Ninth-graders in Yekaterinburg and their parents are voicing strong objections to the OGE chemistry exam, alleging an error in the answer keys for tasks #18 and #19. This discrepancy reportedly led to the incorrect marking of correct answers, causing students to lose valuable points.

The issue centers on two specific tasks involving calculating the mass fraction of calcium in calcium phosphate and determining the amount of calcium a sheep receives daily on a farm using calcium phosphate as a supplement. Students who correctly solved these problems according to established chemical principles and mathematical rounding rules found their answers marked as incorrect by the automated system.

The incorrect scoring has sparked widespread concern among students and parents. Many fear that the lost points will negatively impact their overall chemistry grade and hinder their chances of progressing to the 10th grade or entering specialized schools.

Experts, including a nuclear physicist and a chemistry tutor, have reviewed the tasks and confirmed that the students’ solutions were indeed correct. They attribute the discrepancy to a potential flaw in the computer’s answer key or a misinterpretation of the instructions regarding rounding to the nearest integer.

While students have the right to appeal exam results, the process typically focuses on handwriting recognition errors or discrepancies in the scoring of detailed answer sections. The current situation, however, involves a suspected error in the answer key itself, which presents a challenge for the appeals process.

Rosobrnadzor has been contacted for comment regarding the situation and possible solutions. The situation remains unresolved as parents and students seek clarification and rectification of the alleged scoring error to ensure fair evaluation.