On December 21 in Ho Chi Minh City, a ceremony was held to award Pearson Edexcel International Certificates for Primary – Secondary and International GCSE for nearly 500 students from public schools.
Attending the event were representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training; Mr. Ian Gibbons, Consul General of the United Kingdom in Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Alan Malcolm, Regional Director of Pearson Asia; and representatives from EMG Education. This achievement is the result of the efforts of Grade 5, Grade 9, and Grade 11 students enrolled in the Integrated English Program under the project “Integrated Teaching of Mathematics, Science, and English according to the national curricula of the UK and Vietnam in public schools in Ho Chi Minh City.” Through their study, skill development, and rigorous examinations conducted by Pearson, these students have earned international certificates with highly commendable and outstanding results.
1. Promising a future international-standard workforce
Specifically, at the Primary level, many Vietnamese students excelled in all three subjects: Mathematics, English, and Science (with 82% achieving good or excellent results in Mathematics alone). At the Secondary level, Vietnamese students also achieved results above the global average: 96% excelled in Science, 65% achieved good or excellent results in Mathematics, significantly higher than the global average of 48%. At the High School level, 98% of students passed all subjects of the International GCSE examination (Pearson Edexcel International Secondary Certificate). Among them, 85% scored highly in English Specs A (comparable in difficulty to native-level English), 99% scored highly in Mathematics, and 82% scored highly in Science, which is a very high rate compared to the global standard.
Notably, among the 29 top-performing students in this examination, several stood out with the highest scores in Vietnam across Mathematics, Science, and English. For example:
Phạm Phú Quang, Grade 9, Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted – highest Math score worldwide at the Secondary level;
Nguyễn Ngọc Hồng Đăng, Grade 9, Tran Van On Secondary School – highest Science score in Vietnam at the Secondary level;
Nguyễn Trí Đạt, Grade 11, Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted – highest Math and Science scores at the High School level;
Trần Quý Kỳ Thư, Grade 5, Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School – highest English score at the Primary level.
Mr. Ian Gibbons – Consul General of the United Kingdom in Ho Chi Minh City – poses for a photo with outstanding students at the award ceremony
Mr. Alan Malcolm – Regional Managing Director of Pearson Asia – poses for a photo with high-achieving students at the award ceremony
2. Excellent learning ability & good adaptation to the digital age
Speaking at the award ceremony, Mr. Alan Malcolm – General Manager of Pearson for Asia – stated that he was very impressed with the results achieved by Vietnamese students in the recent examination.
“The percentage of integrated program candidates achieving an A grade or higher in the International GCSE Mathematics exam is very high compared to the general global average, and 15% higher than the average for the entire Asian region.
This demonstrates that students participating in the integrated English program have shown excellent learning ability by achieving the highest scores in the exam, not only in Vietnam but globally,” he said.
Mr. Alan Malcolm – General Manager of Pearson for Asia – speaking at the award ceremony.
Sharing his thoughts on the results, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu – Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training (DOET) – stated that for many years, the Ho Chi Minh City education and training sector has pioneered the teaching of Math and Science subjects in English according to an international standard curriculum framework, with the output being internationally recognized certifications.
Thanks to being equipped with the knowledge and skills standards of the integrated framework—combining the UK national curriculum and the framework of Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training (MOET)—nearly 500 students in the integrated English program achieved high results in international general certificates during the Pearson Edexcel examination, as mentioned.
“This demonstrates the outstanding capability of many Ho Chi Minh City students when taking international standard capacity assessments. They don't just study and take the English exam as a regular foreign language, but confidently use highly academic English because they learn Math and Science subjects in English.
This not only helps students develop scientific and creative thinking but also apply Math and Science knowledge to real life, focusing on solving problems posed by the rapidly developing digital age,” Mr. Hieu added.
Other typical images:
Mr. Alan Malcolm – General Manager of Pearson for Asia – speaking at the award ceremony
Sharing his thoughts on the results, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu – Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training (DOET) – stated that for many years, the Ho Chi Minh City education and training sector has pioneered the teaching of Math and Science subjects in English according to an international standard curriculum framework, with the output being internationally recognized certifications.
Thanks to being equipped with the knowledge and skills standards of the integrated framework—combining the UK national curriculum and the framework of Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training (MOET)—nearly 500 students in the integrated English program achieved high results in international general certificates during the Pearson Edexcel examination, as mentioned.
“This demonstrates the outstanding capability of many Ho Chi Minh City students when taking international standard capacity assessments. They don't just study and take the English exam as a regular foreign language, but confidently use highly academic English because they learn Math and Science subjects in English.
This not only helps students develop scientific and creative thinking but also apply Math and Science knowledge to real life, focusing on solving problems posed by the rapidly developing digital age,” Mr. Hieu added.
