Court Cancels Correct Answer for Life Science II... Standard Score May Drop by 1 Point

Students on the Grade Boundary Likely to Experience Mixed Emotions
Estimated Cutoff Scores: Grade 1 at 45 Points, Grade 2 at 42 Points Based on Raw Scores

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] With the court ruling acknowledging the error in question 20 of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) Life Science II exam, a drop in standard scores is inevitable if all answers are accepted as correct.

According to Jongno Academy on the 15th, recognizing the error in Life Science II and treating question 20 as correct for all test-takers is expected to cause a disadvantage, with standard scores likely to decrease by about 1 point.

Students near the grade boundary will be directly affected in their minimum CSAT grade.

Based on the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation's announcement, the cutoff for grade 1 in Life Science II test-takers is estimated at 45 points (standard score 65), grade 2 at 42 points (standard score 63), and grade 3 at 39 points (standard score 60) on the raw score scale.

Approximately 172 students are at the grade 1 cutoff boundary based on raw scores. There are 400 students at the grade 2 cutoff and 257 students at the grade 3 boundary.

Jongno Academy's analysis shows that about 1,903 students are distributed around the grade 3 boundary. This is the cumulative number of students who scored 38 points raw score and 59 points standard score.

Im Seong-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, explained, "Depending on the result of treating question 20 as correct, students' grades will inevitably fluctuate between gains and losses. Life Science II test-takers will face disadvantages compared to those who chose other science subjects, and it is difficult to estimate the score range affecting major acceptance cutoffs."

On the same day, the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 6 ruled in favor of 92 test-takers in the lawsuit to cancel the answer decision for the CSAT Life Science II exam, annulling the answer decision. Although the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation announced answer 5 as correct, the court recognized the error, making it highly likely that all answers for the question will be treated as correct.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.