“6 Steps, 3 Essentials” to Achieve High Scores in History – National High School Exam 2016

Teacher Ho Duc Ky has shared insights on revision techniques and key content that students need to master in History to achieve high scores in the upcoming National High School Examination.

Mr. Ky is currently the Head of the History Department at Tran Phu High School (Duc Tho, Ha Tinh). He is a distinguished educator with many years of experience guiding 12th-grade students in exam preparation.

6 reasonable study steps

According to Mr. Ky, to excel in History and achieve high scores in the upcoming National High School Exam, students must have a a reasonable and scientific revision plan.

First: Establish a clear, positive motivation and set specific study goals.

Second: Master the basic knowledge of the curriculum (primarily 12th-grade History). To do this effectively, students must read extensively and carefully.

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Third: Building on a solid grasp of basic knowledge and a clear understanding of key and significant content from each historical period, students need to know how to connect these events into a cohesive system. This system should reflect the essence of a historical era or phase, highlighting its distinctive features and the relationships between events. Only then will your knowledge be comprehensive and free from confusion. (It’s not just about “memorizing history” but “understanding history.”)

Fourth: After firmly grasping and understanding the basic and core knowledge, students need to practice writing essays. This can be done by completing assignments set by teachers, working on past exam papers from recent years provided by the Ministry of Education and Training, or using exercises from reference books.

Fifth: Accumulate real-world knowledge and stay informed about current domestic and international events to tackle high-level application questions.

Sixth: Maintain a positive mindset. While studying, avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. Often, when faced with numerous events and timelines, students feel overwhelmed and lose motivation to study. The more this happens, the harder it becomes to excel in this subject.

Create a relaxed mindset when studying, learn not just to pass exams but to gain knowledge and equip yourself with essential insights into social history.

3 essential content areas to master

Given the relatively “open” nature of exam questions, as seen in the 2015 National High School Exam, candidates aiming for high scores need to master the following content areas:

First, thoroughly understand the basic knowledge of the 12th-grade History curriculum (covering both World History and Vietnamese History) as outlined in the current textbooks published by the Education Publishing House.

Second, gain a clear understanding of the core content of each historical period and the major issues in national and global history. Be able to analyze, summarize, compare, connect, explain... those topics and issues.

Third, current exam questions no longer solely assess memorization (knowledge recall) but are designed to test synthesis, application, and, in many cases, practical real-world implementation (high-level application).

To answer these questions effectively, candidates must not only master foundational knowledge from textbooks but also link and synthesize scattered pieces of information into broader issues. In some cases, they need to draw on current events to address the problems posed by the exam (e.g., issues of territorial sovereignty, Bien Dong dispute, ...).

By Ho Duc Ky
Giao duc & Thoi dai