Circular No. 02/2015/TT-BGDĐT Issuing the National High School Examination Regulation

CIRCULAR

Issuing the National High School Examination Regulationsa

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Pursuant to the Education Law on June 14, 2005; the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Articles of the Education Law on November 25, 2009;

Pursuant to the Higher Education Law on June 18, 2012;

Pursuant to Decree No. 36/2012/NĐ-CP dated April 18, 2012 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

Pursuant to Decree No. 32/2008/NĐ-CP dated March 19, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant to Decree No. 75/2006/NĐ-CP dated August 2, 2006 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Education Law; Decree No. 31/2011/NĐ-CP dated May 11, 2011 of the Government amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 75/2006/NĐ-CP dated August 2, 2006 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Education Law; Decree No. 07/2013/NĐ-CP dated January 9, 2013 of the Government amending Point b Clause 13 Article 1 of Decree No. 31/2011/NĐ-CP dated May 11, 2011 of the Government amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 75/2006/NĐ-CP dated August 2, 2006 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Education Law;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Testing and Quality Assurance,

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular on the National High School Examination Regulations.

Article 1. Attached herewith is the National High School Examination Regulations.

Article 2. This Circular takes effect from April 13, 2015.

This Circular replaces Circular No. 10/2012/TT-BGDĐT dated March 6, 2012 of the Minister of Education and Training on the issuance of the High School Graduation Examination Regulations and Circulars amending and supplementing Circular No. 10/2012/TT-BGDĐT dated March 6, 2012 of the Minister of Education and Training, including Circular No. 04/2013/TT-BGDĐT dated February 21, 2013, Circular No. 06/2013/TT-BGDĐT dated March 1, 2013, and Circular No. 09/2014/TT-BGDĐT dated March 25, 2014 of the Minister of Education and Training.

Article 3. The Director of the Office, the Director of the Department of Examinations and Quality Assurance, the Heads of units under the Ministry of Education and Training related to this matter; the Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities; the Director of the Department of Education and Training of the Ministry of National Defense; the Directors of Departments of Education and Training; the Directors of universities and academies; the Principals of university and college; the Principals of boarding secondary schools for ethnic minorities under the Ministry of Education and Training are responsible for implementing this Circular./.

 

 

REGULATIONS

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL EXAMINATION REGULATIONS
(Issued together with Circular No. 02/2015/TT-BGDĐT dated February 26, 2015 of the Minister of Education and Training)

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. These regulations provide for the National High School Examination, including: preparation for the examination; candidates and eligibility criteria; registration procedures; responsibilities of candidates; examination paper preparation; examination supervision; marking, re-marking, and verification; recognition of high school graduation; reporting and archiving; inspection, commendation, handling of unusual incidents, and violation management.

2. These regulations apply to high schools, continuing education centers, and other educational institutions implementing the high school curriculum or the continuing education program at the high school level (collectively referred to as high schools); departments of education and training, universities, academies, colleges, and vocational colleges (collectively referred to as universities and colleges); intermediate technical schools and vocational schools (collectively referred to as intermediate schools); organizations and individuals participating in the examination.

Article 2. Purpose and Requirements

1. The purpose of the National High School Examination is:

a) To use results for recognizing high school graduation; to provide information for evaluating general education quality;

b) To provide data as a basis for university and college admissions.

2. The National High School Examination ensures the following requirements: seriousness, objectivity, fairness. 

Article 3. Subjects for Examination

The examination will be organized for eight subjects: Mathematics, Vietnamese Language, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Foreign Language.

1. In order to recognize high school graduation, candidates must take four subjects, including three compulsory subjects: Mathematics, Vietnamese Language, and Foreign Language, and one subject chosen by the candidate from the remaining subjects.

Candidates who have not studied Foreign Language or have studied under conditions that do not ensure quality may be considered by the Director of the Department of Education and Training to allow the candidate to choose another subject to replace Foreign Language from the optional subjects.

2. In order to recognize high school graduation and to select university and college students, candidates must take four subjects as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article and register to take additional subjects suitable for the combination of subjects required for university admission as specified by the university or college.

3. In order to select university and college students, candidates who have graduated from high school must register to take subjects according to the regulations of the university or college for the training program they wish to pursue.

Article 4. Examination Dates, Content, Schedule, Format, and Time Allowed

1. The National High School Graduation Examination (referred to as the Examination) is held annually. The examination date, schedule, format, and time allowed for each subject are specified in the annual guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. The examination content is based on the high school curriculum, mainly covering the twelfth-grade program.

Chapter II

PREPARATION FOR THE EXAMINATION

Article 5. Examination Clusters

The Ministry of Education and Training organizes examination clusters, which include:

1. Examination clusters for candidates taking the examination to recognize high school graduation and to select university and college students: organized for candidates from at least two provinces or centrally-administered cities (collectively referred to as provinces), hosted by universities and coordinated with provincial Departments of Education and Training.

2. Examination clusters for candidates taking the examination to recognize high school graduation: organized at schools or joint secondary schools within provinces, hosted by provincial Departments of Education and Training and coordinated with universities.

Article 6. National Examination Steering Committee

1. The Minister of Education and Training establishes the National Examination Steering Committee (referred to as the National Examination Steering Committee) comprising:

a) Chairperson: Leadership of the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) Deputy Chairperson: Deputy Minister of Education and Training, leadership of the Testing and Quality Assurance Bureau;

c) Member: Leadership of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training and leadership of the Political Security Internal Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Public Security;

d) Secretary: Staff members of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. The National Examination Steering Committee has duties and powers:

a) Assist the Minister of Education and Training in directing the National High School Graduation Examination:

- Directing and inspecting the implementation of tasks by provincial Examination Steering Committees and Examination Boards, handling issues arising during the organization of the examination;

- Reporting to the Minister of Education and Training and competent authorities about the situation of organizing the examination.

b) If serious violations are discovered during the examination, it may propose the Minister of Education and Training to decide on one of the following measures:

- Temporarily suspending examination activities or reorganizing the examination in the Examination Board or nationwide;

- Suspending operations and disciplining leaders and members of the Examination Board who commit violations;

- Proposing the Minister of Education and Training to establish a Review Board and inspection teams.

Article 7. Provincial Examination Steering Committee

1. The Chairman of the People's Committee of the province establishes the Provincial Examination Steering Committee, comprising:

a) Chairperson: Leadership of the People's Committee of the province;

b) Deputy Chairperson: President of the University or Director of the Department of Education and Training hosting the cluster (collectively referred to as the Head of the Host Unit); leadership of the Department of Education and Training of provinces with candidates participating in the cluster; leadership of the Provincial Police and other relevant provincial departments; among them, the Standing Deputy Chairperson is the Head of the Host Unit;

c) Member: Leadership of relevant departments of the University; leadership and staff of the Department of Education and Training, relevant provincial departments, and related agencies;

d) Secretary: Staff members of the Host Unit and Departments of Education and Training with candidates participating in the cluster.

2. The Provincial Examination Steering Committee has duties and powers:

a) Directing relevant departments, mass organizations, and educational institutions in the locality to coordinate and support, ensuring necessary conditions for the operation of the Examination Board; considering and resolving recommendations of the Chairman of the Examination Board;

b) Reporting to the National Examination Steering Committee and the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province about the situation of organizing the examination, the implementation of examination regulations in the locality, and proposing solutions to situations arising during the organization of the examination;

c) Proposing the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province, the Minister of Education and Training, and competent authorities to commend those with achievements and discipline those violating examination regulations;

d) Implementing decisions related to the National Examination Steering Committee.

Article 8. Examination Board

1. The head of the unit responsible for the examination cluster decides to establish the Examination Board and its committees to implement the tasks of the examination period, including: Secretariat Committee; Printing and Copying Committee; Transportation and Handover Committee; Supervision Committee; Grading Committee; Rechecking Committee.

a) Composition of the Examination Board

- Chairman: Head of the unit responsible for the examination cluster;

- Deputy Chairmen: Leaders of universities responsible for the examination cluster or participating in the cluster, leaders of the Department of Education and Training where the examination cluster is located;

- Members: Leaders of departments, centers, faculties, and subjects of universities and colleges; leaders of departments and centers under the Department of Education and Training where the examination cluster is located, and leaders of secondary schools; among them, the permanent member is the leader of the Training Department or the Testing Center of the unit responsible for the examination cluster.

Those who have parents, spouse, children, siblings, or relatives by blood who are taking the exam at the Examination Board in the year the Examination Period is organized shall not serve as Chairman, Deputy Chairman, or Member of the Examination Board.

b) Duties and powers of the Examination Board

- Receive original test papers from the National Examination Steering Committee; organize printing and copying of test papers, supervision, preservation of answer sheets, grading, rechecking according to the examination regulations; resolve complaints and grievances; summarize work within the assigned scope; implement rewards and punishments according to functions, powers, and provisions of this regulation; implement reporting systems and transfer examination data to the Ministry of Education and Training within the prescribed time limit;

- Direct and handle issues arising in the Examination Board's committees according to the national high school examination regulations (referred to as examination regulations);

- Report and seek opinions from the National Examination Steering Committee on the organization of the examination to address situations beyond their authority;

- The Examination Board uses the seal of the unit responsible for the examination cluster.

c) Duties and powers of the Chairman of the Examination Board

- Disseminate, guide, and direct the implementation of examination regulations;

- Decide and be fully responsible for all organizational work of the examination at the Examination Board assigned to manage;

Direct the committees to perform duties and powers stipulated in this regulation;

- Timely report to the National Examination Steering Committee on the organizational work of the Examination Board; propose solutions to ensure the operation of the Examination Board to the provincial Examination Steering Committee;

- Organize the reception and handling of information and evidence regarding violations of examination regulations as provided for in Article 47 of this regulation.

d) The Deputy Chairman of the Examination Board performs tasks assigned by the Chairman of the Examination Board and acts on behalf of the Chairman to handle matters when authorized by the Chairman.

đ) Members of the Examination Board comply with assignments from the Examination Board leadership.

2. Secretariat Committee of the Examination Board

a) Composition

- Head: Performed by the permanent member of the Examination Board concurrently;

- Deputy Head: Leaders of departments, centers of universities and colleges; leaders of departments under the Department of Education and Training and leaders of secondary schools;

- Members: Staff of departments, centers, IT officers, lecturers of universities and colleges; staff and experts of departments under the Department of Education and Training, leaders, and teachers of secondary schools.

b) Duties and powers of the Secretariat Committee of the Examination Board

- Receive examination data transferred by the Ministry of Education and Training, compile lists of candidates, assign examination rooms;

- Receive answer sheets from the Supervision Committee, preserve answer sheets;

- Hand over subjective answer sheets to the Grading Committee;

- Receive subjective answer sheets graded from the Grading Committee, preserve answer sheets;

- Hand over graded subjective answer sheets and multiple-choice answer sheets to the Grading Committee and perform related operational tasks;

- Manage documents related to answer sheets. Prepare minutes for handling answer sheet scores (if any);

- Perform other tasks assigned by the Chairman of the Examination Board.

c) The Head of the Secretariat Committee of the Examination Board is responsible before the Chairman of the Examination Board for directing the work of the Secretariat Committee.

d) The Deputy Head of the Secretariat Committee of the Examination Board assists the Head in organizing the implementation of tasks and acts on behalf of the Head to handle matters when authorized by the Head.

