Vietnam adopts rubric-based scoring for 2026 high school literature exam

The Ministry of Education and Training announced that the 2026 high‑school graduation exam will use a rubric‑based grading system for the literature (Ngữ văn) paper. The rubric provides detailed criteria—such as problem identification, argumentation, use of evidence, expression and adherence to the prompt—and assigns clear point scales to each level, aiming to reduce subjectivity and ensure fairness for more than one million candidates.

The exam also incorporated a reading‑comprehension question on artificial intelligence, reflecting the 2018 curriculum’s emphasis on contemporary issues. In the literature essay, students were asked to analyse the poem “Những chiếc lá” by Nguyễn Đình Thi, a text considered accessible yet capable of differentiating performance. Many students reported that the paper was familiar, linked to daily life, and allowed them to showcase personal viewpoints, with some anticipating scores of 7‑8 out of 10.