High school students complete their registration for the university entrance exams. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

HÀ NỘI — A number of universities are now accepting the VSTEP (Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency) certificate as proof of language efficiency for admission and graduation. 

The news comes as various foreign language examinations, including the IELTS tests, were halted for inspection starting November 10. 

Việt Nam National University - HCM City recently ordered its nine member schools to recognise the Vietnam-issued certificate. 

The institution said that this move offers another option for students, where the IELTS tests are temporarily unavailable. 

Prior to this, the University of Language and International Studies (Việt Nam National University - Hà Nội) is the only school that accepted VSTEP for direct and prioritised admissions. 

VSTEP is an English proficiency test designed according to the six-level foreign language competency framework for Việt Nam.  

The test was issued by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in 2014. The three-hour-long test measures the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

As of August this year, the MoET’s Education Quality Management Agency announced that across the country, there are 25 universities and academies allowed to hold exams and issue certificates for VSTEP. 

Among these institutions are Hà Nội University of Science and Technology, HCM University of Education, Huế University and People's Police Academy.

The exam fee ranges from VNĐ1.5 million to 1.8 million (US$60-72), depending on the location. 

IDP dossier submitted

Speaking to Tuổi trẻ (Youth) online newspaper on Monday, IDP Education Việt Nam CEO Nguyễn Thanh Sang confirmed that the organisation submitted its dossier to resume IELTS examinations, as required by the MoET. 

IDP and British Council are the two agencies licensed to organise IELTS tests in Việt Nam

Sang said: “It is hoped that the IELTS exams will resume, so that Vietnamese candidates can continue pursuing their dreams to learn, work or settle down abroad.”

The British Council in Việt Nam is also expected to send its IELTS dossier to the MoET early this week. 

The MoET said that it had issued instructions for test organisers to quickly complete their dossiers for review and approval, and to shorten the processing time (within 20 days).

After receiving the documents, the MoET’s Education Quality Management Agency will start the process for approval to resume the language examinations. — VNS