Humanities Exam Diary, July 2, 2015

Sunshine, sunshine, and more sunshine

The prolonged hot weather throughout the exam day led to fatigue and exhaustion among the candidates. Two candidates experienced health problems during the exam (one fainted and the other had a nosebleed), however, the medical team provided timely first aid, allowing them to complete the exam and have their results accepted by the Examination Board.

Outside the exam room, parents waited anxiously in the sweltering heat. Ms. Lien (from Ha Nam province) shared: “It’s hot in the countryside too, but not as stifling and uncomfortable as here, because we have a lot of rice fields. My daughter and I will take her back home after the exam this afternoon. It’s uncomfortable in our rented room, and there’s been a power outage.”

Parents were hot, candidates were hot, and even the invigilators had to endure the heat to support the students, but the teachers still worked with utmost seriousness, transparency, and efficiency.

The scorching heat continued to plague candidates on the second day of the exam (Photo: Pham Thanh Tung)

Parents wait for their children in the sun (Photo: Ninh Thu)

The exam was manageable.

The weather was unbearably hot, scorching our hands and feet, but in return, this year's exam questions were very easy and manageable for the candidates. Nguyen Van Viet (Tran Hung Dao High School) commented on the morning's Literature exam: “I found the exam easier than even the sample exam introduced by the Ministry. Literature was the subject we worried about the most because this year's exam structure was completely new. Although the first Reading Comprehension section was indeed difficult for us, the subsequent social commentary and literary analysis questions were very easy because they dealt with issues and characters we were already familiar with. I managed to write 6 pages.” This year's Literature exam, with its new structure, was truly a surprise for the 97 candidates. The Reading Comprehension section featured entirely new materials about love for the sea and islands and indifference. The social commentary section discussed the importance of life skills. The literary analysis section asks candidates to analyze the character of the fisherwoman in Nguyen Minh Chau's "The Boat Far Away"—a typical female character in the 12th grade Literature curriculum.

The physics exam in the afternoon didn't pose much difficulty for the candidates, even for social science students like Ngoc (Kim Lien High School): "I took the physics exam just to meet the requirements for graduation, but I found it wasn't too difficult to get a score above 5 or 6."

The exam wasn't difficult, and the candidates were cheerful as they left the examination room (Photo: Pham Thanh Tung).

Irrigation Engineering "fell in love" with Humanities

Having only worked together for two days of the exam, the volunteer teams from the two schools have already "fallen in love" with each other's seamless coordination, solidarity, discipline, and enthusiasm, all contributing to a successful exam day. This is because all more than 150 members share the same volunteer spirit.

Nguyen Anh Truong, the team leader of the volunteer team from the Water Resources University, said about the Humanities Shock Team: “The enthusiasm and large number of volunteers impressed me. They showed themselves to be hospitable hosts by taking on the most challenging task of coordinating traffic on Nguyen Trai Street and from the school gate. They gave their all under the scorching sun at the University of Water Resources.

Le Quang Phap, the team leader of the Humanities Volunteer Team, also gave positive feedback: “Although the Irrigation Department only had a small number of volunteers coming to support us, they maintained a very high level of discipline while working. In particular, they were very enthusiastic and energetic; during breaks, even though they were very tired, their teams still sang and played games.”

Members from both schools had two very productive days of collaborative work, with clear divisions of labor, to ensure peace of mind at the examination site for candidates and parents. Both also shared the hardship of working in the scorching heat during those days.

The volunteer team of the Water Resources University at Nhan Van (Photo: Pham Thanh Tung)

The Humanities volunteer team coordinates traffic on Nguyen Trai Street (Photo: Pham Thanh Tung)

Concluding two days of the National High School Graduation Examination at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the golden sunshine and the blue uniforms are the most memorable impressions for the candidates and their families. The exam will continue until July 4th with the remaining four elective subjects.