đ) Members of the Secretariat Committee of the Examination Board comply with assignments from the Secretariat Committee leadership.

e) The Secretariat Committee of the Examination Board can only proceed with work related to answer sheets when at least two members of the committee are present.

3. Grading Committee

a) Composition

- Head: Performed by the Examination Board leadership concurrently;

- Deputy Head: Leaders of departments, centers of universities and colleges; leaders of departments under the Department of Education and Training and leaders of secondary schools;

- Members: Staff of departments, centers, IT officers, lecturers of universities and colleges; staff and experts of departments under the Department of Education and Training, leaders, and teachers of secondary schools.

b) Duties and powers of the Grading Committee

- Grade subjective answer sheets according to regulations;

- Hand over graded answer sheets to the Secretariat Committee of the Examination Board and perform related operational tasks;

- Perform other tasks assigned by the Chairman of the Examination Board.

c) The Head of the Grading Committee is responsible before the Chairman of the Examination Board for directing the work of the Grading Committee.

d) The Deputy Head of the Grading Committee assists the Head in organizing the implementation of tasks and acts on behalf of the Head to handle matters when authorized by the Head.

đ) Members of the Grading Committee comply with assignments from the Grading Committee leadership.

e) The Grading Committee works independently from other committees of the Examination Board, directly under the direction of the Chairman of the Examination Board; can only proceed with work related to answer sheets when at least two members of the Grading Committee are present.

Article 9. Compilation of Candidate Lists for Examinations and Arrangement of Examination Rooms

1. Compilation of Candidate Lists for Examinations according to Examination Boards

a) Each Examination Board has a unique code and is standardized nationwide. Within each Examination Board, the compilation of candidate lists for examinations is carried out as follows:

- Compile a list of all candidates for examinations in alphabetical order a, b, c,... of the candidates' names to assign registration numbers;

- Compile a list of candidates in alphabetical order a, b, c,... of the candidates' names for each subject to arrange examination rooms.

b) Each candidate has a unique registration number. The registration number of a candidate consists of a character part which is the code of the Examination Board and a numerical part with six digits that increase continuously up to the total number of candidates in the Examination Board, ensuring that there are no duplicate registration numbers within the Examination Board.

2. Arrangement of Examination Rooms

a) Examination rooms are arranged according to subjects; each examination room can have a maximum of 40 candidates; in the examination room, the minimum distance between two adjacent candidates must be 1.2 meters horizontally. For the last examination room of each subject, up to 45 candidates may be accommodated; for the last examination room of the foreign language subject (at the same examination venue), candidates taking different foreign language subjects must be seated separately, but papers must be collected individually according to the subject.

b) The examination rooms of each Examination Board are numbered in ascending order;

c) In each examination room, there is a List of Candidates' Photos;

d) At the entrance of the examination room, the List of Candidates for each examination session and the responsibilities of candidates as stipulated in Article 14 of this Regulation must be posted.

Article 10. Use of Information Technology

1. Uniformly use the examination management software provided by the Ministry of Education and Training; establish an accurate information exchange system updated between general education schools and provincial Departments of Education and Training, between provincial Departments of Education and Training and universities, and between provincial Departments of Education and Training and universities with the Ministry of Education and Training; implement data processing procedures, structures, deadlines, and reporting systems as directed by the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. A dedicated unit responsible for using computers and examination management software; register email addresses and phone numbers with the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 11. Management and Use of Examination Data

The Ministry of Education and Training is responsible for managing examination data of candidates during the examination period, distributing relevant data to provincial Departments of Education and Training for high school graduation assessment and to universities, colleges, and technical colleges as a basis for admission.

Chapter III

OBJECTS AND CONDITIONS FOR EXAMINATION; ORGANIZATION OF REGISTRATION FOR EXAMINATIONS; RESPONSIBILITIES OF CANDIDATES

Article 12. Objects and Conditions for Examination

1. Objects for Examination

a) Persons who have completed the secondary school curriculum in the year the examination is organized;

b) Persons who have completed the secondary school curriculum but have not taken the graduation examination or have taken it but have not passed in previous years; persons who have graduated from secondary school; persons who have graduated from vocational secondary school; other objects permitted to take the examination by the Ministry of Education and Training (collectively referred to as self-study candidates).

2. Conditions for Examination

a) Examination objects are not in a disciplinary period prohibiting them from taking the examination; they must register for the examination and submit all required documents and examination fees according to regulations fully and on time;

b) Examination objects as specified in point a, Clause 1 of this Article must also meet the conditions evaluated and classified in grade 12: moral conduct classified at least average, academic performance not classified as poor. Specifically, for persons studying under the General Secondary Education Program who are exempt from moral conduct classification and those studying through self-study with guidance, moral conduct classification is not required.

c) Self-study candidates who have not graduated from secondary school, except as specified in point a, Clause 2 of this Article, must also meet the following conditions:

- Have graduated from junior high school (JHS);

- In cases where they were not eligible to take the examination in previous years due to poor academic performance in grade 12, they must register and participate in the end-of-year examination at the general education school where they studied grade 12 or at the registration venue for some subjects with an average score below 5.0, ensuring that when replacing the average score of the subject with the examination score, the overall average score meets the academic performance requirements as specified in point b, Clause 2 of this Article;

- In cases where they were not eligible to take the examination in previous years due to weak moral conduct in grade 12, they must be confirmed by the People's Committee of the commune where they reside to have sufficient character, moral integrity, and strict compliance with state policies and local regulations.

3. Principals of secondary schools, Directors of General Secondary Education Centers (collectively referred to as Principals of general education schools) or the place where candidates submit the Registration Form for the Examination must organize the review of registration forms; at the latest 20 days before the examination date, publicly announce the cases that do not meet the eligibility criteria for the examination as stipulated in Clause 2 of this Article.

Article 13. Organization of Exam Registration

1. Place of Exam Registration

a) The subjects as specified in point a, Clause 1, Article 12 of this Regulation shall register for the exam at the high school where they are studying grade 12;

b) Self-study candidates shall register at the location designated by the Department of Education and Training. The unit where the candidate submits the Exam Registration Form shall be responsible for performing tasks as prescribed in Article 54 of this Regulation.

2. Procedures for Exam Registration

a) The principal of the high school or the head of the unit where the candidate submits the Exam Registration Form shall be responsible for guiding the registration process, collecting the Exam Registration Forms, entering information of the registered candidates, managing the registration files, and transferring the registration files and data to the Department of Education and Training;

b) The Department of Education and Training shall manage the registration data of the candidates and send the data to the Ministry of Education and Training;

c) The Ministry of Education and Training shall manage the national registration data and transfer the data to the Examination Boards to organize the exams.

3. Registration Files for Candidates Without a High School Graduation Certificate

a) For the subjects as specified in point a, Clause 1, Article 12 of this Regulation:

- Two identical Exam Registration Forms;

- High School Record Book; Record Book or Student Assessment Form for self-study students under General Secondary Education (copies);

- Valid certificates for enjoying preferential treatment (if applicable). To enjoy preferential treatment related to the place of permanent residence registration, the candidate must provide a copy of the Permanent Residence Register;

- Two 4x6 cm photos and two envelopes with stamps affixed and the candidate's contact address clearly marked.

b) Self-study candidates, in addition to the files specified in point a, Clause 3 of this Article, must also have:

- Birth certificate (copy);

- A confirmation letter from the People's Committee of the commune where the candidate resides, according to the content stipulated in point c, Clause 2, Article 12 of this Regulation if they do not meet the conditions to take the exam in previous years due to poor conduct evaluation in grade 12;

- A confirmation letter from the high school where the candidate studied grade 12 or the registration location regarding academic performance classification for students classified as having poor academic performance as specified in point c, Clause 2, Article 12 of this Regulation;

- Junior High School Graduation Certificate or vocational certificate (copy);

- Confirmation letter of credit points (if any) confirmed by the principal of the high school where the candidate took the exam in the previous year.

4. Registration Files for Self-study Candidates Who Have Completed High School:

a) Two identical Exam Registration Forms;

b) High School Graduation Certificate or vocational certificate (copy);

c) Two 4x6 cm photos and two envelopes with stamps affixed and the candidate's contact address clearly marked.

5. Deadline for Receiving Registration Files: before April 30 each year. When the registration file submission deadline has passed, if any errors or omissions are discovered, the candidate must promptly report to the principal of the high school or the head of the unit where the registration was made or to the Examination Board on the day of the examination procedures to correct and supplement.

Special cases that are allowed to supplement certification papers to enjoy preferential treatment, bonus points must be completed before the examination date to be valid.

6. The graduation recognition file shall be completed and submitted at the registration location as stipulated in the annual guidance of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 14. Responsibilities of Candidates

1. Registering for the exam as prescribed in Article 13 of this Regulation and according to the annual guidance of the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. Being present in the examination room at the time specified in the Examination Notification to complete the examination procedures:

a) Presenting the Identity Card and receiving the Examination Permit;

b) If there are any errors in the name, middle name, surname, date of birth, preferential category, or preferential area, immediately report to the Examination Board staff for prompt handling;

c) In case of loss of the Identity Card or other necessary documents, immediately report to the Examination Center Director for consideration and handling.

3. Being present in the examination room at the specified time, complying with the instructions of the Examination Supervisors and the guidance of the Examination Staff (ES). Candidates arriving more than 15 minutes late after the start signal will not be allowed to take the exam session.

4. Upon entering the examination room, must comply with the following regulations:

a) Show the Examination Permit to the ES;

b) Only permitted to bring writing pens, pencils, compasses, erasers, rulers, calculators without word processing functions and without memory cards; Vietnam Geography Atlas for Geography subject (published by the Vietnam Educational Publishing House, no markings or additional writings allowed); recording devices only with recording functions and cannot transmit or receive audio or video signals directly without additional equipment;

c) Not allowed to bring weapons, explosives, flammable materials, alcoholic beverages, carbon paper, erasable pens, documents, or devices containing information that could be exploited for cheating during the exam and grading process.

