National high school 2024 graduation exam results in English remain unusual: experts

Once students lose their foundational knowledge, they find it exceedingly difficult to achieve above-average marks, let alone high ones, they said.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, over 906,000 students nationwide took the English exam in the 2024 National High School Graduation Exam.

The average score was 5.51 out of 10, a slight improvement from 5.45 in 2023.

The most common score among students was 4.6.

A total of 565 students scored a perfect 10, a modest increase from last year.

However, 14 students scored 0, and 145 students received failing marks - of 1 or less.

The score distribution for the English exam in the 2024 National High School Graduation Exam.

In general, the score distribution for English continues to show a saddle shape, differing from the bell-shaped distributions of other subjects.

One peak in the English score distribution is around 8 points, while another is at 4.6 points.

Despite a slight improvement compared to previous years, English scores remain relatively low compared to other subjects like Literature, Physics, and Chemistry.

Regional disparities

Experts emphasize that English is a long-term subject, requiring comprehensive investment and planning.

Once a student loses their "foundation," achieving above-average scores, let alone high grades, becomes extremely challenging. Short-term cramming will not suffice to improve their abilities and this reflects in their scores.

Due to cultural and regional differences, access to quality English education varies significantly. In urban areas, families tend to invest in long-term English education for their children.

These students benefit from modern English centers with state-of-the-art equipment, innovative teaching methods, and highly qualified native teachers.

Conversely, students in remote areas often begin learning English only in secondary school, or even later.

Experts emphasize that English is a long-term subject, requiring comprehensive investment and planning. Photo courtesy of BUV

This disparity is evident in the score distributions, with major cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Binh Duong, Hai Phong... consistently leading in average English scores.

Remote and mountainous provinces are rarely seen in this list.

A significant point of interest is the substantial difference between educational outcomes and the need for learning and teaching English.

Currently, many English centers focus on developing balanced skills and enhancing listening and speaking abilities to match or exceed reading and writing skills.

However, the limitations of the multiple-choice test format primarily cover reading comprehension.

Vocabulary and grammar topics taught and emphasized in secondary school are included in the differentiating questions, so the graduation exam scores may not fully reflect students' abilities.

'Negative washback'

Dr. Yulia Tregubova, a linguistics expert at the British University Vietnam who has over 20 years of research and teaching experience in linguistics, said that she has observed a teaching trend in Vietnamese high schools where teachers and students focus excessively on practicing test questions.

According to her, this phenomenon is called ‘negative washback,’ where there is a mismatch between the stated goals of instruction and the focus of assessment; it may lead to the abandonment of instructional goals in favor of test preparation.

"This limits students' exposure to a range of tasks and skills they could develop," she said.

Dr. Yulia Tregubova, a linguistics expert at the British University Vietnam (BUV). Photo courtesy of BUV

The expert said that if students only learn English to pass exams, they are like "a hunter," rushing for short-term gain.

She encourages learning English more like "a farmer," investing in students' long-term development.

To build a strong English foundation for university and work, Dr. Yulia Tregubova encourages students to enroll in comprehensive English training programs for academic purposes.

These programs expose students to a variety of genres, texts, and academic situations they will encounter at the university level, not just in Vietnam but anywhere in the world.

At BUV, the foreign language experts have developed a similar training program called UniPath, which encompasses a variety of broad academic language skills such as individual and group presentations, seminar discussions, academic writing, reading, and listening, as well as specific academic skills of summarizing, paraphrasing, referencing, and critical thinking, and tutorials.

These skills are rarely fostered in the secondary school environment.

Additionally, BUV has implemented lower secondary English training programs, pre-IELTS, and IELTS programs at the high school level, in partnership with major public and private lower secondary and high schools nearby Hanoi.

The curriculum is well-structured and designed based on psychological research and the strengths and weaknesses of Vietnamese students by highly qualified native lecturers.

For university-level IELTS, BUV's "IELTS for University" program is divided into various entry and exit levels suitable for all learners.

Students undergo 96 hours of direct instruction, access an extensive online Canvas library, and receive an output commitment from BUV.

For students far from the city, Dr. Yulia recommends improving English by listening to TED Talks to enhance vocabulary and listening skills.

However, the lack of speaking and writing practice remains a concern for Dr. Yulia.

"BUV is considering developing an online English teaching program to reach students far from Hanoi, providing them with access to advanced and effective English training methods, helping to bridge the gap between them and students in major cities," said Dr. Tregubova.