Vietnamese male student in the top candidates with the highest English test scores in the world

Ngoc Bao (class 11AS2, Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School, Hanoi) became the candidate with the highest score in the world in English as a second language in the Cambridge exam with a perfect score of 150/150 points. He is also the first student of the secondary and high school to achieve this achievement.

IGCSE is an international high school certificate recognized globally. Candidates can choose to study a minimum of 5 subjects and a maximum of 14 subjects out of 70 subjects in the IGCSE program, depending on their own orientation. According to the announcement of the Cambridge International Examinations Council, Ngoc Bao also achieved A* - the highest level, in math, physics, chemistry, and biology.

Bao said: "When I finished the test, even though I knew I did quite well, I never thought I would have the highest score in Vietnam, let alone be in the top of the world with a perfect score."

The male student said that he has never considered English as a subject or had to try to achieve high scores under duress. “I have always considered English as a part of everyday life, a language, a tool for living and communicating. Therefore, I do not feel uncomfortable or have difficulty learning, everything is really comfortable,” Bao shared.

The male student said that while studying at the school, he had the opportunity to talk to native teachers in English, not only in ESL but also in other Cambridge subjects.

In the IGCSE exam, the English test includes 4 skills: listening - speaking - reading - writing. The test for each skill consists of 3 parts with multiple choice questions combined with essay questions, on many topics from nature to society, along with current issues.

To achieve a perfect score in IGCSE, candidates must have a foundation of knowledge and the ability to expand, link information and solve problems.

“In the ESL course at school, we always work in groups, discussing with teachers and friends many hot topics in the world. This way of learning not only helps me develop comprehensive English but also supports improving my knowledge and training my thinking,” Bao said.

The writing test in ESL is quite difficult. Bao's way of learning writing skills is also quite special. He doesn't write too much but always focuses on the quality of each writing as well as "takes the opportunity" to ask for comments from teachers in class.

“Knowing mistakes and how to correct them is very important when practicing writing skills. Therefore, quantity is not necessarily as important as quality,” the male student shared.

Bao often takes advantage of class time to practice writing, then asks the teacher to mark and correct his writing. He believes that the strict marking and correction of his writing by his teacher in class contributed to his high score in the recent exam.

In addition, according to Bao, the role of self-study is very important, especially for students studying a dual degree program with a large amount of knowledge like him. "This is a good result, but maintaining it is difficult. I remind myself to continue to make efforts," Bao said.

Up to this point, Bao has achieved an average score of 9.5/10 according to the Vietnamese curriculum and A/A* (80/100 points or higher) in Cambridge subjects. Bao's results are among the highest in the class. The male student also achieved an SAT score of 1,520/1600.

Not only is Bao a good student, he also actively participates in club and sports activities. He even said that he is more passionate about sports than studying.

Having loved and played football since childhood, Bao is currently a member of his school's football club. He also participates in his father's office's football team. Every week, Bao and his father play at the Faculty of Hydrometeorology of the University of Natural Sciences - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, where his father is a lecturer. "We often play on the same team, just in different positions. But my father often passes the ball wrong," Bao joked.

The male student said that his father is a lecturer at the University of Natural Sciences, so he also supported him a lot in consolidating his basic knowledge.

Sharing his plans for the near future, Bao said he will continue to focus on completing the dual degree program. He hopes that after finishing high school, he will seek scholarship opportunities to study abroad in the US with a major related to biology. In the global Cambridge academic exam in June 2024, Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School had 3 students in the World Rank (world rankings) in the top 1, top 5 and top 9; with 7 titles of Top in Viet Nam/High Achievement (highest score in Vietnam/high achievement).