Thoroughly reform the teaching and assessment of Literature.

On July 21, 2022, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Official Letter 3175/BGDĐT-GDTrH, guiding the reform of teaching methods and assessment of Literature in general schools.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of this document is the requirement to avoid reusing texts already studied in textbooks as source material for constructing reading comprehension and writing tests in end-of-semester, end-of-year, and end-of-level learning assessments. The aim is to accurately assess students' abilities and overcome the problem of students merely memorizing or copying content from pre-existing materials.

In accordance with Official Letter 3175/BGDĐT-GDTrH, the Ministry of Education and Training continues to emphasize the implementation of tasks for the academic years 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025.

In fact, the practice of using non-textbook materials in exam questions was implemented early on, well before the issuance of Circular 3175. Specifically, to limit rote learning and the use of model essays, in the National High School Graduation Exam (from 2020 onwards, the High School Graduation Exam), the reading comprehension texts were not found in the textbook; the social commentary essay question encouraged the writer's personal perspective and could not be copied from a model essay.

Although it's currently only being used in high school graduation exams and hasn't been widely implemented in school assessments, this is a necessary and important stepping stone to avoid surprises and confusion when it's officially implemented.

Only after Circular 3175 did secondary schools officially implement the policy of not using textbook materials for periodic Literature exams. After two years of implementation, positive changes have been observed, both on the part of teachers and students; the teaching method of rote memorization and copying, the phenomenon of model essays, and students' qualities and abilities have been truly focused on development. Teachers have improved their professional capacity through training courses, practical experience in creating exam questions according to new requirements, and innovative teaching methods.

However, there are still difficulties in implementing this new requirement, especially with exam and test design. Besides excellent and creative essay topics, there are still many test and exam questions with errors, particularly in the selection of materials.

Common problems include inadequate content, artistic merit, linguistic standards, and creativity; inappropriate length, with some materials being excessively long; materials not conforming to the prescribed program type/genre; and materials unsuitable for the learners. Inadequate materials will lead to questions and requirements that are not as good or effective as expected.

From 2025 onwards, the high school graduation exam will strictly adhere to the requirement of not using material from textbooks. Accordingly, not only reading comprehension but also the literary analysis section will use new material, eliminating the situation where for many years the exam only revolved around a few poems and literary works from the 12th-grade textbook.

Besides improving teachers' test-setting skills, it is extremely important to change teaching and learning methods so that students can meet the new requirements. Teaching specific "things" should be replaced with teaching "how," so that students can confidently handle unfamiliar materials.

At the same time, cultivating reading habits among students and enhancing reading culture needs more substantial attention. This not only helps them improve their vocabulary, language skills, and writing abilities—serving their Literature studies—but is also crucial in developing the skills and competencies required by the 2018 General Education Program.