 1/7, the Ministry of Education and Training announced the 2026 High School Graduation Exam (HSGE) scores for about 1.2 million students, along with the score distribution for each subject. Literature is the only essay-based subject and one of two compulsory subjects for HSGE recognition. This subject also appears in many university admission combinations, such as C00 (literature, history, geography) and D01 (mathematics, literature, English).

This year, the average score for the HSGE Literature subject is 6.5, a decrease of 0.5 points compared to last year. No student achieved a perfect score of 10, while 157 students received failing scores (from one point downwards).

A total of 44% of the Literature test papers scored seven points or higher. Among these, nine students achieved the highest score of 9.75. Three of these students are from Hue, two others are from Dong Thap, and the remaining students are from Ha Noi, Hai Phong, and Lam Dong.

Score distribution for the 12 HSGE subjects - Score distribution for university admission combinations

SBD	Locality	Literature Score
010540xx	Ha Noi	9,75
310287xx	Hai Phong	9,75
460024xx	Hue	9,75
460025xx	Hue	9,75
460026xx	Hue	9,75
680199xx	Lam Dong	9,75
820333xx	Dong Thap	9,75
820333xx	Dong Thap	9,75

Literature was the first subject in the High School Graduation Exam. The exam paper comprised two parts: Reading Comprehension (four points) and Writing (six points). It addressed several current topics, including the use of artificial intelligence and the question of "how to cultivate Vietnamese Steve Jobs?"

Teachers evaluated the exam paper as having a stable structure. However, students found it challenging to achieve high scores, especially on the question concerning Steve Jobs. This question also sparked significant debate on various forums.

Last year, no student achieved a perfect score of 10 in this subject either.

After receiving their 2026 HSGE scores, students have five days to register for a review if desired, with the deadline set for 5/7.

From 2/7, students can begin registering or adjusting their university and college admission preferences through the Ministry of Education and Training's system, continuing until 17h on 14/7.

Universities will announce admission cutoff scores and student admission results after 17h on 9/8.