On the morning of March 21, EMG Education Group held the 2025 Pearson Edexcel International Certificate Award Ceremony for students enrolled in the Integrated English Program at general education schools across Ho Chi Minh City, while also honoring students who achieved the highest awards in Vietnam and globally.
The Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, together with representatives of the Pearson Edexcel Examination Board and EMG Education Group, presented awards to the student achieving the highest primary-level Mathematics score in the world.
1. World-class achievements driven by self-study
At the primary level, Tran Viet Hoang, a former student of Tan Son Nhi Primary School and currently a Grade 6 student at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School, achieved the highest Mathematics score in the world at the primary level.
Sharing his approach to learning Mathematics, Viet Hoang said he became familiar with numbers and calculations at the age of three. He considers studying a light and enjoyable hobby, often going online in his free time to explore different ways of solving problems. In addition to developing his logical thinking, he maintains the habit of playing chess and reading detective stories.
Students receiving the Excellence Awards — honors granted to those demonstrating outstanding overall performance in English, Mathematics, and Science in the Pearson Edexcel examinations.
For Nguyen Minh Khoi, a student of class 12TH1 at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and one of 15 students awarded the Excellence Awards — a distinction recognizing outstanding overall achievement in English, Mathematics, and Science in the Pearson Edexcel examinations — his strong academic performance stems from a long-standing habit of self-study.
“I thoroughly master the knowledge in textbooks and proactively review past exam papers to understand exam techniques. Throughout my 12 years of schooling, I have not attended extra classes but instead studied independently at home, practicing with exam questions through online platforms. For English, I train myself to think and write answers directly in English rather than solving in Vietnamese and then translating. This method helps me develop strong language thinking, which gradually becomes a natural reflex, making learning English easier,” Minh Khoi shared.
2. Expanding the Integrated English Program
According to EMG Education, in 2025, Grade 5, Grade 9, and Grade 11 students enrolled in Ho Chi Minh City’s Integrated English Program who took the International Primary iPrimary, International Lower Secondary iLowerSecondary, and International GCSE examinations administered by Pearson Edexcel achieved remarkable results.
Specifically, this year’s examinations recorded 11 students receiving the Outstanding Pearson Learner Awards (OPLA) — a prestigious annual award presented by Pearson to candidates with exceptional performance. Among them, Tran Viet Hoang of Tan Son Nhi Primary School achieved the highest Mathematics score in the world at the primary level. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Vietnam has had a student achieving this distinction.
In addition, 15 other students received the Excellence Awards — granted to those demonstrating outstanding overall academic performance across English, Mathematics, and Science in the Pearson Edexcel examinations.
Beyond individual achievements, the overall performance of students in the Integrated English Program was notably high compared to global benchmarks. At the high school level, 100% of students achieved a “Pass” or higher in all three subjects: English, Mathematics, and Science. Notably, 85% of students attained Distinction in Mathematics, significantly higher than the global average of 55%. In particular, 30% of students achieved perfect scores, exceeding the global average.
The Excellence Awards are presented to students who demonstrate outstanding overall academic performance across English, Mathematics, and Science in the Pearson Edexcel examinations.
For English, 100% of students achieved Merit or Distinction in English Language A (equivalent to first-language English), while 84% achieved Merit or Distinction in English as a Second Language (ESL).
Across all three education levels (primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary), 100% of students achieved a Pass or higher in Mathematics (with exams conducted entirely in English). For Science (including Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, also assessed entirely in English), results at all levels were equivalent to or higher than global averages.
Recognizing and highly valuing these achievements, Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, stated that over more than a decade, the Integrated English Program under Project 5695 has demonstrated a correct and effective approach in combining the national curriculum with international programs. The program not only ensures that students meet the knowledge standards of Vietnam’s national curriculum but also enhances their foreign language proficiency and provides access to global academic standards, thereby strengthening their international integration.
Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, affirmed the sound direction and practical effectiveness of the Integrated English Program under Project 5695.
“In recent years, the impressive achievements of students in the Integrated English Program have affirmed the high-quality academic capacity of the city’s students, including their confident and effective use of English. It can be said that the Integrated English Program is one of the highlights of the 50-year journey (1975–2025) of building and developing the city’s education system, demonstrating a spirit of innovation and bold reform while maintaining its position as one of the leading centers of educational development in the country,” he emphasized.
In the context of nationwide efforts to implement comprehensive and fundamental reforms in education and training, in line with Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW of the Politburo on promoting English as a second language in schools, and Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation, Nguyen Van Hieu stated that Ho Chi Minh City will expand the Integrated English Program to Zones 2 and 3 in the near future. This expansion aims to narrow educational disparities between regions, realize the goal of making English a second language in schools, and enhance students’ international integration capacity across the city.
| The Pearson Edexcel International Certificates include International Primary iPrimary, International Lower Secondary iLowerSecondary, and International GCSE. These qualifications are awarded by the Pearson Edexcel Examination Board of the United Kingdom and are widely recognized worldwide. They are considered reliable benchmarks for assessing academic competence and English proficiency in subjects such as Mathematics and Science. |
According to Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper
