Third error exposed in VCE general maths exam days after VCAA award bonus marks

A third blunder in the VCE general maths exam has been exposed just days after bonus marks were given for another VCAA error.

A third error has been found in the second general maths exam, with a senior private school teacher saying one question is unanswerable.

A YouTube clip recorded by Bryn Humberstone, head of maths and learning analytics at Brighton Grammar, outlines the systemic problems with question seven of the exam, which was sat by nearly 30,000 students on Monday.

It follows the Herald Sun’s revelation of two other errors in the exam.

One of which was a typo in the wording of a question and the other was a typo in a matrix which incorrectly contained two 1s.

The errors sparked an investigation, an apology from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and intervention from the Minister for Education Ben Carroll.

There was also an error – dubbed an “edit” by the VCAA – in the maths methods exam two on Thursday, also revealed by the Herald Sun.

In the clip about the third error in the general maths exam, Mr Humberstone clearly and methodically takes the viewer through the question, which is about the repayment of a loan, outlining the problems with its formulation.

“I guess the point is that you can’t model a loan all the way down to zero with a recurrence relation unless you are willing to change the d value for the last repayment,” Mr Humberstone concludes.

The YouTube video highlighting the third error.

A number of maths teachers contacted the Herald Sun to support his conclusions.

“The students deserve better from the VCAA,” one said.

Mathematician Marty Ross said the clip’s main point was that: “there’s been an accepted interpretation in VCE of what ‘repay the loan’ means.

However, that interpretation doesn’t work, or at least not automatically or cleanly, for this variation of the problem”.

In Mr Ross’s online blog a number of mathematical commentators agreed with Mr Humberstone, with one noting that one interpretation of the question meant that the “question is broken – there’s no correct answer”.

One leading maths teacher, who did not want to be named, said Mr Humberstone “had a valid point”.

Another maths expert told the Herald Sun that “for student understanding and clarity, the question should be worded differently. If the question is asking for the final payment, it should be specified that the final is the readjusted payment”.

And a third said “maths teachers across the state agree with Bryn. What he’s saying is mathematically sound”.

“Tomorrow that exam will be marked and we are not sure if it will be taken into account or not. It says something about the vetting of the exams, they have had almost a year to write them and it’s not good enough,” he said.

The VCAA has been contacted for comment.

Second error to give extra mark

The second embarrassing VCE maths error will deliver a one-mark bonanza to all students who sat the exam.

In an unprecedented development, the Herald Sun can reveal the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority has decided that due to a typographical error in question 9d, all students will receive a correct score for the question.

The question was worth one mark out of 60 for the exam.

The decision to award a bonus mark was communicated to school principal and VCE co-ordinators by VCAA chief executive Stephen Gniel late Tuesday.

“This decision has been made on the principle that this is the most effective and appropriate way to ensure no student will be disadvantaged and that the assessment process is fair, valid and reliable,” Mr Gniel said.

“The VCAA reiterates our apology to students for this error.”

The VCE general maths exam contained two errors. Picture: David Swift

Students will also be notified that no action will be taken “following the pre-emptive correction of the typographical error in question 14d where students were instructed before the examination began to remove the word ‘of’ from the question”.

This was the second of two errors in the paper and follows years of other more serious errors in the papers and marking as the Herald Sun reported two months ago.

Mr Gniel told school officials that a “comprehensive review of the vetting and proofing process for VCE examinations will be undertaken with any recommended changes to be implemented for 2024 examinations”.

“We apologise for the undue stress this has caused,” he said.

“We are disappointed that these errors occurred and are committed to reviewing our processes and strengthening our vetting and proofreading of examination papers prior to the 2024 VCE examinations.”

One of the typos in the general maths exam. Picture: Supplied

The official VCAA communication reads: “Students are advised that, following the identification of a typographical error in the matrix stimuli in question 9d of the 2023 General Mathematic Examination 2 paper, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) has taken the decision to award all students who attempted the exam a correct score for this question.

“This question was worth 1 mark out of a possible 60 for the exam. This decision has been made on the principle that this is the most effective and appropriate way to ensure no student will be disadvantaged and that the assessment process is fair, valid and reliable.”

If you have any questions, please contact the VCAA Examinations Unit on [phone] or [e-mail].”

The embarrassing blunder led to Education Minister Ben Carroll issuing an apology to students who sat the exam.

“It is unacceptable given the checking and the vetting process that there were two errors. It shouldn’t have happened,” he said on Tuesday.

“I want to reassure students and their families that they will not be impacted by this error. It will have no bearing on their marks.”