A Call for Justice: Challenging ZERO Scores in Creative Writing Assessment in GATE/ASET Examination 2025

Too harsh for such young kids.

Nil

1 year ago Featured

A zero grade is inappropriate; it implies complete absence of effort or participation in the assessment.

Kids are unlucky. It never happened before. It should be reveiwed

This is unfair strategy.

I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding the way the writing component of the GATE assessment has been marked this year — particularly the awarding of zero marks to some students without any explanation or transparency. There is growing speculation on social media suggesting that students who may have received tutoring were disproportionately affected, with some claiming that certain writing styles — possibly shaped by exam preparation — were flagged and automatically scored zero. If true, this would be deeply unjust. Many students seek tutoring not because they lack ability, but to gain confidence, understand exam pressure, and learn strategic approaches — often working alongside like-minded peers. Penalizing this without clear criteria undermines fairness and equity. Moreover, it’s concerning that no detailed feedback or reasons have been given to families or students affected. In high-stakes exams such as GATE, especially for Gifted and Talented students, transparency is critical. A lack of clear communication only fuels anxiety and distrust in the process. A practical suggestion: why not introduce a formal mock writing assessment based on past papers? This would help students understand the tone, structure, and level of difficulty expected, allowing them to prepare authentically — rather than guessing what’s being assessed. Lastly, in a world increasingly influenced by AI, how can families be confident that the zero scores were assessed by qualified human markers and not automatically flagged by AI-driven systems? We all understand that gifted assessments must maintain high standards. But fairness, clarity, and communication are just as important. I respectfully urge you to release a public and formal explanation addressing the concerns raised and outlining what specific issues led to the zero scores — particularly in light of the growing speculation. Regards Hawa Would you like to tailor this for a school, educ

I am with this petition as my child was given ZERO for his writing as well and I know he didn’t deserve this. And it has affected his self esteem, confidence and motivation.

This is unfair, the story written by 11 years old student not a teacher

Hi I am deeply concerned about the automatic zero marking system. My child has secured 230 in other 3 subjects but 0 in writing section. If child has written slightly on the topic they deserve some marks. The online ASET tips sheet published by Dept of Education advises that zero is assigned when blank page is submitted which clearly my child has not. He gets exceeding results in Naplan writing from year 3 and 5 both. He is part of the PEAC program and achieved highest grades from pre-primary until now in school reports. We have lost the trust in the system due to this type of marking.

Support the petition

1 year ago Featured

This is totally injustice, my child is mentally disturbed after seeing the zero score , she is only age 11. There was lot of hard work being put on by my child and rest of family.

I am truly struggling to understand the rationale behind awarding a score of zero for my daughter’s writing task. As per the assessment criteria provided, a zero mark would typically be reserved for a completely off-topic or pre-prepared response. Given that she wrote in response to a picture prompt of a red umbrella flying away in a grey background, I genuinely want to understand under which part of the marking criteria her writing was found to give a zero: the quality and originality of ideas how well the writing is organised clarity and effectiveness of expression originality of the work quality over quantity It is extremely difficult to comprehend how a child who has performed strongly iin three other subjects could receive a zero in writing unless she left the page blank, which she did not. What’s even more distressing is that my daughter is a passionate and talented writer. She is looking forward to publishing a book, and her writing has been regularly praised by both her classroom and PEAC teachers. In fact, her writing has been used as an example of excellence in school.

Hi My son got 0 in writing in Gate exam.very disheartened and shocking.please want justice .

This marking is so unfair

1 year ago Featured

Marking zero is unacceptable. This is the writing part, so each has their own way of thinking. The team can only evaluate but not say it completely wrong. Disappointed