Tran Ngoc Bao, an 11th-grade student from Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School in Hanoi, has achieved a perfect score of 150/150 in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exam for English as a Second Language (ESL), earning a spot in the prestigious "Top in the World" ranking. Bao is the first student from his school to receive this distinction.

The IGCSE is a globally recognized high school qualification, offering students a choice of up to 14 subjects from a curriculum of 70. Alongside his perfect ESL score, Bao achieved the highest grade, A*, in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

Speaking with VietNamNet, Bao expressed his surprise at the recognition: "While I was confident about my performance, I never imagined achieving the highest score in Vietnam, let alone being among the global top with a perfect score."

Bao credits his success to his perspective on English as more than just a school subject: "I see English as an integral part of daily life - a tool for communication - so learning it never feels forced or difficult."

At school, Bao interacts with native-speaking teachers not only in ESL but across various subjects in the Cambridge curriculum. The ESL exam tested four core skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - through multi-part questions covering diverse topics from nature to current affairs.

Achieving a perfect score requires not only strong foundational knowledge but also the ability to connect information and solve problems. Bao attributes his comprehensive language development to collaborative discussions with teachers and peers on global issues.

While Bao found the writing component challenging, his methodical approach proved effective. "I focus on quality over quantity," he explained. He sought detailed feedback from teachers, emphasizing that "understanding mistakes and learning to correct them is essential."

Bao excels academically across both the Vietnamese and Cambridge curricula, maintaining a GPA of 9.5/10 in Vietnam's system and A/A* grades in Cambridge subjects. He also scored 1,520/1,600 on the SAT. Despite his academic success, Bao actively participates in extracurricular activities, particularly sports, which he calls his true passion.

A football enthusiast, Bao plays for his school's football club and joins his father’s team at the Vietnam National University of Natural Sciences, where his father is a lecturer. "We usually play on the same team, but Dad tends to pass the ball poorly," Bao joked.

Bao plans to complete his dual-curriculum program and aims to pursue a biology-related field at a U.S. university with a scholarship. His achievement adds to the accolades of Nguyen Sieu School, which recently had three students rank in the top 1, top 5, and top 9 globally in Cambridge exams, along with several national honors.

Thanh Hung