On the morning of June 27, along with more than 1 million candidates nationwide, candidates in Dak Lak province took the first exam of the 2024 National High School Graduation Examination.

This is the final high school graduation exam under the 2006 General Education Program. In the morning, candidates took the Literature exam in essay form, with a duration of 120 minutes, and in the afternoon, they took the Mathematics exam in multiple-choice form, with a duration of 90 minutes.

Candidates completing procedures to enter the exam room at Hong Duc High School testing site.

The first exam took place in cool weather with smooth traffic and no congestion. At the Hong Duc High School testing site, most candidates arrived early to prepare for the exam procedures. According to the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations, at exactly 7:30 am, candidates began receiving the exam paper and started the test, but by just after 6:00 am, many parents and candidates had already arrived at the testing sites to avoid potential traffic issues that could affect the candidates' mindset.

Le Van Yen (a parent from Ea H'leo district, whose child is studying at Tay Nguyen Ethnic Boarding High School) shared: "Since our home is far away, we came here yesterday, prepared thoroughly, took care of our child's health, and encouraged them to be calm and confident to do well in the exam."

Candidates before taking the Literature exam.

The Literature exam is the only essay-based exam of the Examination. The exam paper was structured similarly to the sample exam previously released by the Ministry of Education and Training, consisting of two parts: the reading comprehension part worth 3 points (4 questions) and the writing part worth 7 points (2 questions). The poem "Dat Nuoc" by Nguyen Khoa Diem was selected as the text for the Literature graduation exam with a 5-point question.

According to a quick report from the Department of Education and Training, during the Literature exam session, the whole province had 20,590 candidates taking the exam (99.75%) out of 20,641 registered candidates, with 51 candidates absent. Ten testing sites had 100% attendance, including Phan Chu Trinh High School, Nguyen Hue High School, Hai Ba Trung High School, Viet Duc High School, Nguyen Cong Tru High School, Le Hong Phong High School, Ngo Gia Tu High School, Tran Quoc Toan High School, Tran Nhan Tong High School, and Cao Ba Quat High School.

Candidates completing the exam with support from volunteer students at Le Quy Don High School testing site.

After 120 minutes of testing, at Le Quy Don High School testing site (Buon Ma Thuot City), candidates left the exam room, most of them feeling happy and relaxed after completing the Literature exam and ready to continue with the Mathematics exam in the afternoon. Tran Bao Ai Ny (a student from Buon Ma Thuot High School) said: "This year's Literature exam was manageable, especially the social argument question about 'the significance of respecting individuality,' which was quite interesting and suitable for young people. With the answers I've given, I am confident I will score 8 or higher."

Candidates after completing the Literature exam.

With a fairly relaxed mindset after completing the first exam, Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu (a student from Le Quy Don High School) shared: "This year's Literature exam was not too difficult. I had thoroughly reviewed the 'Dat Nuoc' poem and other lessons, so I was able to do the exam well. The exam paper was relatively similar to the sample exam structure. I am quite satisfied with my performance and predict I will score above 7."

This afternoon (June 27), candidates will continue with the Mathematics exam, which has a duration of 90 minutes and is in multiple-choice format.