It's difficult to get a high score on the History exam!

Mr. Nguyen Quang Lieu, M.Sc. - a lecturer in History at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - shared his thoughts on this year's university entrance exam in History and predicted the score distribution for this subject. - Sir, what is your assessment of this year's university entrance exam in History?- I have a few general observations about this year's university entrance exam in History: Firstly, the exam questions were accurate and closely followed the content taught in the high school textbooks. Secondly, the exam setters focused on both world history and Vietnamese history. In particular, the Vietnamese history section of the exam covered a wide range of periods and spanned the entire history of the Vietnamese revolution from 1930 to 1975. Therefore, students who rely solely on rote memorization will not be able to score highly on this exam. Thirdly, the exam has a very high level of differentiation among candidates. If students only memorize without understanding the material, without systematically grasping the historical periods, and without the necessary skills to answer the questions—that is, without identifying the fundamental and important content of the exam—they will not be able to score above average. The exam requires analysis and commentary on historical issues, thus helping to select talented candidates for the school.- Can you give specific comments on the difficulty and quality of each question?ButQuestion I: Present the basic content of the US global strategy from after World War II to 1973 and the implementation of that strategy in Western Europe during the years 1947-1949.This is a difficult question because, in teaching, teachers often integrate this content into the section on Vietnamese history. Therefore, candidates may be overconfident about this part of the knowledge and find it difficult to separate the content related to the basic global strategy of the US to fully answer this question, especially the part about the implementation of the global strategy in Western Europe, which accounts for half of the total points for Question 1. I also consider this to be the most difficult question to score highly on.Question II: State and comment on the revolutionary tasks and forces as defined in the first Political Program of the Communist Party of Vietnam.For this question, candidates can easily state the revolutionary tasks and forces outlined in the Manifesto, but the commentary section presents a challenge. To provide accurate commentary and score points according to the Ministry's answer key, candidates need to be able to grasp the overall issue based on a thorough understanding of the Manifesto's main contents. However, I consider this to be the clearest and easiest question among the five questions in the exam. Therefore, it is also the question where candidates can most easily earn points.Question III: Using selected historical events from 1941 to 1945, clarify the role of Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh in the victory of the August 1945 Revolution.This is also a difficult question requiring students to understand and grasp the issue systematically, using historical events to demonstrate President Ho Chi Minh's role in the victory of the August Revolution in various aspects: as the person who determined the revolutionary line and methods; founding the Viet Minh Front with its "national salvation associations," building national unity; building armed forces and revolutionary base areas; accurately assessing the opportune moment, resolutely launching and leading the entire people in a general uprising to achieve victory. With this question, if students only memorize without understanding the general issue, they will not know how to answer correctly and comprehensively, especially the last two points.Question IVa: What was the first major offensive campaign launched by our main forces during the resistance war against French colonialism (1945-1954)? Summarize the historical context, our strategy, and the significance of that campaign.This question is both easy and difficult. It would be easy for candidates who correctly identify and name the campaign as the 1950 Autumn-Winter Border Campaign, after which the description of the campaign would be very simple. However, it would be difficult if the candidate incorrectly identifies the campaign the question refers to. In this case, candidates could easily confuse it with the 1947 Autumn-Winter Campaign and the 1954 Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Therefore, there are two possibilities: either the candidate will receive no points for incorrectly identifying the campaign, or they will score highly if they understand the question. Above-average or excellent students might answer this question well, while average or weak students might not be able to answer it at all, or if they do, it would be purely by luck.Question IVb: Which strategic offensive by our army and people in the South forced the US to declare a return to the "Americanization" of the war of aggression against Vietnam? Summarize the historical context, developments, and results of that offensive?This question, like question IVa, also clearly differentiates candidates. It refers to the 1972 strategic offensive by our army and people in the South. If a candidate understands the question, they will be able to answer it; otherwise, they will receive no points for this question. However, in presenting the historical context of the 1972 strategic offensive, candidates are very likely to make the mistake of not presenting enough information, especially regarding the course of events and the results achieved.

- Can you predict the score range for History this year?Based on my years of experience grading exams, I predict that the most common scores for History will fall between 1 and 3 points, mainly among average and below-average students; for above-average students, the score range will be between 4 and 5 points; and for excellent students, scores of 7 points or higher may be possible, but certainly not many. I believe that with the structure and content of the exam as described above, it will be difficult for candidates to achieve high scores in History. However, I also believe that those candidates who are eligible to be admitted to our school are all excellent students, capable of passing this type of exam.- Based on this year's exam, what suggestions do you have for developing future university history exams?- I would like to offer a few suggestions to the question setters: Firstly, when teaching History, teachers should pay close attention to integrating knowledge of world history into Vietnamese history to create interest for learners, helping them gain specific knowledge about Vietnamese history but in close relation to the development of world history. Questions about world history should not be too clearly separated without considering their connection to events in Vietnamese history. For example, one could ask: "The process of gaining independence of African nations under the impact of the Dien Bien Phu victory in Vietnam?" or "The relationship between Vietnam and Laos and the resistance war against French colonialism during the period 1946-1954." This way of asking questions helps learners grasp knowledge that is both specific and general, and makes answering more engaging. The answers will surely be more creative and better. Secondly, in a question, the commentary requirement should be weighted less than the factual presentation, as this is always a difficult requirement for high school students. The commentary section is usually used to differentiate between high-achieving and low-achieving students. Thirdly, I also agree with the way the exam questions are phrased, not asking for rote memorization but for understanding the material, grasping the issues, and organizing knowledge. Students who understand the material can easily achieve high scores, but for those who are used to rote learning, this type of exam is a challenge. I think in the coming years, the exam should maintain this question format and style.- Based on this year's university entrance exam in History, what are your thoughts on the current methods of teaching and learning History?- I think the reason why History is always a source of fear for many students each year is because they lack proper study methods and are not taught exam-taking skills. Learning history by rote, haphazardly, and without a system, failing to identify key points in each historical period, will never lead to high scores. For history teachers, during the teaching process, they should organize and systematize events chronologically so that students can grasp the issues both specifically and generally. Teachers need to emphasize significant events in each historical period, pivotal victories, and victories of historical significance and contemporary importance. Regarding exam-taking skills, teachers should teach students how to identify the main point of the question and how to answer comprehensively and accurately, rather than rambling. With both a well-structured knowledge base and effective test-taking skills, students will be able to apply their knowledge to answer questions effectively, regardless of the question format.Thank you, sir!