Candidates in Đồng Hới City, the central province of Quảng Bình, are happy after completing the literature test. — VNA/VNS Photo Tá Chuyên

HÀ NỘI — More than one million candidates across the country on Thursday morning started the high school graduation exam with a literature test, which lasted two hours.

According to the regulations, candidates were not allowed to bring into the exam rooms, any alcohol, incendiary weapons and substances, communication devices which can receive, broadcast information and record audio and video which could allow them to cheat.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) showed that the number of candidates this year increased by more than 45,000 compared to last.

The exam is held nationwide with 2,323 exam places, up by 51 compared to last year.

The MoET established 63 delegations to inspect supervision at 63 departments of education and training.

Nearly 8,000 lecturers from higher education institutions were asked to supervise the exams, while the MoET also created 63 teams with 264 officials to check exams, marking work in 63 provinces and cities.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Phạm Ngọc Thưởng said that the exam was on such a large scale, with over one million candidates and hundreds of thousands supporting them, it would be difficult to avoid incidents.

Therefore, in addition to careful preparation, it was necessary to thoroughly grasp the spirit of well fulfilling tasks and cope with unusual situations, he said.

The exam took place in harsh weather conditions, with heavy rain in many localities and intense heat in others.

The National Steering Committee for the exam asked provinces and cities to be ready to respond, ensuring that candidates arrived at the exam sites safely and on time.

On Thursday afternoon, candidates took a math test in the form of multiple-choice questions, over an hour and a half.

Inspection

Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Kim Sơn on Thursday morning checked into the B Duy Tiên High School and the Biên Hòa School for Gifted Students exam sites in northern Hà Nam province.

He inspected several exam rooms, talked to and encouraged candidates and spoke to teachers on duty.

The minister wished the candidates would stay calm and do the tests well and told teachers and exam officials that he hoped exam season passed off successfully.

Hà Nam has 9,677 candidates taking the exam this year.

It has 23 exam sites with 420 examination rooms, with 1,807 officials overseeing the tests.

Minister Sơn assessed that the province had carefully prepared for the exam and had trained staff well, as well as supporting the students.

He added that the most important factor was the actual exam questions, which were to maximise candidates’ abilities, skills, knowledge and ensure their best performance. — VNS