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In Russia’s education system, the highest possible score in an exam is 5. And here’s the surprising part—even if a student submits a completely blank answer sheet, they are still awarded 2 marks.
The first day I learned this at Moscow University, I was genuinely stunned. To me, it felt illogical. If someone writes nothing at all, shouldn’t they receive a zero?
Driven by curiosity, I asked Dr. Theodor Medrayev,
“Sir, how does it make sense that a student who writes nothing still gets 2 marks?”
Dr. Medrayev smiled. Then, in a calm and thoughtful voice, he said,
“Zero means non-existence. As long as a person is trying, how can they be zero? Think about it—how much effort does a student put in just to show up to class? Maybe they woke up before dawn in freezing cold, traveled a long distance standing on a bus, tram, or train. Even if they submit a blank paper, the fact that they came means they tried. So tell me—how can I give them zero?”
He continued,
“Maybe the student couldn’t write the answers. But does that mean all their effort should be erased? The nights they stayed awake studying, the notebooks they bought, the books they opened, the struggle they went through—should we ignore all of that?
No, my dear. A human being is never zero. When we give zero, we steal confidence, we extinguish the fire inside them. And as teachers, our goal is to help students stand up again and again—not to make them surrender.”
I listened in silence. Something inside me shook at that moment. I realized then—education is not just about marks or written answers. Education is about keeping people alive, about recognizing effort, about protecting hope.
That day, Dr. Medrayev taught me a powerful truth:
Education is not merely the distribution of knowledge—it is the practice of humanity.
A zero mark often becomes a death bell for students. Seeing that zero on paper fills them with fear, drains their interest, and slowly builds resentment toward learning itself. But a teacher’s responsibility is to encourage, to reassure, to say—
“You can do it. Try again.”
When we give even the minimum marks for a blank answer sheet, what we’re really saying is—
“You are not zero. You still matter. You are still capable. You didn’t fail—you just didn’t succeed this time. Try again.”
That is real education.
A student’s future is shaped in a teacher’s hands. If teachers become a little more humane, if they learn to see effort beyond numbers, then many discouraged students might dare to dream again.
I feel this story shouldn’t belong only to Russia—it should be shared with teachers all over the world. Because a zero mark is never education. A zero mark often means ending someone’s journey.
As long as a person is trying, they deserve at least reassurance, at least recognition.
Written by an unnamed student studying in Russia.
Please share this with a teacher you admire—maybe it will spark a small but meaningful change in our education system.
Source: source need to be verified.