IGCSE Vietnamese,
first language
to A*.
Cambridge 0695 Vietnamese First Language — the mother-tongue IGCSE for Vietnamese students in international schools. Reading comprehension, directed writing, composition and oral — coached by native Vietnamese educators with Cambridge marking expertise.
Vietnamese First Language IGCSE. Maintains mother-tongue academic proficiency while studying in an international curriculum — critical for Vietnamese university options.
Vietnamese IGCSE keeps mother-tongue academic skills sharp.
IGCSE Vietnamese First Language (0695) is designed for students whose Vietnamese is strong enough to sit a native-speaker examination. It tests reading comprehension, directed writing (letters, reports, articles), composition (narrative and descriptive) and oral communication — all in Vietnamese.
Why Vietnamese IGCSE matters
Many Vietnamese parents in international schools worry that their children are losing academic Vietnamese proficiency. A strong IGCSE Vietnamese grade addresses this directly — it proves to Vietnamese universities, employers and the Ministry of Education that the student maintains native-level academic Vietnamese alongside their international curriculum.
Our advantage
Our Vietnamese IGCSE coaches are native Vietnamese educators trained in the Cambridge marking rubric. They teach exam technique specific to 0695 — which is very different from the Vietnamese national curriculum examinations most Vietnamese teachers are familiar with.
The full content we cover.
Every Times Edu Vietnamese mentor maps lessons directly to the official syllabus — nothing on the exam is a surprise.
Reading Comprehension
Inference, tone, vocabulary in context from Vietnamese passages.
Directed Writing
Letters, reports, articles and speeches in specified Vietnamese formats.
Composition
Narrative and descriptive writing in Vietnamese at length.
Summary Writing
Condensing Vietnamese source material into precise summaries.
Oral Communication
Presentation plus discussion — marked by teacher, moderated by Cambridge.
Register & Tone
Formal, informal, literary and journalistic registers in Vietnamese.
Vocabulary Precision
Academic Vietnamese vocabulary — more formal than everyday speech.
Exam Timing
Pacing Vietnamese reading and writing under exam conditions.
Every paper and assessment, mapped.
Knowing the format is half the battle. Here is the full breakdown.
Reading
Vietnamese reading comprehension and summary questions.
Writing
Directed writing plus one composition (narrative or descriptive).
Speaking
Individual presentation plus discussion in Vietnamese.
Portfolio
Three coursework pieces — alternative to Paper 2 at some centres.
Why even strong students lose marks here.
Three traps we see most often — every one is fixable with focused coaching.
Colloquial Vietnamese in writing
Cambridge expects formal, academic Vietnamese — not the casual spoken register. Students who write like they speak cap at grade B.
Ignoring the rubric
The 0695 mark scheme is specific about structure and register. Students trained only on Vietnamese national curriculum exams lose marks on Cambridge-specific requirements.
Summary padding
The summary task penalises excessive length. Students who over-write lose 4+ marks per paper.
From diagnostic to final grade.
I nearly skipped Vietnamese IGCSE because I thought "I already speak Vietnamese." My Times Edu mentor showed me how different academic Vietnamese writing is from everyday speech. Final: A*.
What families always ask.
My child speaks Vietnamese fluently — do they still need coaching?
Yes — spoken fluency and academic writing proficiency are very different. Most Vietnamese students in international schools can speak Vietnamese but struggle with formal written composition and the specific Cambridge exam format.
Is Vietnamese IGCSE useful for university applications?
Very — it demonstrates mother-tongue proficiency and cultural identity. Vietnamese universities and scholarships increasingly value international-format Vietnamese qualifications.
How does 0695 differ from the Vietnamese national curriculum?
0695 follows the Cambridge exam structure (reading, directed writing, composition, summary) which is very different from the Vietnamese national literature and language exams. Our coaches teach to the Cambridge rubric specifically.
Can you coach the oral component?
Yes — we prepare students for the presentation and discussion components, focusing on formal spoken Vietnamese, argument structure and confidence.
Ready to turn Vietnamese into a top grade?
Book a free 60-minute diagnostic — full gap analysis, realistic grade prediction and personalised roadmap. Worth $60, free for the first 50 families.