Ministry of Education and Training proposes drawing lots for third exam subject for 10th grade

The Ministry of Education and Training is seeking comments on a draft circular on new regulations on secondary and high school admissions.

In particular, for 10th grade admission, the ministry offers two options: Admission by examination or entrance exam. If admission by examination, localities will base on the students' secondary school transcripts. In case of choosing entrance exam, the exam will take place with 3 subjects: math, literature and one randomly drawn subject, belonging to the new program. This subject is announced before March 31 every year. Students who take the entrance exam for specialized schools will take the corresponding specialized subject.

Currently, at secondary school level, students study 10 compulsory subjects, including: literature, math, foreign language 1, civics, natural science, history and geography, technology, information technology, physical education, and art.

Regarding test time, math takes 90 minutes, literature 120 minutes, other subjects no more than 90 minutes, specialized subjects 150 minutes.

Provinces and cities take the initiative to create exam questions, which can be essay or multiple choice, or a combination of both. The exam content is based on the secondary school curriculum, mainly grade 9, and specialized subjects must ensure that students with talent in that subject are selected.

In the marking stage, the ministry proposed to jointly mark at least 10 essays, followed by two independent marking rounds. For multiple-choice subjects, the test will be marked by machine.

2025 is the first year that the 10th grade exam is organized according to the new general education program (2018 program). Compared to the old program, many subjects are taught integratedly such as history - geography and natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology). Therefore, the orientation of the exam questions, content and number of subjects are of interest to many parents and candidates.

Currently, public grade 10 enrollment is decided by localities in terms of time and method. The Ministry only regulates cases of direct enrollment, priority enrollment, and some types of documents.

Quang Nam is the first locality to announce the 10th grade admission plan next year, combining math, literature, and English test scores with 4-year secondary school transcripts. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hai Phong announced sample questions according to the new program so that teachers and students have a direction for review.