From Test Scores, Reflecting on Vietnamese People's English Proficiency

Original article (in Vietnamese): https://dantri.com.vn/tam-diem/tu-pho-diem-nghi-ve-trinh-do-tieng-anh-cua-nguoi-viet-20250719212610636.htm

Analyses of English scores in this year's high school graduation exam converge on one point: the exam differentiated students well. However, the rate of 38% of students scoring below average—all of whom voluntarily chose English as a graduation exam subject—shows that there are still issues with the quality of English teaching and learning in schools.

Source: Thanh Nien

The number of perfect 10 scores was very low, only 141 out of more than 350,000 candidates who chose English as a graduation exam subject, reflecting that the exam was not easy to achieve a perfect score on. This is something that many people, including myself, predicted when reading this year's English exam, with many specialized terms such as "carbon-neutral," "net-zero," or "greenwashing" (a term referring to the act of exaggerating or fabricating environmental protection commitments)...

I remember in the teaching content of the "Introduction to Management" course at the College of International Management - Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan, in the second session, I mentioned the concept of "Greenwashing." Only about 1/4 of the students had heard of this concept. It is not too hard to understand as this compulsory subject is for first-year students—most of whom do not yet have background knowledge in economics or business administration.

This number only increased to half when I used this concept again in the subject "Business Ethics and Social Responsibility," where the majority of students are in their 5th or 6th semester, equivalent to the 3rd year of university in Vietnam.

In short, "Greenwashing" is a strange vocabulary word, even for international students, as the school I am teaching at has students from 100 countries around the world.

Looking at this year's English exam, it is clear that many questions focused on complex grammar structures and rare vocabulary, while practical language usage skills were overlooked, and this is the issue I want to address in this article.

In 2018, I set foot in Japan for the first time. In the first year, assuming that I could use English to pass the graduate entrance exam, as well as get all the necessary credits to graduate in English, I was quite subjective about cultivating Japanese. Only after a few months, I realized there was a big difference in the quality of education in English and Japanese at Osaka University, where I studied. For the same subject and the same curriculum, the quality of the lesson was much better if the language of instruction was Japanese. Similar lessons in English attracted very few students, mainly foreign students, most of whom, like me, did not have enough proficiency in Japanese.

According to the global ranking of adult English proficiency published annually by EF Education First (EF EPI), in 2024 Japan ranked 92nd, 29 places lower than Vietnam—which ranked 63rd. In Japan, the Eiken test—a popular English exam—is criticized for focusing too much on academic grammar and vocabulary with little practical application. The consequence is that, although Japanese students spend many years learning English, their communication ability is still very limited.

Vietnam could face a similar risk to Japan if it continues to maintain the current heavy emphasis on theory in learning and assessment. We often say "you are tested on what you learn," but for students, it is usually "you learn how you are tested." This means they look at the exam to orient their learning methods.

An exam that only focuses on testing grammar and vocabulary knowledge without emphasizing language usage skills will not be able to help students orient their learning to prepare well for future life and work.

There is a reality that many Vietnamese students often face difficulties in using English when studying abroad or working in an international environment, despite achieving high scores in domestic exams. A student can excellently pass the exam with an impressive score but cannot converse naturally with foreign teachers or present ideas in international meetings due to a lack of practical communication skills.

Instead of just focusing on grammar and reading comprehension, the exam should be designed to evaluate more comprehensively, including listening and speaking skills.

Nordic countries and the Netherlands stand out with advanced education systems, in which English proficiency assessment exams are designed comprehensively and with high applicability. These countries are always in the top of the EF EPI list.

In the Netherlands, the "Centraal examen" for high school students is a typical example. This exam requires students to take diverse tests, including reading comprehension from newspaper articles, writing job application letters, listening to real audio segments, and sometimes participating in speaking tests such as interviews.

Similarly, in Sweden, "Nationella prov" also fully assesses four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing through activities such as group discussions or personal interviews. The common point of these exams is strict compliance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), helping students easily prove their English proficiency on a global scale, which is especially important in the current context of international integration.

Another prominent feature is the practicality of the exams. Tests often simulate real-life situations, such as writing work emails, participating in role-plays in daily communication contexts, or processing information from real sources such as newspapers and audio materials. This approach not only helps students achieve high scores in the exam but also equips them with the ability to use English effectively in future work and life.

Conversely, in Vietnam, current English exams mainly focus on grammar multiple-choice and reading comprehension, almost ignoring two important skills: listening and speaking. This makes Vietnamese students encounter difficulties when having to use English in real situations, limiting their competitiveness in the international labor market.

In my opinion, first of all, it is necessary to add listening and speaking sections to official exams to comprehensively assess students' language ability. Second, applying the CEFR framework will help standardize quality and increase international recognition for exam results. Third, exams should be designed to be more practical, focusing on real communication skills instead of being heavy on theory.

To make English a second language in schools, teaching and learning English as well as exams need to aim for substantive values.

By Pham Tam Long