5. In the examination room, must comply with the following regulations:

a) Sit in the seat marked with their registration number;

b) Before starting the exam, must write down their full registration number (both alphabetic and numeric parts) on the exam paper, answer sheet, Multiple Choice Answer Sheet (MCAS), scratch paper;

c) After receiving the exam paper, carefully check the page number and print quality. If missing pages, torn, damaged, blurred, or smudged pages are found, immediately report to the ES in the room within 15 minutes of receiving the exam;

d) Not allowed to exchange, copy, or make gestures or actions that may lead to cheating and disrupt the examination room order. To speak, raise your hand to report to the ES. When permission is granted, the candidate must stand up and publicly present their views to the ES;

đ) Not allowed to mark or make personal symbols, except drawing circles with a compass and shading boxes on the MCAS; only allowed to write in one ink color (red ink is not allowed);

e) When the time limit signal is given, stop working immediately;

g) Preserve the exam paper intact, preventing others from exploiting it. If someone interferes with the exam paper, immediately report to the ES for handling;

h) When submitting the exam paper, clearly indicate the number of sheets submitted and sign the Exam Paper Receipt Form. Even if unable to complete the exam, submit the exam paper and MCAS. Do not submit scratch paper.

i) Shall not leave the examination room during the entire duration of the multiple-choice test. For the essay subject examination session, candidates may be allowed to leave the examination room and examination area after two-thirds of the examination time has elapsed, provided that they submit their answer sheets along with the question papers and rough work before leaving the examination room;

k) In case of necessity, shall only be allowed to leave the examination room upon permission from the invigilator and must be under the supervision of the monitoring staff; in cases of emergency, the decision to allow candidates to leave the examination room and examination area shall be made by the Examination Center Director;

6. When taking multiple-choice subjects, in addition to the provisions stipulated in Clause 5 of this Article, candidates must comply with the following regulations:

a) Must complete the answer sheet on the Multiple Choice Test Answer Sheet printed according to the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations. Only black pencil marks are allowed in the registration number boxes, test code boxes, and response boxes. In case of marking errors or wanting to change answers, the pencil marks in the old box must be erased completely, then mark the chosen box;

b) Accurately fill in all blank sections at the top of the Multiple Choice Test Answer Sheet, for the registration number, both the alphabetic part and the numeric part (all six boxes, including leading zeros) must be filled in; accurately fill in the test code on two Answer Sheets;

c) Upon receiving the question paper, must place it under the Multiple Choice Test Answer Sheet; shall not view the question paper until permitted by the invigilator;

d) Must check the question paper to ensure that the number of questions matches the number stated in the question paper and that all pages of the question paper bear the same test code;

đ) Shall not submit the answer sheet before the allotted time has ended. When submitting the Multiple Choice Test Answer Sheet, must sign on two Answer Sheets;

e) Shall only be allowed to leave the examination room after the invigilator has verified the complete set of Multiple Choice Test Answer Sheets for the entire examination room and given permission to depart;

7. In case of unusual incidents, must strictly follow the instructions of the invigilator;

Chapter IV

TEST PREPARATION WORK

Article 15. Requirements for the Question Paper

1. The question paper for the National High School Graduation Examination must meet the following requirements:

a) The content of the question paper complies with the provisions of Clause 2 of Article 4 of this Regulation;

b) Ensures the classification of candidates' levels, meeting basic requirements (for high school graduation) and advanced requirements (for university and college admissions);

c) Ensures accuracy, scientific rigor, and pedagogical quality. Language and wording must be clear;

d) Essay question papers must clearly indicate the points for each question; the essay test score and multiple-choice test score are converted to a scale of 10 points;

đ) The question paper must clearly state the number of pages (for question papers with two or more pages) and have the word "END" at the end of the question paper;

2. In one examination period, each subject has an official question paper and a backup question paper of equivalent difficulty; each question paper comes with marking guidelines and answers;

Article 16. Examination Room and Security Requirements

1. Unpublished question papers, marking guidelines, answers, and grading scales belong to the State Secret category of "Top Secret";

2. The preparation of question papers, printing of question papers (collectively referred to as preparing question papers) must be carried out at a secure, isolated location and strictly protected throughout the preparation process until the end of the last subject examination period, equipped with sufficient security measures and fire prevention equipment;

3. All participants involved in preparing question papers must be completely isolated from the outside. In necessary cases and with written approval from the Chairman of the Question Paper Preparation Committee or the Head of the Question Paper Printing Department, participants may contact the outside world through fixed-line telephones with external speakers and recording capabilities under the surveillance of security personnel and police;

The list of participants in the preparation of question papers must be kept confidential before, during, and after the examination period. Personnel working in the isolation area must wear identification badges and operate within designated areas, and can only leave the isolation area after the last subject examination period. In special circumstances, with written approval from the Chairman of the Question Paper Preparation Committee or the Head of the Question Paper Printing Department, participants may leave the isolation area under police surveillance;

4. Envelopes containing question papers for delivery, receipt, and transportation from the preparation site to the outside must be made of durable, opaque paper, securely sealed without peeling edges, and properly labeled and sealed. The content printed on the envelope must comply with the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations;

5. The entire process of delivery, receipt, and transportation of question papers must be supervised by the police; envelopes containing question papers must be safely stored in locked boxes and sealed during the delivery and transportation process;

6. Machinery and equipment at the question paper preparation site, whether damaged or unused, can only be removed from the isolation area after the last subject examination period.

Article 17. Examination Question Setting Board

1. The Minister of Education and Training shall decide to establish the National High School Exit Examination Question Setting Board (referred to as the Examination Question Setting Board).

2. Composition of the Examination Question Setting Board

a) Chairman of the Board: Head of the Department of Quality Assurance and Examination Management.

b) Deputy Chairmen of the Board: Deputy Head of the Department of Quality Assurance and Examination Management, leaders of other units under the Ministry of Education and Training, and leaders of the Examination Department under the Department of Quality Assurance and Examination Management.

c) Members and Secretaries: Officials and civil servants from units under the Ministry of Education and Training; among them, the permanent member is the leader of the Examination Department under the Department of Quality Assurance and Examination Management.

d) Question drafters and reviewers are lecturers from universities and colleges, researchers from research institutes, and teachers from secondary schools. Each subject has a question-setting team consisting of the head of the subject question and the question drafters.

đ) Security force: Personnel mobilized by the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Education and Training.

Those who have relatives participating in the examination in the year of organization shall not participate in the Examination Question Setting Board.

3. Principles of Operation of the Examination Question Setting Board

a) Question-setting teams and other members of the Examination Question Setting Board work independently and directly with the leadership of the Examination Question Setting Board; each person assigned a task must fulfill that task and shall not participate in other tasks.

b) Each member of the Examination Question Setting Board must bear personal responsibility for the content, ensuring confidentiality and security of the questions according to their respective duties and national secrecy protection principles.

4. Duties and Authorities of the Examination Question Setting Board

a) Organize the drafting of examination questions and marking guidelines for the main and reserve examinations.

b) Print and reproduce examination questions in accordance with regulations, sufficient in quantity as required by the National Examination Steering Committee; package, store, and hand over the examination questions to the National Examination Steering Committee.

c) Ensure absolute confidentiality and security of the examination questions and marking guidelines within the question-setting area from the start of the question-drafting process until the end of the last subject's examination period.

5. The Chairman of the Examination Question Setting Board is responsible for:

a) Managing and overseeing all activities related to question-setting and handing over the questions to the National Examination Steering Committee; being accountable to the Minister of Education and Training regarding the examination questions.

b) Handling unusual situations concerning the examination questions.

c) Proposing the Minister of Education and Training to issue decisions on rewards and disciplinary actions (if necessary) for members of the Examination Question Setting Board.

6. Members of the Examination Question Setting Board shall perform their tasks as assigned by the Chairman of the Examination Question Setting Board.

Article 18. Printing, Transporting, and Handing Over Examination Questions at the Examination Board

1. Printing Examination Questions

a) The Composition of the Examination Question Reproduction Team includes:

- The Head of the Examination Question Reproduction Team, concurrently serving as the leader of the Examination Board;

- Deputy Heads: Leaders of universities and colleges or leaders of training departments and examination centers of universities and colleges; leaders of provincial education and training departments or leaders of relevant departments under provincial education and training departments;

- Members and Secretaries: Officials, civil servants, and staff from relevant departments and centers of universities and colleges; officials, civil servants, and staff from relevant departments under provincial education and training departments, and secondary school teachers;

- Security Force: Police and security personnel.

Those who have relatives participating in the examination in the year of organization shall not participate in the Examination Question Reproduction Team.

b) The Examination Question Reproduction Team works in isolation from the moment the seal is broken on the original questions until the end of the last subject's examination period.

c) The Head of the Examination Question Reproduction Team bears personal responsibility before the Chairman of the Examination Board and the law for the following tasks:

- Receiving the original questions, organizing the reproduction of examination questions, storing, and transferring the reproduced questions to the Head of the Transportation and Handover Team of the Examination Board, witnessed by the Secretary of the Examination Board, police officers appointed to supervise and protect the questions;

- Proposing the Chairman of the Examination Board to consider and issue decisions or propose rewards and disciplinary actions (if necessary) for members of the Examination Question Reproduction Team.

d) The reproduction of examination questions follows the procedure below:

- Review the original questions carefully, check the trial printouts thoroughly, compare them with the original questions before reproducing. If errors or questionable content are found in the original questions, immediately report to the Chairman of the Examination Board to request the National Examination Steering Committee to handle it;

- Accurately control the number of examinees in each examination room, location, and subject to organize the distribution of questions, record the examination location, room, subject, and number of questions in each envelope containing the questions, as stipulated in Clause 4, Article 16 of this Regulation before packaging the questions;

- Reproduce questions sequentially for each subject; after reproducing, seal and package according to the examination room, clean up thoroughly, then proceed to reproduce questions for the next subject. During the reproduction process, quality checks must be conducted; trial prints and defective prints must be collected and stored according to confidential document procedures;

- Package the correct number of questions for each subject as indicated on the envelope containing the questions, sufficient for each examination location and room. Each subject at an examination location must have one envelope containing reserve questions (enough codes for multiple-choice questions). After packaging the questions for each subject, the Head of the Examination Question Reproduction Team manages the envelopes; including extra prints, defective prints, blurry, poor-quality, torn, or dirty prints that have been discarded.

2. Transporting and Handing Over Examination Questions

a) The Transportation and Handover Team receives examination questions from the Examination Question Reproduction Team, stores, transports, and distributes the questions to examination locations.

b) The Head of the Transportation and Handover Team is concurrently served by the leader of the Examination Board; members of the Team and supervising police officers are decided by the head of the examination venue management unit.

