Hanoi: Some math exams for grade 10 have blurred fraction dashes, causing many students to think it's a negative sign and make mistakes, possibly losing 1-2 points.
On the morning of June 11, more than 104,000 students in Hanoi took the Math exam, which is also the last subject in the entrance exam for non-specialized public high schools.
In point 1 of question III, the question requires candidates to solve a system of equations, finding two unknowns x and y. The first equation is in the form 2/(x-3). However, in some test questions, the dash of the equation is blurred and not continuous, causing many students to mistake it for a negative sign.
Part 1, question III is about solving a system of equations, in which the fraction sign in the first equation is blurred. Photo: Provided by the character
Tran Nghia, Gia Lam district, falls into this case. Taking the exam at Cao Ba Quat High School, Nghia initially felt "something was wrong" when he realized that the answer was quite odd, not a good number, but he thought "maybe this year the answer will be odd".
Having solved 4/5 exercises completely, leaving only the last one for gifted students, Nghia calculated that he got about 8.5-9 points, reaching his goal. But when comparing his answers with his friends, Nghia was startled.
"Your questions were not blurred like mine, the dashes of the fractions were continuous and clear. Only then did I realize I had made a mistake," Nghia said.
Ms. Lan, a parent in Cau Giay District, said her son also got this question wrong. The mother said that when he left the test site, his son was happy and said he would definitely get 9 points.
"I was also happy, but when comparing the suggested answers, my son and I saw the difference between the questions," said Ms. Lan, adding that her son cried when he discovered he had made a mistake.
On forums, many students reported similar situations. Some parents said they would file a complaint with the Department of Education and Training, with about 40 people signing it.
According to the exam regulations, "upon receiving the exam paper, candidates must carefully check the number of pages and the quality of the printed pages; if they find that the exam paper is missing pages or is torn, damaged, smudged, or faded, they must immediately notify the exam invigilator, no later than five minutes from the time the exam paper is distributed."
Nghia said he was also informed about this by the supervisor, but the male student did not think his test had printing quality problems.
"I really thought it was a negative sign, so I didn't report it to the supervisor," the male student explained.
Point 1, question III in another test, the fraction part in the first equation is not blurred. Photo: Thanh Hang
Question III of the exam does not specify the score for solving the system of equations, but according to many teachers, this part is worth 1 point. Thus, students who get it wrong will lose 2 points in the total score for admission to public grade 10, because the Math score is doubled.
Ms. Lan is worried that this mistake could cause her son to fail high school. This year, her son has placed his first choice in Le Quy Don High School - Dong Da, a school with an average standard score of 8.05 last year. Her son is strong in Math, and she is determined to increase his Literature and English scores. Therefore, she believes that if he loses 1 point in Math, her son will "most likely" not be able to pass his first choice.
With the second wish placed at Khuong Ha High School, the opportunity is also slim because this school has the highest 10th grade competition rate in Hanoi this year.
Nghia was also restless after discovering the mistake. He registered his first choice at Cao Ba Quat High School in Gia Lam District. Last year, this school had an average standard score of 7.1.
"Cao Ba Quat School has increased its admission score for three consecutive years. If it increases again this year, I'm afraid I'll fail," Nghia said.
Mr. Vo Quoc Ba Can, a teacher at Archimedes Academy Hanoi, acknowledged this as a rare event.
Mr. Can said that if students stay calm and look closely, they will see that the blurred part is the fraction sign, because in terms of size or position of the x-3 calculation, this equation is not larger than the equation below. However, according to Mr. Can, it is possible that the candidates are psychologically affected, not careful and not observing closely, leading to making mistakes.
The correct answer to the problem is (x,y) = (7/2, 1). If the calculation is mistakenly negative, the solution is (83/26, -19/5).
Regarding the regulations, Mr. Can said that the Department of Education and Training and the Examination Council were not wrong. When there are doubts about the exam questions, students have the right to ask questions, but they may not dare to ask, or misunderstand the request "the supervisor does not explain anything further".
"If a candidate can still calculate the result after looking at it wrong, it shows that he or she still has the ability. I really hope the Department will accept the results and give points to candidates who miscalculated because they looked at the question wrongly," said Mr. Can.
This is also the wish of Nghia and Ms. Lan. "I hope the Department has a positive solution for us, the 10th grade entrance exam is stressful enough," Nghia said.
The Hanoi Department of Education and Training said on the evening of June 11 that it had received feedback on the incident. Currently, the 10th grade exam has not ended, and there are still specialized exams tomorrow. Therefore, members of the exam-making council are still in quarantine. The Department will work with the exam-making council after the final exam ends at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.
"After specific verification, the Department will have a handling plan in accordance with regulations, in the spirit of ensuring maximum rights and fairness for candidates," the Department informed.
On June 10-11, 104,000 students in Hanoi completed three exams in Literature, Foreign Language and Mathematics to enter 10th grade at non-specialized public high schools. With a target of about 72,000, the admission rate is 66.5%. The admission score is the sum of Literature and Mathematics scores multiplied by two, along with the Foreign Language score and priority points (if any).
Tomorrow, about 10,000 students applying to specialized schools will take an additional specialized subject exam. The admission score for specialized 10th grade is the sum of the scores of the three exams in Math, Literature, Foreign Language and the specialized subject score multiplied by a factor of two.
This year’s Hanoi public 10th grade exam scores and benchmark scores will be announced on July 4 and July 8-9. If admitted, students will enroll online. From July 18, schools that do not have enough enrollment quotas will begin to consider additional enrollment.
Thanh Hang
*Parents and candidates' names have been changed
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