On Thursday, a total of around 11,000 candidates across Da Nang started sitting for the 2-day second phase of Viet Nam's national senior high school graduation exams, which not only fetches learners a high-school diploma but also determines admission to universities and junior colleges.

Many candidates being satisfied with what they performed on their Literature and Maths exams on Thursday

It was reported that, the first day of this seminal event took place successfully, with ensuring best practice of recommended infection prevention and control measures.  Encouragingly, many of the candidates were very satisfied with their good exam performances, which made their parents feel secure and hopeful. 

Under the events schedules, the candidates took the their Literature exam on Thursday morning and Maths on Thursday afternoon. They are siting for tests on social or natural sciences on Friday morning, and foreign languages on Friday afternoon.

As part of pandemic prevention measures, all the test takers were required to fill out health declaration forms, detail their health status and travel history, have their body temperature measured, wash their hands regularly with either soap and water or alcohol hand rub, and wear face coverings.

A candidate having his body temperature measured before entering exam room at the Le Quy Don Senior High School for the Gifted

In particular, drastic measures were enforced in stricter manner in the Ngu Hanh Son District-located Vo Chi Cong Senior High School where special examinees comprising of F1 and F2 contacts and those placed under quarantine took their exams.

In particular, examinees being F1 contacts were taken to their exam venue by ambulance while F2 contacts and those placed under quarantine came here by coach.

According to the Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee cum Head of the municipal Steering Board of the second phase of the National Senior High School Graduation Exam 2020, Le Trung Chinh, the first day of the exam run smoothly. All the examiners and other related persons involved in the event’s organising activities performed well their assigned tasks. Thanks to this, no violations of the exam regulations were reported.

Test takers at the Le Quy Don Senior High School for the Gifted exam venue ready for their exams

During his inspection visit to Da Nang on Thursday afternoon, the Director-General of the Quality Control Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, cum Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for the 2020 Senior High School Graduation Exam, Mr Mai Van Trinh, Mai Van Trinh highly lauded Da Nang for making careful preparations to protect candidates during the ongoing national senior high school graduation exams, regardless of many pandemic-triggered difficulties.

He affirmed that the tests used for the first phase and second phase of the exam were completely similar, and featured all included content the test takers studied at school.

“The tests were developed on the same matrix and from the same question bank as the first phase so the tests’ difficulty levels are the same to ensure quality among all candidates regardless of whether they attended the first or second phase,” Trinh remarked.

Many parents anxiously waiting for their children outside exam venues

Only after the results of the second phase are announced on 16 September can universities/colleges announce their minimum adminssion scores to enroll their freshmen.

As many as 98.34 per cent of students who sat the first phase of the exam qualified for graduation, an increase of nearly four percentage points from a year earlier, according to the results the Education and Training Ministry announced on 27 August.

The graduation rate was higher because the exams were aimed to assess whether students were eligible for graduation, not at finding outstanding graduates, in the context that schools in Viet Nam were closed for three months due to the pandemic.

By NGOC PHU – Translated by A.T