Article 19. Storage and Use of Examinations at the Examination Board

1. Examinations must be stored in boxes, cabinets, or safes with locks, sealed, and guarded 24 hours a day; the keys to the boxes, cabinets, or safes shall be kept by the Head of the Examination Paper Transport Committee. During transportation and handover of examinations, there must be police supervision and a handover record. Examinations at examination venues shall be kept by the Head of the Examination Venue.

2. Official examinations may only be opened and distributed to candidates in examination rooms at the time and for the subject specified by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Backup examinations shall only be used in cases of extraordinary incidents as stipulated in Article 46 of this Regulation.

Chapter V

ORGANIZATION OF SUPERVISION

Article 20. Examination Supervision Committee

1. The members of the Examination Supervision Committee include:

a) Chairperson: held concurrently by the leadership of the Examination Board;

b) Deputy Chairperson: leaders of universities, colleges, or departments, centers of universities, colleges; leaders of departments under the provincial Department of Education and Training and general secondary schools; among them, the permanent Deputy Chairperson is the leader of the unit responsible for the examination cluster;

c) Members and secretaries: staff, lecturers, employees of universities, colleges; leaders and specialists of departments under the provincial Department of Education and Training and teachers of general secondary schools;

d) Invigilators: staff, lecturers of universities, colleges and teachers of general secondary schools, junior high schools; postgraduate students, final-year students of universities responsible for the examination cluster; each examination room has two invigilators;

e) Supervisors, security officers, medical personnel, police (where necessary, military inspectors may be added);

f) The Chairman of the Examination Board decides on the establishment of examination venues based on the number of candidates registered for the examination cluster and the material conditions and human resources available. The Head of the Examination Venue is appointed by the Chairman of the Examination Board to oversee all examination supervision activities at the assigned venue. Invigilators shall not perform duties at examination venues where their relatives are taking the examination.

2. The Chairperson of the Examination Supervision Committee is responsible for overseeing all examination supervision activities at the Examination Board and deciding on the handling of situations that arise during examination sessions.

3. The Deputy Chairperson of the Examination Supervision Committee and the Head of the Examination Venue carry out tasks as assigned by the Chairperson of the Examination Supervision Committee.

4. Invigilators, examination room supervisors, and other members of the Examination Supervision Committee shall comply with the assignments of the Chairperson of the Examination Supervision Committee, strictly adhere to the examination regulations, and follow the management of the Head of the Examination Venue when performing duties at the venue.

Article 21. Procedures for Candidates to Register for the Examination

1. Based on the data of candidates registered for the examination cluster, the Secretariat of the Examination Board completes the list of candidates (including the Candidate Photo List) for each examination room; issues the Examination Registration Card; determines the location for candidates to complete registration procedures.

2. On the day of registration procedures, according to the published schedule, the Head of the Examination Venue assigns staff to guide candidates through registration procedures, disseminate examination regulations, record and confirm any errors in the candidate's name, category, permanent residence, and region, and transfer this information to the Secretariat of the Examination Board for review and updating in the examination management software.

Article 22. Responsibilities of Examination Invigilators and Other Members of the Examination Supervision Committee

a) Must be present on time at the examination venue to perform duties. While performing examination supervision duties, they shall not carry devices capable of transmitting information; shall not engage in personal matters, smoke, or consume alcoholic beverages;

1. Invigilators

b) Upon signal, the first invigilator calls the candidate's name to enter the examination room, the second invigilator uses the Examination Registration Card and Candidate Photo List to verify and identify the candidate; guides the candidate to sit in the designated seat and checks the items the candidate brings into the examination room, absolutely prohibiting the candidate from bringing any prohibited materials or items into the examination room as stipulated in Article 14 of this Regulation;

c) Upon signal, the first invigilator collects the examination papers, the second invigilator reminds candidates of important examination room discipline; clearly records and signs the names on the examination papers and rough sheets sufficient for distribution to candidates (without signing extra); guides and checks that candidates fold the examination papers correctly, write down their registration numbers, and fill in the required sections of the examination paper before starting the examination;

d) Upon signal, the first invigilator holds up the sealed envelope containing the examination papers so that candidates can see both sides remain sealed, requests two candidates to witness and sign the confirmation form stating that the envelope remains sealed; opens the envelope containing the examination papers, checks the quantity of examination papers, if there are any excess, shortage, or mixed papers, immediately report to the Head of the Examination Venue for handling; distributes examination papers to each candidate;

e) When candidates start answering questions, the first invigilator compares the candidate's photo in the Examination Registration Card and Candidate Photo List with the candidate to identify them, clearly records and signs the names on the examination papers and rough sheets of the candidate; the second invigilator oversees the entire room. During the examination period, one invigilator oversees from the front of the room to the back, while the other oversees from the back to the front until the end of the examination; invigilators shall not stand close to candidates, assist candidates in answering questions in any form; only answer public questions from candidates within the prescribed scope.

f) The process of invigilators signing and recording names on supplementary examination papers and rough sheets issued to candidates is carried out according to the procedure stipulated in point c and point e of Clause 1 of this Article;

g) Invigilators must protect examination papers during the examination period, preventing them from being taken out of the examination room. After fifteen minutes of the examination time, invigilators submit any excess sealed examination papers to the person assigned by the Head of the Examination Venue;

h) Only allow candidates to leave the examination room earliest after two-thirds of the examination time (for essay-type examinations), after the candidates have submitted their answers, examination papers, and rough sheets. If a candidate must temporarily leave the examination room, the invigilator must inform the examination room supervisor to handle it;

i) Fifteen minutes before the end of the examination time, invigilators notify candidates of the remaining time.

h) In case a candidate violates discipline, the invigilator must prepare a record of handling according to the regulations. In case of unusual situations, they must immediately report to the Examination Center Director;

i) Fifteen minutes before the end of the examination period, the invigilator shall notify the remaining time to the candidates.

k) When the command to stop writing is given, the first invigilator must request candidates to cease writing and collect their papers, including those of candidates who have been recorded in the incident report. The second invigilator maintains order and discipline in the examination room; the first invigilator calls out each candidate's name as they hand over their papers and receives the papers from the candidates. Upon receiving the papers, the number of sheets submitted by each candidate must be counted, and the candidates must record the correct number of sheets and sign on the Examination Paper Collection Forms. Only after all papers have been collected may candidates leave the examination room.

l) Invigilators must arrange the papers in ascending order of registration numbers. Any disciplinary incident reports (if any) must be attached to the candidates' papers. The first invigilator directly carries the envelope containing the papers, together with the second invigilator, to hand over the papers to the secretary of the Examination Center immediately after each session. Each envelope of papers must be publicly checked and compared with the number of papers and sheets contained therein, the Examination Paper Collection Forms, and any disciplinary incident reports and evidence (if any).

m) After completing the handover of the papers, the envelope containing the papers and the collection forms of each examination room are sealed on the spot by the secretary of the Examination Center and two invigilators. Each envelope of papers has three seals affixed to the middle of the three edges, and the two invigilators must countersign between the seal and the envelope. The secretary of the Examination Center and the two invigilators must clearly write their names and sign on the handover record.

n) During the supervision of multiple-choice examinations, in addition to the responsibilities stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article, invigilators must perform the following tasks:

- Receive the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet, and sign the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet;

- Distribute the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet and guide candidates to fill in all required information on the sheet;

- Distribute the question paper to candidates such that two adjacent candidates (both horizontally and vertically) do not have the same test code. When distributing the question paper, require candidates to place it under the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet and not view the question paper. Once the last candidate has received the question paper, allow them to turn it over and write or mark the test code on the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet, and record the test code on both Examination Paper Collection Forms;

- Do not collect the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet before the end of the examination time. When collecting the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet, check the recording and marking of the test code on the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet of the candidates (compare the test code recorded and marked on the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet with the test code recorded on the candidate's question paper);

- Hand over to the secretary of the Examination Center an envelope containing all Multiple Choice Answer Sheets arranged in ascending order of registration numbers and a completed Examination Paper Collection Form with the test code recorded and signed by the candidates. One copy of the Examination Paper Collection Form remains outside the envelope handed over to the Examination Center leadership.

2. Examination monitoring activities

a) The Examination Center Director arranges supervisors for examination rooms; ensuring that each supervisor oversees no more than ten examination rooms.

b) Supervisors are individuals with experience in examination organization, familiar with examination regulations.

c) Supervisors have the responsibility to:

- Monitor the performance of duties and tasks of invigilators, other members working at the Examination Center, and candidates' examination papers;

- Promptly remind invigilators, orderlies, police, medical staff, and create incident reports if these individuals violate examination regulations;

- Recommend the Examination Center Director to suspend the performance of duties or replace invigilators, orderlies, police, and medical staff if there are violations;

- Require invigilators to create incident reports for candidates who violate examination regulations (if any);

- Cooperate with examination inspection teams in checking and handling violations.

3. Orderlies, police (and military control, if any)

a) Individuals assigned to guard a specific area are responsible for maintaining order and security in that area and must not move to other areas;

b) Do not allow anyone without a designated responsibility to enter the area they are in charge of. Do not leave their post or engage in personal matters while on duty. Do not enter examination rooms; do not communicate with candidates;

c) Report to the Examination Center Director about any situations occurring during the examination period to handle them promptly;

d) Police officers dispatched to support examination boards also have the responsibility to escort and ensure the safety of examination papers and answer sheets.

4. Medical personnel

a) Must be present throughout the examination period at the location specified by the Examination Board to handle cases where candidates fall ill;

b) When the Examination Center Director informs of an unusual illness among candidates during the examination period, they must provide timely treatment or send them to the hospital for emergency care, if necessary (accompanied by a supervisor and a police officer);

c) Strictly prohibit the abuse of on-site medical services to commit acts that violate examination regulations.

Chapter VI

ORGANIZATION OF MARKING EXAMINATIONS

Article 23. Examination Marking Area

1. The examination marking area includes the marking location, the checking location, and the storage location for answer sheets, which are arranged close to each other, with security forces guarding 24 hours a day, and equipped with sufficient firefighting equipment.

2. The storage location for answer sheets must be sealed and locked; the key is kept by the Head of the Marking Board; when opening or closing, there must be the presence of police officers and members of the Secretariat Board of the Examination Council.

3. Absolutely no means of transmitting or receiving information, copying documents, personal papers, erasing pens, pencils, and any type of pen not specified by the Marking Board shall be brought into or out of the examination marking area.

Article 24. Marking Board

1. The composition of the Marking Board includes:

a) Chairperson: held concurrently by the leadership of the Examination Council;

b) Deputy Chairperson: leaders of universities and colleges, leaders of provincial Departments of Education and Training, or leaders of departments, centers of universities and colleges; leaders of departments under provincial Departments of Education and Training and leaders of secondary schools; among them, the permanent Deputy Chairperson is the leader of the unit hosting the examination cluster;

c) Members include Heads of subject marking teams and marking staff (MS) who are faculty members of universities and colleges and teachers of secondary schools. Each subject must have at least three MS.

