AN EXAMINATION OF READING TEXT DIFFICULTY IN THE VIETNAMESE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CHINESE EXAM: EVIDENCE FROM THE 2025 TEST
Main Article Content
Abstract
In 2018, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDĐT, which officially introduced the 2018 General Education Curriculum for nationwide implementation. After seven years of preparation and application, the 2025 National High School Graduation Examination (hereinafter referred to as the “2025 Exam”) will be the first examination administered under this new curriculum framework, marking a significant reform in exam structure and assessment orientation. A key feature of the 2025 Chinese language exam is the substantial increase in the number of reading texts. This change highlights the growing importance of developing students’ reading skills, making reading instruction an essential component in preparing learners for the new exam format.
In this context, accurately determining the difficulty level of reading texts becomes crucial. Text difficulty analysis serves as an important reference for designing instructional strategies, enhancing students’ reading proficiency, and ensuring effective exam preparation. This study employs the “Text Grading Platform” developed by Ludong University to conduct a systematic difficulty-level assessment of Chinese characters, vocabulary, and grammar in current Vietnamese Chinese language textbooks and in the reading passages selected for the 2025 Exam. The purpose is to identify the difficulty levels of the exam texts, evaluate the alignment between textbook input and exam requirements, and provide evidence-based insights for teaching and assessment practices.
The analysis reveals that Grade 12 Chinese textbooks primarily contain texts at Levels 4–5, while the reading texts in the 2025 Exam fall mainly within Levels 2–3. This mismatch suggests that current textbook content does not fully correspond to the difficulty level of exam materials, potentially creating challenges for both teachers and students in exam preparation. In addition, by examining Circular No. 19/2021/TT-BGDĐT, this study finds that achieving consistency between the Level 3 proficiency benchmark of the “Vietnamese Six-Level Foreign Language Competency Framework” and textbook difficulty standards presents a considerable challenge for test developers. Based on these findings, the article proposes practical recommendations for exam designers and Chinese language teachers to improve curriculum alignment, strengthen reading instruction, and better prepare learners for the evolving assessment demands.
Keywords
text difficulty, reading comprehension, Chinese subject in the National High School Graduation Examination.
Article Details
References
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