Vietnam Cautious on Unified IELTS Conversion Scale: Ministry Cites Lack of Scientific Basis

The Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam has stated that there is currently insufficient scientific basis for a proposal to establish a unified national scale for converting IELTS scores into English subject grades for university entrance exams. This issue was discussed at a consultation meeting on draft regulations for university admissions, organized by the ministry on September 25. Le Van Hien, head of the Training Department at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, explained that international certificates like IELTS have primarily been used to convert into grades for the high school graduation exam's English subject or as bonus points. While the ministry is considering abolishing bonus points, it still allows for conversion, leaving the calculation methods to individual universities. However, Hien raised concerns that without strict regulations, this practice could lead to unfairness, similar to the bonus point system. He cited an example where an IELTS score of 7.5 might be converted to 10 points for English, but if a student scores only 9 in the graduation exam, the discrepancy is a significant 1 point. He proposed that the ministry develop a unified national conversion scale or provide guidelines for handling large discrepancies. "If universities set their own rules, there will be no consistency, and the same competence will be converted into different point levels," Hien stated. Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Thao, Director of the Higher Education Department, acknowledged that this is a "difficult problem" that many universities have proposed solutions for. He noted that the ministry can only introduce a unified conversion scale when it has sufficient and accurate data, along with supporting research, evaluations, and scientific arguments. "Universities, with their small sample data and observation of student academic results, can determine a conversion rate applied to their institution more accurately," he said, adding that conversions also depend on the specific requirements of different majors and programs. Foreign language certificates, particularly IELTS, have been exempt from the high school graduation exam and used for conversion since 2015. Currently, over 100 universities utilize these certificates for admissions. In 2026, more than 37,300 candidates are expected to submit IELTS certificates for bonus points. An IELTS score of 6.0 is the most common, converted into 26 different bonus point levels by various universities. Source: VnExpress