High school graduation rate highest in 10 years

The Department of Quality Management, Ministry of Education and Training said that this is not the final number, because candidates still have time to submit their appeals until July 26. However, the level of change is usually insignificant. Like last year, the rate of high school graduates before and after the appeals was the same.

The high passing rate was predicted in advance because the exam had a similar structure and content to recent years. Many teachers and experts assessed the exam as being within the students’ ability, helping them easily qualify for graduation.

This year, more than 1.07 million candidates nationwide took the graduation exam. The 99.4% passing rate is the highest since 2015, when the exam was reformed in the "2 in 1" direction. The results are used to consider graduation recognition and are also the basis for university admissions.

In 2020, when the revised Education Law took effect, the exam had the main goal of considering graduation, and the exam questions were designed to be easier. Since then, the high school graduation rate has always been above 98%. However, most universities still use this exam score for admission. Of the more than 610,000 candidates who passed the first round last year, nearly 50% were admitted based on their graduation scores.

From 2025, the high school graduation exam will be changed to suit the students following the 2018 general education program. The number of subjects for graduation will be only 4 instead of 6 as at present, including two compulsory subjects: math, literature and two optional subjects. The Ministry of Education and Training said that the exam is designed to assess capacity, increasing application and practicality.