Multiple choice test re-graded in Ha Giang due to signs of cheating

"After reviewing, it is true that there were violations in the exam marking process," Mr. Trinh said.

According to Article 31 of the National High School Exam Regulations, the Ministry of Education and Training has established a Review Council. All multiple-choice exams of all candidates in Ha Giang province are re-scored by this council.

Mr. Trinh said that the council members are working hard and "may have to work all night" in a serious spirit to soon give the final results that are most accurate and objective to the candidates.

"Through the initial investigation, we have identified the subject causing the violations in the exam site in Ha Giang. The authorities are investigating the evidence to consolidate it and when there are results, we will handle it in accordance with current regulations and the law," said Director Mai Van Trinh.

Previously, Mr. Trinh affirmed that the information "98 candidates in Ha Giang had their scores interfered with" was incorrect because the Evaluation Council had not completed its work to make a final conclusion.

On July 11, the Ministry of Education announced the national high school exam results, raising public suspicions about the unusually high scores of the mountainous border province of Ha Giang. The abnormalities were most evident in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. In Physics alone, Ha Giang had 65 scores of 9 or higher, accounting for 6.7% of the total number of candidates taking the exam. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City, with 49,680 candidates taking the Physics exam, only had 39 scores of 9 or higher (0.07%). Ha Giang's excellent score rate was also 23 times higher than Hanoi's.

Comparing the scores of 27 groups A (Math, Physics, Chemistry), A1 (Math, Physics, Foreign Language) between Ha Giang and the whole country also shows abnormalities. In group A1, the whole country has 76 candidates, Ha Giang has 36. In group A, the whole country has 82 scores above 27, Ha Giang accounts for nearly 1/3. Meanwhile, the score range of most subjects in the national high school exam in Ha Giang is low, the score range with the most candidates is 2-4.

On July 12, after suspicions about the unusual test scores of many candidates in Ha Giang, Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu Do requested the locality to review and send a written report of the results before July 17. On July 14, a working group of the Ministry of Education, led by Director of the Department of Education Quality Management Mai Van Trinh, went to Ha Giang to coordinate in clarifying the irregularities.