MS must be currently teaching the assigned subject. Lecturers and teachers undergoing probationary periods and members of the Secretariat Board and the Shuffling Board of the Examination Council are not allowed to mark examinations.

d) Security force: police officers and guards;

Individuals with relatives participating in the Examination Council shall not participate in the Marking Board of that Examination Council.

2. The Chairperson of the Marking Board oversees marking work and is responsible to the Chairman of the Examination Council for the time, process, and quality of marking.

3. The Deputy Chairperson of the Marking Board performs tasks assigned by the Chairperson of the Marking Board.

4. The Head of the Subject Marking Team is responsible to the Chairman of the Examination Council and the Chairperson of the Marking Board for marking examination papers within the assigned subjects and performs the following tasks:

a) Develop a marking plan, organize the handover of examination papers, and assign MS;

b) Before marking, organize discussions for MS within the assigned subjects to understand marking guidelines, answers, and grading scales. During the marking process, regularly organize exchanges and draw lessons. After completing the marking, organize a meeting of MS within the assigned subjects to summarize;

c) Propose to the Chairperson of the Marking Board to change or suspend marking for MS who lack responsibility, violate examination regulations, or make numerous errors.

5. Members of the Marking Board comply with assignments from the Chairperson, strictly adhere to examination regulations; MS follow the direct management of the Head of the Subject Marking Team.

Article 25. Marking of Essay-Type Examinations

1. Mark according to the marking guidelines, answers, and grading scales of the Ministry of Education and Training. Examination papers are marked on a scale of 10 points, rounded to 0.25; no rounding off of points.

2. Marking Process

The Secretariat Board of the Examination Council hands over sealed bags of shuffled examination papers and marking sheets to the Head of the Subject Marking Team.

The Head of the Subject Marking Team gathers all marking staff (MS) to familiarize them with examination regulations, discuss marking guidelines, and jointly mark at least ten essay-type examination papers per subject to draw lessons and unify the application of marking guidelines; then organize marking in two independent rounds in separate rooms.

a) First round of marking:

- The Head of the Subject Marking Team organizes a random distribution of sealed bags to MS, giving each person individually;

- Before marking, MS check each paper to ensure the correct number of pages and shuffling marks, and cross out all unused blank spaces left by candidates. Do not mark papers done on different paper than the designated examination paper. In case of discovering papers missing pages, done on scratch paper, done on different paper than the designated examination paper, done with handwriting of two people, written in different ink colors, written in red ink, pencil, or containing unrelated content, crumpled papers, or suspected of being marked, MS must hand these papers over to the Head of the Subject Marking Team for handling;

- During the first round of marking, apart from crossing out unused blank spaces, MS must not write anything on the candidate's paper or the sealed bag. Component scores, total score, and comments (if any) are recorded on the marking sheet of each paper. On the marking sheet, clearly record the name and signature of the MS;

- After completing the marking of a sealed bag, MS hand it over to the Head of the Subject Marking Team for handover to the Secretariat Board of the Examination Council.

b) Second round of marking:

- After the first round of marking, members of the Secretariat Board of the Examination Council remove the marking sheets and hand over the sealed bags of examination papers to the Head of the Subject Marking Team to organize a random distribution for the second round of marking, ensuring that the sealed bags are not returned to the same MS who marked them in the first round;

- MS in the second round mark directly on the candidate's paper and record on the marking sheet. Points for each small component must be recorded at the margin of the paper next to the marked section; subsequently, record the component score and total score in the designated boxes, clearly record the name and sign in all pages of the candidate's paper;

After completing the marking of a sealed bag, MS hand it over along with the marking sheet to the Head of the Subject Marking Team for handover to the Secretariat Board of the Examination Council.

3. Handling marking results and preparing marking records

Members of the Secretariat Board of the Examination Council compare marking results and handle them as follows:

a) Handling results of two rounds of marking:

b) Handling the results of three gradings:

Article 26. Grading multiple-choice tests

1. Members of the Multiple Choice Test Processing Team: The team leader is the examination board leadership; members are staff and technicians; the monitoring department includes inspectors assigned by the Examination Board Chairman and police.

2. All Answer Sheets (candidates' work) must be graded by machine and specialized software. The grading software must have the function of detecting and identifying errors to grade according to the examination regulations.

3. During the grading process, a monitoring department must be arranged to supervise continuously from when the sealed envelope containing the Answer Sheets is opened until the end of the grading. Members involved in processing Answer Sheets are not allowed to bring pencils or erasers into the grading room and are not permitted to modify or add to candidates' Answer Sheets under any circumstances. Any unusual phenomena must be reported immediately to the monitoring department and the team leader for confirmation and recording in the minutes. All Answer Sheets after scanning and the Answer Collection Sheets must be sealed, stored, and kept confidential at the main testing venue.

4. After scanning, a verification process must be conducted to check all logical errors and correct technical errors (if any) during the scanning process.

5. Scanned data (exported from the software, ensuring structure and requirements as stipulated by the Ministry of Education and Training) must be recorded onto two identical CDs, sealed under the supervision of inspectors and police. One CD is handed over to the Examination Board Chairman for storage, the other CD sent via express mail to the Ministry of Education and Training (Quality Assurance and Accreditation Center), no later than 15 days after the last exam of the examination period.

Only after sending the scanned data CD to the Ministry of Education and Training (Quality Assurance and Accreditation Center) can the Multiple Choice Test Processing Team open the sealed CD containing the grading data under the supervision of police and inspectors to proceed with scoring.

6. The grading team uses computers to score and convert scores to a 10-point scale (to the nearest 0.25) for each multiple-choice test. Consistent use of subject codes in data files as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training.

7. Immediately after completing the grading process, the processed and officially graded data files (exported from the software, ensuring structure and requirements as stipulated by the Ministry of Education and Training) must be recorded onto two identical CDs, sealed under the supervision of inspectors and police; one CD is handed over to the Examination Board Chairman for storage, the other CD sent via express mail to the Ministry of Education and Training (Quality Assurance and Accreditation Center).

Article 27. Examination Checking Team

1. The Head of the Examination Board shall establish an Examination Checking Team consisting of:

a) Team Leader: to be concurrently held by the leadership of the Examination Board. In the same examination period, the person serving as the Team Leader for Examination Checking shall not simultaneously serve as the Head of the Examination Board or the Head of the Rechecking Board;

b) Members including the Heads of examination checking subjects and examiners.

Those who have participated in marking examinations and members of the Secretariat of the Examination Board shall not participate in examination checking.

2. Duties and powers of the Examination Checking Team

a) Conduct examination checking on at least 5% of the number of examination papers marked for each subjective examination subject, according to the marking progress of that subject; the examination checking process shall follow the procedures stipulated in Article 25 of this Regulation;

b) At the end of each marking session or when deemed necessary, the Team Leader for Examination Checking shall compile and report the results of examination checking and make recommendations and proposals to the Head of the Examination Board to apply appropriate measures to ensure fair, objective, and serious marking;

c) The Examination Checking Team shall only directly work with marking teams and examiners related to their duties (with working records) upon request of the Head of the Examination Board and with the consent of the Chairman of the Examination Board.

3. The Chairman of the Examination Board decides whether to organize dialogues between examiners and examination checkers or not.

Article 28. Management of Examination Scores

1. After completing the marking of all subjects, the Chairman of the Examination Board shall review the examination results, report, and submit all score data of examination papers to the Ministry of Education and Training (Quality Assurance Center) for centralized management. Score data must be stored on two identical CDs, sealed under the supervision of inspectors and police; one CD is kept by the Chairman of the Examination Board, and one CD is handed over to the Ministry of Education and Training (Quality Assurance Center).

Simultaneously, the Examination Board shall store the score data of candidates applying for high school graduation certification from each Department of Education and Training on two identical CDs, sealed under the supervision of inspectors and police; one CD is kept by the Chairman of the Examination Board, and one CD is handed over to the Department of Education and Training where the candidates applied to take the examination for high school graduation certification.

2. After reviewing the examination results and sending examination data to the Ministry of Education and Training, the Chairman of the Examination Board shall direct the Secretariat of the Examination Board to print Examination Result Certificates for candidates applying for university and college admissions (according to a unified model prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training), sign and stamp them, and send them to the Departments of Education and Training where the candidates applied to take the examination.

Each candidate shall be issued four Examination Result Certificates; one Certificate is used for admission to the first choice and three Certificates are used for supplementary choices.

3. All documents related to examination scores must be sealed and directly managed by the Chairman of the Examination Board.

Chapter VII

ORGANIZATION OF RECHECKING AND REVIEW MARKING

Article 29. Rechecking Board

1. Composition of the Rechecking Board (if established) includes:

a) Chairperson: to be concurrently held by the leadership of the Examination Board. In the same examination period, the person serving as the Chairperson of the Rechecking Board shall not simultaneously serve as the Chairperson of the Examination Board or the Team Leader for Examination Checking;

b) Deputy Chairperson: leaders of universities and colleges, leaders of provincial Departments of Education and Training, or leaders of departments, centers of universities and colleges; leaders of departments under provincial Departments of Education and Training and leaders of secondary schools; among them, the permanent Deputy Chairperson is the leader of the unit hosting the examination cluster;

c) Members: competent staff, teachers, and lecturers currently teaching the assigned subjects.

Lecturers and teachers in their probationary period, and members of the Secretariat shall not participate in rechecking. A person who has marked papers at a particular Examination Board shall not recheck papers from that Examination Board.

Persons with relatives taking the examination at a particular Examination Board shall not participate in the Rechecking Board of that Examination Board.

2. The Rechecking Board shall have the following responsibilities:

a) To check errors such as incorrect point additions and wrong score entries;

b) To re-mark examination papers upon candidates' requests;

c) To present the examination scores after rechecking to the Chairman of the Examination Board for decision.

Article 30. Examination Review

1. All candidates have the right to request examination review and must pay the review fee as prescribed.

2. The Department of Education and Training shall accept candidates' review requests within ten days from the date of announcing examination scores and transfer the data of candidates requesting examination review to the Examination Board. Within fifteen days from the deadline for accepting review requests, the Examination Board must announce the results of the review.

3. Procedure for examination review:

a) The review process shall be conducted subject by subject under the direct management of the Head of the Review Committee.

b) Before transferring examination papers to the Review Committee, the Secretariat of the Examination Board shall perform the following tasks:

- Searching to find the paper number from the registration number, retrieving the examination paper, and checking against the Examination Collection Form to verify the number of answer sheets;

- Collecting all examination papers of a subject into one or more bags, clearly marking the examination paper numbers and the number of answer sheets in each bag, and transferring them to the Review Committee. The handover of examination papers between the Secretariat of the Examination Board and the Review Committee shall comply with the provisions set forth in Article 25 of this Regulation;

- During the execution of tasks related to the review, there must be at least two people present. Strictly maintain confidentiality regarding the relationship between the registration number and the paper number, and do not combine the paper heads.

