The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is seeking comments on a new draft Circular to replace Circular 23/2017/TT-BGDDT dated September 29, 2017 of the Minister of Education and Training promulgating the Regulations on foreign language proficiency assessment tests according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam, amended and supplemented by Circular No. 24/2021/TT-BGDDT dated September 8, 2021 of the Minister of Education and Training.
Some new points of the draft Circular are as follows:
Firstly, enhancing autonomy and accountability of exam organizing or joint exam organizing units: The Circular only stipulates the framework, requirements, and minimum criteria for organizing units; it does not specify detailed regulations and exam organizing procedures as before.
Accordingly, units will base on the criteria, develop their own exam organization process, coordination/association regulations and publicly announce them as well as send them to the Ministry of Education and Training through the Department of Quality Management for management and to serve the work of inspection, examination, supervision and post-inspection.
Second, strengthen solutions to organize exams and issue foreign language certificates according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework to ensure security, safety, reliability, fairness, especially against proxy exams and proxy exams, including adding regulations such as: Requiring units to provide photos of candidates during the exam on the certificate lookup and verification system.
Third, the unit that organizes the test can cooperate (test site) with another unit to organize the foreign language proficiency test according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam if the cooperating unit meets the conditions specified in the Circular. This contributes to expanding the test locations, making it more convenient for candidates when taking the test.
Fourth, increase the effective application of information technology and digital transformation in all stages of exam organization.
Fifth, clearly stipulate the process of constructing exam questions, the exam question bank, and regulations on the level of duplication of exam questions between exam sessions.
