A candidate at Nguyen Thi Loi High School in Thanh Hoa garnered attention after her score in the public 10th grade entrance exam increased by 20,7 points following a review. She had initially received 0 points in Math, Literature, and English. After her test paper was retrieved and re-evaluated, her scores for the three subjects were adjusted to 8; 8,5; and 4,2 points, totaling 20,7. This adjustment meant the student, who was initially disqualified and failed two preferences, now met the admission requirements for her first preference at Nguyen Thi Loi High School, where the benchmark score was 17,97.

On the afternoon of 16/7, Mr. Doan Dang Khoa, Head of the Testing and Quality Assurance Department at Thanh Hoa Department of Education and Training, told VnExpress that the incident was an "oversight by the invigilator, with no signs of personal intent." He explained that the invigilator had confused her seating position with another candidate in the same room and mistakenly marked her as "absent." The Department has reminded and disciplined the individuals involved, urging them to learn from this experience and prevent similar errors.

Beyond this instance, Nguyen Thi Loi High School saw two other candidates receive score adjustments after review due to initial grading errors. One student's Math score rose from 7 to 7,75, while another's English score increased from 4,6 to 5,2. Similarly, incorrect grading led to a History - Geography specialized exam candidate's score being raised from 3,9 to 6 after review, securing admission to Lam Son specialized high school. Another student's English score increased from 7,2 to 8,2, allowing them to enter Dong Son 1 High School.

Candidates taking the exam at Ham Rong High School, Hac Thanh Ward. *Photo: Le Hoang*

The public 10th grade entrance exam in Thanh Hoa was held on 5-6/6, involving over 51.000 candidates. This year, Ham Rong High School recorded the highest benchmark score for general admissions at 25,6 out of 30 points, whereas Thuong Xuan 3 High School had the lowest with 4,25 points. The Department of Education and Training stated that most schools set benchmark scores between 14 and 18 points for the three subjects, highlighting a clear disparity between schools in central areas and those in disadvantaged, remote regions.

Le Hoang