Hanoi to pilot common assessments as it considers admissions-based entry to Grade 10

Hanoi is considering a cautious, step-by-step change to how students enter Grade 10, beginning with common assessments in selected grades rather than immediately replacing the current admissions system.

Under the Education and Training Department’s preliminary plan for the 2026-27 school year, students in Grades 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12 could take common tests at the same time. Mathematics, Vietnamese and English are among the subjects being considered. The tests would use standardized papers, with centralized or cross-marking procedures intended to limit subjective influence.

Results would be entered into a shared system to support measurement and evaluation. At the initial stage, however, the common assessments would not constitute an additional examination or necessarily count toward semester grades. Officials describe them as part of a gradual effort to establish a consistent basis for assessing students.

Nghiêm Văn Bình, head of the department responsible for examinations and quality assessment, said Hanoi could eventually consider using students’ academic and conduct records from lower secondary school as one basis for Grade 10 admissions. That would require the results to be sufficiently accurate, objective and reliable, he said.

“Reducing pressure in the Grade 10 entrance process should not be viewed only through the number of tested subjects or whether the system uses examinations or admissions,” Bình said. “It must also address schools and classrooms, learning opportunities, assessment quality and data reliability.”

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Reducing pressure in the Grade 10 entrance process should not be viewed only through the number of tested subjects or whether the system uses examinations or admissions.