4. Review of subjective examination papers:

a) Each subjective examination paper review shall be carried out by two examiners according to the provisions of Article 25 of this Regulation, and must be graded using ink of a different color than that previously used on the candidate's work;

b) The results of the subjective examination paper review shall be processed by the Secretariat of the Examination Board as follows:

- If the results of the two reviews are identical, the examination paper shall be handed over to the Head of the Review Committee for signature to confirm the official score;

- If the results of the two reviews differ, the examination paper shall be withdrawn and handed over to the Head of the Review Committee to organize a third review directly on the candidate's work using ink of a different color;

- If the results of two out of three reviews are identical, the identical score shall be taken as the official score. If the results of all three reviews differ, the Head of the Review Committee shall take the average of the three scores as the official score, sign to confirm it;

- In cases where the review scores of the examination paper differ by 0.5 points or more for natural science subjects and 1.0 point or more for social science subjects, a direct dialogue must be organized between the first round examiners and the review examiners (with minutes recorded) for the examination papers of candidates whose scores have been adjusted. If negative behavior is observed, it shall be handled according to regulations;

- The review score after the dialogue between the two sets of graders and approved by the Head of the Review Committee and signed off by the Chairman of the Examination Board is the official score of the examination paper.

5. Review of multiple-choice examination papers:

a) The Review Committee for multiple-choice examination papers shall have a composition similar to the Processing Team for multiple-choice examination papers of the Grading Committee;

b) The score re-evaluated by the Review Committee for multiple-choice examination papers is the official examination score of the candidate in the examination period.

6. Reporting the Results of the Review:

The adjusted scores of the examination papers after the review shall be reported and decided upon by the Head of the Review Committee and submitted to the National Center for Educational Quality Monitoring. At the same time, the adjusted examination scores of the subjects registered for high school graduation certification shall be sent to the Departments of Education and Training where the candidates took the examination.

Data shall be stored and transferred in accordance with the provisions set forth in Article 28 of this Regulation.

Article 31. Establishment of Examination Review Board

1. In cases deemed necessary, the Minister of Education and Training shall decide to establish an Examination Review Board to review the entire or part of the examination papers or re-examination results of one or more Examination Boards.

2. The Examination Review Board of the Ministry of Education and Training shall be chaired by the Director of the Department of Quality Assurance and Examination; the Deputy Directors or Deputy Heads of Departments under the Ministry shall be appointed as Vice Chairmen; members and secretaries shall be leaders, specialists from units under the Ministry, and some members shall be officers, teachers, lecturers with high professional qualifications.

3. The Examination Review Board of the Ministry of Education and Training has the final authority to determine the official score of the examination papers.

4. The Examination Review Board of the Ministry of Education and Training shall use the seal of the Department of Quality Assurance and Examination, Ministry of Education and Training.

5. The Minister of Education and Training shall decide whether to organize dialogue between the first round examiners, re-examiners, and review examiners.

Chapter VIII

REVIEW OF COMPLETION OF UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION

Article 32. Exemption from subjects in the review of completion of upper secondary education

1. Exemption from foreign language subject

a) Eligible candidates for exemption

- Members of national teams participating in international Olympiads in foreign languages according to the Decision of the Minister of Education and Training.

- Holders of certificates recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

b) Candidates exempted from the foreign language subject shall be credited with 10 points for this subject in the review of completion of upper secondary education.

c) Candidates who do not use their right to be exempted from the foreign language subject must take the examination and be reviewed for completion of upper secondary education like other candidates who are not exempted.

d) The Rector of universities and colleges decides whether to use or not use the results of the exemption from the foreign language subject in the national upper secondary education examination for admission.

2. Exemption from all four subjects in the review of upper secondary graduation

a) Recipients

- Persons with severe disabilities and persons with serious disabilities as stipulated in Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 3 of Decree No. 28/2012/ND-CP dated April 10, 2012 of the Government;

- Persons affected by toxic chemicals during the resistance war with reduced working capacity of 61% or more;

- Children of persons affected by toxic chemicals during the resistance war, themselves having reduced working capacity of 61% or more.

b) Conditions

- For persons with disabilities studying under the general education program:

+ Completing the upper secondary education curriculum; meeting the examination conditions as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 12 of this Regulation;

+ Having a disability certificate issued by the competent authority.

- For persons with disabilities unable to meet the general education program:

+ Being confirmed by the principal of the general education school where they are registered to study on the implementation results of the individual education plan each year at the upper secondary level;

+ Having a disability certificate issued by the competent authority.

- For persons affected by toxic chemicals during the resistance war, children of persons affected by toxic chemicals during the resistance war:

+ Completing the upper secondary education curriculum; meeting the examination conditions as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 12 of this Regulation;

+ Having a certificate of chemical poisoning and reduced working capacity of 61% or more issued by the competent authority.

Article 33. Exemption from all subjects of the national upper secondary education examination

1. Persons who have participated in the selection of national teams for international or regional cultural Olympiads shall be exempted from all subjects of the national upper secondary education examination if they meet the following conditions:

a) Called up to attend the second semester of grade 12;

b) Annual assessment in grade 12: good conduct, academic performance from good and above;

c) Listed in the exemption list of the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. Persons in teams participating in international or regional science and technology, sports, culture and arts competitions shall be exempted from all subjects of the national upper secondary education examination if they meet the following conditions:

a) Called up to attend the second semester of grade 12;

b) Annual assessment in grade 12: conduct and academic performance from average and above;

c) Listed in the letter requesting exemption and confirming participation in training and examination in accordance with regulations sent by the selecting agency to the Department of Education and Training before the national upper secondary education examination.

Article 34. Special Graduation from High School

1. Object and Conditions:

Students belonging to the categories specified in Article 12 of this Regulation, if meeting the examination conditions, shall be considered for special graduation from High School in the following cases:

a) Suffering an accident, illness, or having a special emergency not more than 10 days before the exam date or during the first exam session, unable to take the exam.

- Condition: classified as good or better in academic performance and conduct throughout the twelfth grade;

- Documents:

+ Hospital admission and discharge records issued by hospitals at district level or higher (if injured or ill) or confirmation from the People's Committee of the commune where they reside (if there is a special emergency);

+ A record proposing special graduation from the high school where they registered to take the exam.

b) Suffering an accident, illness, or having a special emergency after taking at least one subject and being unable to continue with the exam or voluntarily taking the remaining subjects after an accident, illness, or special emergency.

- Conditions:

+ Scores of all subjects taken to recognize graduation must be 5.0 or higher;

+ Classification in twelfth grade: academic performance must be average or higher, conduct must be good or higher.

- Documents:

+ Candidate's application for special consideration;

+ Hospital admission and discharge records from hospitals at district level or higher (if injured or ill) or confirmation from the People's Committee of the commune where they reside (if there is a special emergency).

2. Procedures:

a) Within seven days after the last exam session of the exam period, candidates must submit their special consideration documents to the head of the unit where they registered for the exam. The head of the unit where the candidate registered for the exam is responsible for receiving and transferring the special consideration documents to the Department of Education and Training.

b) The Board for Recognizing High School Graduation will consider and decide on special consideration for candidates based on the documents and provisions in Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 35. Retention of Exam Scores

1. Retention of Exam Scores:

Candidates who took all the subjects required in the previous year's exam but did not graduate from High School and were not disciplined with cancellation of exam results may retain scores of subjects achieving 5.0 points or higher in the next immediate exam to recognize High School Graduation.

2. Candidates who do not use retained scores must retake all subjects they registered for to recognize High School Graduation as if they had no retained scores.

3. The President of Universities and Colleges decides whether to use or not use retained scores in the National High School Exam for admissions.

Article 36. Preferential Points and Encouragement Points

1. Preferential Points

Preferential points for recognizing High School Graduation are calculated according to three categories (Category 1, Category 2, Category 3); among which, candidates in Category 2 and Category 3 are awarded preferential points as follows:

a) Category 2: add 0.25 points for candidates belonging to one of the following groups:

- War invalids, disabled veterans, people enjoying benefits equivalent to war invalids or disabled veterans with reduced work capacity below 81% (for General Education for Adults);

- Children of war invalids, disabled veterans, people enjoying benefits equivalent to war invalids or disabled veterans with reduced work capacity below 81%; Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, Labor Heroes; children of Heroic Mothers of Vietnam; children of Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, Labor Heroes;

- Ethnic minority candidates;

- Ethnic Vietnamese or foreigners residing in Vietnam with permanent residence registration for at least three years (counted from the day of organizing the exam) in extremely difficult communes, border communes, safe zones under Program 135 investment; in extremely difficult coastal communes and islands according to current regulations of the Prime Minister; in extremely difficult hamlets, communes in areas I, II, III in ethnic minority and mountainous regions according to current regulations of the National Ethnic Council, studying at general education schools outside central districts of centrally-administered cities for at least two-thirds of the time of secondary education;

- Victims of Agent Orange; children of victims of Agent Orange; children of those participating in the resistance movement affected by chemical warfare; people recognized by competent authorities as deformed, disabled, or reduced self-care or labor capacity due to the consequences of chemical warfare;

- Children of those engaged in revolutionary activities before the August 19 Revolution in 1945 (for General Education for Adults);

- Age 35 or older, counted from the day of the exam (for General Education for Adults).

b) Category 3: add 0.5 points for candidates belonging to one of the following groups:

- Ethnic minorities, themselves with permanent residence registration in extremely difficult communes, border communes, safe zones under Program 135 investment; in extremely difficult coastal communes and islands according to current regulations of the Prime Minister; in extremely difficult hamlets, communes in areas I, II, III in ethnic minority and mountainous regions according to current regulations of the National Ethnic Council, currently studying at boarding schools for ethnic minorities or general education schools outside central districts of centrally-administered cities;

- War invalids, disabled veterans, people enjoying benefits equivalent to war invalids or disabled veterans with reduced work capacity of 81% or higher (for General Education for Adults);

- Children of martyrs; children of war invalids, disabled veterans, people enjoying benefits equivalent to war invalids or disabled veterans with reduced work capacity of 81% or higher.

c) Candidates with multiple preferential criteria can only enjoy the highest preferential criterion. Special cases will be reviewed and decided by the Minister of Education and Training.

