Our outstanding Amser of the Dual-degree class - Nguyen Vu Anh Quan

Reporter (R): Greetings, Anh Quan. First of all, thank you very much for appearing in today’s interview with Ams Wide Web. As far as we know, you achieved 3 As in the 2019 AS-Level exam and 3 A*s in the 2020 A-Level exam on Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Can you please share some tips on how to get such impressive results?

Anh Quan (AQ): In terms of experience to gain such high scores, there are plenty but I will encapsulate it in some basic points. 

The first thing is trying to stay focused in theory lessons in class. Through these lessons, we can obtain the basic knowledge of each subject and that should be the basis to do different types of exercises that may appear in the real A-Level exam. If we cannot get a firm grip of the key knowledge, doing exercises and further learning will be extremely hard. In these lessons, the approach of some theories can be difficult to comprehend, that’s why you should actively ask your teachers to avoid creating big holes in your knowledge, which may greatly affect your practice process later.

Another important thing is practicing doing the exams from past years. These can be considered the most credible practice material source. In the process of practicing, apart from paying attention to frequently appeared types of questions in the exams, reading the marking scheme is just as necessary since this will help you clearly understand what is required to score with each question. The A-Level exam is marked according to separate parts, ie.  if there is one statement in your answer matching one in the key, you will get the point for that part. Knowing the requirements of the markers will help you get the maximum marks.

Pupils here in Vietnam are usually considered fairly excellent in learning theory but the experimental part is always seen as the Achilles’ heel of us for in the syllabus of Vietnam, experimental content is not focused on. Therefore, every time you have the chance for experimental lessons, you ought to especially notice the methods of performing those experiments; otherwise, you may make mistakes that would lead to difficulties in processing data. As for processing numbers collected from experiments, the techniques in this section are also very important, taking up many points in the experimental test. For that reason, you also need to familiarize with those techniques before the exam.

The last thing, I can say, is just study hard and meticulously so that when you really take the exam, you have the best accompaniment in hand and in brain so you do not panic and worry when entering the examination room. However, spending some time of the day on entertainment should be helpful for you not to feel overloaded and to find the balance in your daily life.

R: In your opinions, what is the difference between Maths, Physics and Chemistry of Vietnam’s syllabus and those of AS-Levels and A-Levels?

AQ: Most people think Maths, Physics and Chemistry in foregin countries are easier than these in Vietnam; nonetheless, with my experience throughout the past 2 school years, this is not a completely accurate statement. For example, Maths of A-Level also contains derivative, integral and vector; Physics has harmonic motion, magnetic field, electric field; in Chemistry we also study the organic compounds such as benzene and polymer. Nevertheless, the biggest difference between two syllabuses is how these issues are developed. In the A-Level program, I think the explanation of the theory and equations are simpler, helping me understand them faster and more deeply. In Vietnam, Physics and Chemistry require plenty of mathematical knowledge to solve the exercises whereas in the A-Level program, pupils are more highly required to understand the notions and phenomena in a way that is more familiar and practical to them. Maths in A-Level is also taught in ways that are not too complicated as advanced knowledge does not call for lengthy and twisty proofs, instead, the approach is more direct and understandable. We also get exposed to knowledge in Statistics - Probability and Mechanics, two amazing fields that are unfortunately not exploited much in the general program in Vietnam. Learning the logical way of thinking of these subjects is also very helpful for our work in the future.

R: Aside from absolute scores on AS-Level and A-Level exams, you also achieve the dream IELTS band of many high school students - 8.0 band. Can you share with us your practice process in order to attain such a high score?

AQ: To me, the 8.0 band in IELTS is a remarkable milestone, and working to get this is not a simple task. Like the majority of others who get the equal or higher score, Listening and Reading sections are the keys to up your score since if consistent and constant practice is made, your scores in these sections will be more easily boosted in comparison with the two other skills. For the Writing and Speaking sections, I tried to devote most of my time studying the marking scheme since clear understanding of the scoring mechanism will help me build my own tactics. Additionally, I also often looked at model answers of high-scorers to learn the way they developed their ideas, the structures they used, good vocabulary that I can apply into my answer. Another advice that I can give is practice writing and speaking A LOT so that you feel well-trained in using vocabulary, grammar and structures as I said above, and more accustomed to writing or speaking about the topics that frequently appear in the IELTS.

R: Besides your outstanding academic achievements, you seem to really actively participate in extracurricular activities like sports, debate,... What do you think you have learned from these activities and have you ever felt pressured when you have to balance between studying and extracurricular activities?

AQ: To be honest, I must admit that my extracurricular activities are actually very limited if compared to the majority of Amsers. However, what I have accomplished throughout 2 past years with those activities really benefits me. Firstly, I feel that I have gained more confidence after times I had to work in an environment full of unacquainted people. That helped me get along and start off things better and faster in new environments. Moreover, projects have taught me time-managing skills in life in order to create the balance among studying, working for projects and entertaining. In terms of stress, at first I had difficulty maintaining my life balance. However, as I said above, I gradually got used to this and  the stress was much reduced.

R: With such excellent academic achievements, what intentions are you having for the future?

AQ: Speaking of my future intentions, I believe that good academic achievements will be the fulcrum to help me pursue bigger goals in the future. My first and foremost wish, just like that of many previous generations of Amsers, is to study in more developed countries such as the U.S, the U.K, Canada, etc. This will be an opportunity for me to have access to knowledge and ways of thinking that are more modern and suitable for the advancement of the world, as well as the continuation of what I have learned in the A-Level program. This will create an extremely distinctive experience as I will have to live far away from home with little help from my acquaintances, along with the huge expansion of my knowledge of different cultures around the world. After graduating from college, a stable job in the field of IT in a foreign country is also an important goal of mine as this is a chance  for me to become financially independent, alongside with the enthusiasm of working in my favorite field and living in a foreign country - my dream since childhood. That should not be an excuse for me to forget where I was born. I will always strive to study and work my best to make the image of Vietnam in the eyes of international friends more beautiful and remarkable. In order to achieve those goals, I will have to try with even more than 200% effort in the next few years.

Anh Quan receiving his Honourable Scholarship in the Ending Ceremony of 2019-2020

R: Thank you very much for your interesting sharing today. On behalf of the Editorial Board of Ams Wide Web, I wish you all the best to maintain your outstanding academic status and succeed with all your future intentions.

Reporter: Nguyen Pham Nhat Linh - Chinese-English 1821

Translator: Nguyen Minh Anh - Russian-English 1821