2. Encouragement Points

Students participating in the following competitions and activities will be awarded encouragement points for recognizing High School Graduation as follows:

a) Winning individual awards in the 12th-grade student excellence selection exams:

- First, second, or third place in national exams or first place in provincial exams: add 2.0 points;

- Merit award in national exams or second place in provincial exams: add 1.5 points;

- Third place in provincial exams: add 1.0 point.

b) Winning individual and team awards in physics, chemistry, biology practical exams; cultural and sports events; defense education games; science and technology contests; international letter writing contests organized by the Ministry of Education and Training and relevant departments at provincial level or higher for high school students:

- Individual awards:

+ First, second, or third place in national exams or first place in provincial exams or Gold Medal: add 2.0 points;

+ Merit award in national exams or second place in provincial exams or Silver Medal: add 1.5 points;

+ Bronze Medal: add 1.0 point;

- Team Competition:

+ Only add points for national competitions;

+ The number of players, athletes, actors in team competitions ranges from 02 to 22 people according to specific regulations of each competition's Organizing Committee;

+ The level of encouragement points added for individuals in team competitions shall be implemented as stipulated for individual competitions under this point;

- Individuals who win multiple different awards in various contests shall only enjoy the highest level of additional points for the highest award won;

c) Students in upper secondary education (THPT) and learners in General Education for Adults (GDTX) who have vocational certificates issued by the Department of Education and Training (Sở GDĐT) or educational and training institutions authorized by the Ministry of Education and Training during their THPT period, shall be granted encouragement points based on the classification recorded in the certificate as follows:

- Excellent: add 2.0 points;

- Good: add 1.5 points;

- Average: add 1.0 point;

d) Learners in GDTX with foreign language or information technology certificates issued in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training during their THPT period: add 1.0 point for each type of certificate;

đ) If candidates simultaneously possess multiple types of certificates eligible for encouragement points as stipulated in Clause 2 of this Article, they shall only be entitled to the maximum additional points of 4.0 points;

e) Encouragement points stipulated in Points a, b, and c of Clause 2 of this Article shall be retained throughout the entire academic level and added to the examination scores to assess graduation certification for candidates;

Article 37. Graduation Examination Points

1. Graduation Examination Points (ĐXTN): include the scores of four subjects registered for graduation certification, preferential and encouragement points (if applicable), and the average score of grade 12; calculated according to the following formula:

 

 

2. Graduation Examination Points are rounded to two decimal places, automatically performed by computer software;

Article 38. Recognition of Graduation from Upper Secondary Education

Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements for the examination, are not subject to disciplinary actions from cancellation of exam results upwards, achieve at least 1.0 points in all subjects, and have Graduation Examination Points of 5.0 points or higher shall be recognized as having graduated from upper secondary education;

Article 39. Board for Recognition of Graduation from Upper Secondary Education

1. The Director of the Department of Education and Training (Sở GDĐT) decides to establish the Board for Recognition of Graduation from Upper Secondary Education comprising:

a) Chairman of the Board: leadership of the Department of Education and Training;

b) Deputy Chairmen of the Board: Heads of the Examination Department, Heads of the Secondary Education Department, and Heads of the General Education for Adults Department;

c) Members: leaders, specialists, and staff from departments/offices under the Department of Education and Training and leaders of general schools;

2. The Board for Recognition of Graduation from Upper Secondary Education shall implement the recognition of graduation for candidates in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter;

Article 40. Approval of Recognition of Graduation from Upper Secondary Education

1. The dossier for approval of recognition of graduation from upper secondary education includes:

a) Record sheet of information for recognition of graduation from upper secondary education;

b) List of candidates proposed for graduation recognition;

c) List and dossier of candidates granted special graduation, exempted from examination, or granted graduation due to re-examination or resolution of complaints about examination records;

d) CD containing examination data;

đ) Related minutes;

e) Other types of dossiers as annually guided by the Ministry of Education and Training;

2. Procedure for approval of recognition of graduation

a) The Director of the Department of Education and Training approves recognition of graduation and bears responsibility before the Ministry of Education and Training for the graduation recognition results of their province;

b) After reporting to the Ministry of Education and Training, the Director of the Department of Education and Training announces the graduation recognition results and informs general schools to post the graduation list and issue temporary Graduation Certificates to candidates;

c) Temporary Graduation Certificates are signed by the Principal of the general school and remain valid until the issuance of the official Graduation Certificate;

d) Departments of Education and Training submit lists of candidates recognized as having graduated from upper secondary education to the Ministry of Education and Training immediately after the examination period for management and monitoring.

Article 41. Issuance and Management of High School Graduation Certificates

1. The examinees specified in Clause 1, Article 12 of this Regulation shall be issued High School Graduation Certificates if they meet the graduation requirements.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training shall uniformly manage the templates, procedures for issuing, recovering, and canceling High School Graduation Certificates.

3. The Director of the Department of Education and Training shall be responsible for managing and directing the issuance of High School Graduation Certificates, copies of High School Graduation Certificates, and related certificates concerning bonus points, preferential categories, and result retention during the examination period according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Chapter IX

REPORTING AND STORAGE REGIME

Article 42. Reporting Regime

1. Each examination venue shall assign some personnel to collect data, materials, and information before, during, and after the examination period; prepare documents and implement reports as prescribed. Strictly enforce the examination duty system: telephone duty officers must be present at the duty location.

2. Examination reporting during the examination period shall be carried out according to the annual guidance documents of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 43. Storage of Examination Files

Starting from the day of the last subject examination, educational management agencies shall store files as follows:

1. The Ministry of Education and Training shall permanently store: Lists of examinees recognized as having graduated from high school by provincial Departments of Education and Training.

2. Provincial Departments of Education and Training

a) Permanently store:

- Examination score sheets (in cases where there is an examination venue);

- Examination score review sheets for recognizing high school graduation;

- Lists of examinees recognized as having graduated from high school;

- High school graduation certificate issuance books.

b) Store for one year (in cases where there is an examination venue):

- Decisions establishing the Provincial Examination Steering Committee, Examination Boards, and related units;

- Examination summary reports with various statistical data;

- Examination Board minutes;

- Other relevant minutes related to the examination;

- Re-examination file (if any) including: Decision establishing the Re-examination Board, summary minutes, lists of examinees whose scores were changed due to re-examination, and other relevant minutes;

- Disciplinary file (if any);

- Other types of files according to the annual guidance documents of the Ministry of Education and Training;

c) Store for two years (in cases where there is an examination venue):

- Examinee examination papers and related marking files.

- Files of examinees granted special graduation exemptions, exempted from graduation examinations, and examinee appeal files or resolved appeals regarding examination files.

3. Universities hosting examination venues

a) Permanently store: Examination score sheets;

b) Store for one year:

- Decisions establishing the Provincial Examination Steering Committee, Examination Boards, and related units;

- Examination summary reports with various statistical data;

- Examination Board minutes;

- Other relevant minutes related to the examination;

- Re-examination file (if any) including: Decision establishing the Re-examination Board, summary minutes, lists of examinees whose scores were changed due to re-examination, and other relevant minutes;

- Disciplinary file (if any);

- Other types of files according to the annual guidance documents of the Ministry of Education and Training.

c) Store for two years: examinee examination papers and related marking files.

4. Secondary schools shall store for one year the registration files of examinees.

Student records and original certification documents in the examination registration files of examinees shall be returned to the examinees by secondary schools after announcing the results of recognized high school graduation.

Chapter X

INSPECTION, REWARD, HANDLING OF UNUSUAL INCIDENTS, AND VIOLATION HANDLING

Article 44. Examination Inspection

1. The Minister of Education and Training shall decide on inspection and establish inspection teams to inspect examination preparation, examination supervision, marking, re-examination, and recognition of high school graduation at all Examination Boards and provincial Departments of Education and Training.

2. The Director of the Department of Education and Training shall decide on inspection and establish inspection teams to inspect examination preparation at educational institutions and recognition of high school graduation within their jurisdiction.

3. The procedure and process for organizing inspections shall be carried out according to the laws on inspection and guidance from the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 45. Awards

1. Recipients of awards: civil servants, public officials, lecturers, teachers, students, trainees, and service staff who have achieved results in organizing the examination.

CONFIRMATION BY THE AWARDING AGENCY

a) Commendation before the Examination Question Setting Council, the Examination Council, and notification to their workplace or place of study.

b) The Director of the Department of Education and Training, the Rector of the University shall issue a Certificate of Merit.

c) The Minister of Education and Training, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province, the Chief of General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army shall issue a Medal of Merit.

3. Documentation and procedures:

The Examination Question Setting Council and the Examination Council are responsible for reviewing and deciding on awards within their authority and preparing documentation to request awards from competent authorities for civil servants, public officials, lecturers, teachers, students, trainees participating in organizing the examination and service staff with achievements in organizing the examination.

4. The award fund is deducted from the examination fee.

Article 46. Handling Abnormal Incidents

1. In case of errors in the examination questions:

If errors in the examination questions are discovered during printing and distribution, and during the examination, the Examination Council leadership must immediately report to the National Examination Steering Committee to develop a solution.

2. In case of exposure of examination questions:

Only the National Examination Steering Committee has the authority to conclude on the situation of exposed examination questions. When the official examination questions are exposed, the National Examination Steering Committee decides to suspend the examination subject with exposed questions. Other subjects continue normally according to the schedule. The subject with exposed questions will be re-examined using a backup set of questions at an appropriate time, after the last session of the examination period.

3. All abnormal situations must be reported to the Examination Steering Committees at all levels and the Minister of Education and Training for review and decision.

Article 47. Receiving and Processing Information and Evidence of Examination Regulations Violations

1. Locations for receiving information and evidence of examination regulations violations

a) The National Examination Steering Committee, the Provincial Examination Steering Committee.

b) The Examination Council.

c) Educational Inspectors at all levels.

2. Evidence of examination regulations violations, once verified, serves as the basis for handling violators.

3. Providing Information and Evidence of Examination Regulations Violations

a) Encourage candidates, members of the Examination Councils, and all citizens to detect and report violations of examination regulations.

b) Those who discover violations of examination regulations should promptly report to the locations specified in Clause 1 of this Article to take measures.

c) Those who have evidence of examination regulations violations should immediately report to the locations specified in Clause 1 of this Article for timely handling in accordance with the law. The reception and handling of reports of examination regulations violations are carried out in accordance with the law on complaints.

d) Individuals providing information and evidence of examination regulations violations must bear responsibility under the law for the authenticity of the provided information and evidence, and may not abuse such actions to negatively impact the examination.

4. For organizations and individuals receiving information and evidence of examination regulations violations

a) Organize the reception of information and evidence in accordance with regulations; protect the original state of evidence; verify the authenticity of information and evidence.

b) Promptly implement measures to prevent negative influences and violations of examination regulations based on the provided information.

c) Handle within their authority or report to competent agencies or persons for handling and publicly announce the results of handling individuals and organizations with violations of examination regulations.

d) Protect the confidentiality of the identity of those providing information.

Article 48. Handling of staff involved in examination organization and other related individuals who violate examination regulations

1. Staff participating in examination organization who are civil servants or public officials committing acts that violate examination regulations (discovered during the examination period or after the examination period) shall be suspended from examination work by the Chairman of the Examination Board and recommended to the competent authority to apply legal provisions on civil servants and public officials to impose disciplinary measures in the following forms:

a) Reprimand for those who commit violations for the first time with actions below the level specified in points b, c, d of this clause while performing their duties.

b) Warning for those who commit one of the following violations:

- Allowing candidates to copy answers freely; bringing prohibited materials and items into the examination room as stipulated in point c, Clause 4, Article 14 of these Regulations.

- Marking examinations incorrectly according to marking guidelines or adding points to papers with numerous errors.

- Setting questions beyond the scope of the high school curriculum.

- Transmitting examination data improperly structured, not within the deadline, or not in accordance with the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations.

c) Depending on the severity of the violation, they may be demoted in salary grade, demoted in rank, dismissed, or transferred to other work for those who commit one of the following violations:

- Setting incorrect questions.

- Directly solving examination questions or guiding candidates during the examination.

- Taking a candidate's paper and giving it to another candidate.

- Cheating when marking exams, giving points outside the prescribed range, or lowering candidates' scores improperly.

d) Forced resignation or referral to criminal responsibility for those who commit one of the following offenses:

- Leaking examination questions out of the examination area or bringing solutions from outside into the examination room during the examination.

- Leaking exam questions, buying or selling exam questions.

- Revealing the identification number of exam papers.

- Altering candidates' answers;

- Intentionally altering scores on examination papers, marking sheets, or score sheets.

- Swapping candidates' examination papers, identification numbers, or scores;

- Deceiving in the modification of academic records or candidate files.

đ) Those who lose candidates' papers when collecting, transporting, storing, or marking papers, or commit other violations in examination organization, depending on the nature and severity of the violation, will be disciplined according to one of the disciplinary forms prescribed in this Article.

2. Civil servants and public officials not participating in examination organization but engaging in actions such as taking the exam on behalf of others, organizing the leakage of examination questions and bringing solutions to candidates, disseminating false information affecting the examination negatively, causing disturbances leading to disorder in the examination area will be subject to administrative penalties and recommended for forced resignation.

3. Individuals involved in examination organization who are not civil servants or public officials committing violations of examination regulations (discovered during the examination period or after the examination period), depending on the severity, will be subject to administrative penalties and handled according to labor laws; suspended from studies for a certain period or forced to withdraw from studies (if they are students) when committing one of the violations specified in points b, c, d, đ of Clause 1 of this Article.

4. The forms of handling violations prescribed in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article shall be decided by authorized agencies or organizations according to the prescribed procedures. In addition to the above forms of handling, authorized agencies may prohibit them from undertaking examination-related tasks for 1 to 5 years.

Article 49. Handling Candidates Who Violate Examination Regulations

All violations of examination regulations must be documented, disciplined, and reported to the candidates.

1. Reprimand for candidates who commit a single offense: looking at another candidate's paper or exchanging papers with another candidate. This form of discipline is decided by the Examination Room Supervisor in the recorded document.

2. Warning for candidates who commit one of the following offenses:

a) Having been reprimanded once but still continuing to violate examination regulations at the level of reprimand during the examination period of that subject.

b) Exchanging answer papers or scratch paper with another candidate.

c) Copying another candidate's paper or allowing another candidate to copy their own paper.

The warning disciplinary measure is decided by the Examination Room Supervisor in the recorded document, accompanied by evidence (if any).

3. Suspension from the examination for candidates who commit any of the following offenses:

a) Having been warned once but still continuing to violate examination regulations at the level of reprimand or warning during the examination period of that subject.

b) Bringing prohibited items into the examination room as stipulated in Article 14 of these Regulations.

c) Taking examination questions out of the examination room or receiving solutions from outside the examination room.

d) Writing or drawing unrelated content on the examination paper.

đ) Engaging in aggressive behavior, threatening examination staff or threatening other candidates.

The Examination Room Supervisor records the incident, collects evidence (if any), and reports to the Examination Center Director to decide on suspension from the examination. If the Examination Center Director does not agree, it should be reported to the Examination Board Director for decision.

Candidates suspended from the examination must hand over their examination papers, question papers, and scratch paper to the Examination Room Supervisor and leave the examination room immediately upon the decision and can only leave the examination area after two-thirds of the examination time for that subject has passed.

4. Deducting Points from Examination Papers

a) Candidates who are reprimanded during the examination of a subject will have 25% deducted from the total score of that subject's examination paper.

b) Candidates who are warned during the examination of a subject will have 50% deducted from the total score of that subject's examination paper.

c) Examination papers marked as having been discovered during marking will have 50% of the total score deducted.

d) Candidates suspended from a subject examination will receive zero (0) marks for that subject.

đ) Awarding zero (0) marks:

- Examination papers copied from prohibited materials brought into the examination room;

- A subject with two examination papers;

- Examination papers written by two or more people;

- Parts of examination papers written on scratch paper or unauthorized paper.

5. Disqualification from the examination results for candidates:

- Having two or more examination papers scored zero (0) due to violations as specified in point đ, Clause 4, Article 49 of these Regulations;

- Writing or drawing unrelated content on the examination paper;

- Allowing someone else to take the exam on their behalf or doing the exam on behalf of someone else in any form; modifying, adding, or subtracting from the submitted work; submitting someone else's work.

6. Revoking the right to study at schools immediately in that year and revoking the right to participate in the examination for the next two years for candidates who commit one of the following offenses:

a) Falsifying documents to enjoy preferential treatment.

b) Using illegal diplomas or certificates.

c) Allowing someone else to take the exam on their behalf or doing the exam on behalf of someone else in any form.

d) Engaging in disruptive or destructive actions during the examination; assaulting examination staff or other candidates.

đ) Using illegal examination result certificates.

e) Having evidence of violating examination regulations without complying with the provisions in point b, c, d, Clause 3, Article 47 of these Regulations.

7. For acts of violation with criminal indications, educational management agencies shall prepare files to send to competent authorities for examination and prosecution according to regulations; for other violations, disciplinary measures will be taken according to the forms prescribed in this Article depending on the nature and severity of the violations.

Article 50. Verification and Resolution of Appeals and Complaints Regarding Examinations After the Examination Board Is Dissolved

The verification and resolution of appeals and complaints regarding examinations after the Examination Board is dissolved shall be handled in accordance with the laws on appeals and complaints.

Chapter XI

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 51. Responsibilities of the Department of Education and Training

1. Directing and inspecting the completion of teaching plans, student assessment and classification at secondary schools.

2. Advising the Provincial Examination Steering Committee to direct the organization of the National High School Examination in the province in accordance with the examination regulations and guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Directing and organizing registration for the examination, managing registration files, and transferring registration data to the Ministry of Education and Training; preparing material conditions for the examination.

4. Chairing or coordinating with the main unit of the examination cluster to submit to the provincial People's Committee for the decision to establish the Provincial Examination Steering Committee.

5. Chairing or coordinating with the main unit of the examination cluster to mobilize staff and teachers to participate in invigilation, marking, and inspection during the examination.

6. Organizing the receipt and transfer of candidate lists requesting re-examination to examination clusters.

7. Receiving examination result certificates from universities hosting examination clusters and organizing their handover to candidates.

8. Examining and recognizing graduation and issuing High School Graduation Certificates for candidates registered in the province.

9. Implementing commendation and disciplinary actions against staff, teachers, and candidates within the scope of their authority as prescribed; recommending commendation and disciplinary actions according to examination regulations and relevant laws for those involved in examination work.

10. For Departments of Education and Training that host examination clusters:

a) Chairing invigilation, marking, and re-marking;

b) Chairing the establishment, directing, and implementing the tasks of the Examination Board and its committees;

c) Organizing training in examination organization procedures; directing educational institutions to prepare material conditions for the examination.

d) Paying expenses for staff and teachers participating in the examination at the cluster according to regulations;

đ) Reporting to the National Examination Steering Committee on the implementation of examination organization tasks and issues arising during the examination process.

Article 52. Responsibilities of the Military School Administration Bureau (Ministry of National Defense)

1. The Military School Administration Bureau is responsible before the General Staff Department of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education and Training for the entire guidance and management of the National High School Examination in the Vietnam People's Army.

2. The Director of the Military School Administration Bureau has duties and powers like the Director of the Department of Education and Training for the entire guidance and management of the National High School Examination.

Article 53. Responsibilities of Universities

1. Registering with the Ministry of Education and Training to use examination results as a basis for admission; using candidate score data provided by the Ministry of Education and Training for admission according to the regulations of the University Admission Regulations.

2. Selecting and introducing faculty members to participate in the examination.

3. For universities hosting examination clusters:

a) Chairing invigilation, marking, and re-marking; printing, stamping, and sending examination result certificates to Departments of Education and Training;

b) Chairing the establishment, directing, and implementing the tasks of the Examination Board and its committees;

c) Organizing training in examination organization procedures; chairing coordination with Departments of Education and Training where the cluster is organized and universities, colleges, and vocational schools and educational institutions where examination venues are located to prepare material conditions for the examination;

d) Paying expenses for faculty members, lecturers, and teachers participating in the examination at the cluster according to regulations;

đ) Reporting to the National Examination Steering Committee on the implementation of examination organization tasks and issues arising during the examination process;

Article 54. Responsibilities of General Secondary Schools

1. Complete the teaching program according to the directives of the Department of Education and Training; organize review sessions for students; guide students to obtain Identity Cards at the latest by the end of the first semester of their twelfth grade year.

2. Organize knowledge tests and classify academic performance for self-study individuals when assigned responsibility by the Department of Education and Training.

3. Receive Examination Registration Forms and High School Graduation Recognition Examination Registration Forms; check the files of applicants registered at the school.

4. Complete examination registration data, high school graduation recognition examination registration data, exemption and special case data, and transfer the data to the Department of Education and Training; print, stamp, and return the Examination Notification to candidates.

5. Organize training for staff, teachers, and candidates on examination regulations; provide all material conditions and safety for the Examination Board if selected as an examination venue.

6. Manage candidate examination registration files.

7. Receive applications, compile lists of candidates requesting re-examination of test papers, and transfer them to the Department of Education and Training.

8. Return Test Result Certificates to candidates who submitted Examination Registration Forms at the school; announce the results of high school graduation recognition; issue Temporary Graduation Certificates; award High School Graduation Diplomas to candidates; store examination files in accordance with regulations./.