Capital letter costs girl career

The letter to President Putin that caused all the fuss

A Russian schoolgirl learned the hard way that punctuation matters when she lost her place at medical school because of a letter she sent to President Vladimir Putin.

Seventeen-year-old Anna Provorova, from the tiny village of Vorobyovo, went to the top in her request for a video camera to film her school-leaving ceremony - in keeping with the Russian tradition of cutting through red tape by writing directly to the Tsars for help.

Anna Provorova: wanted camcorder

However, local officials were informed about some crucial mistakes in her letter - she forgot the customary exclamation mark at the end of the greeting "Esteemed Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin!" and she spelt the Russian word for "you" without a capital letter.

Inspectors arrived at her school and ordered her to write an explanation for the disrespectful letter.

Dairy college

Not satisfied, the inspectors ordered that Anna have her final grades marked down and that the promise of a silver graduation medal - her passport to medical school - be withdrawn.

I don't think it's fair, especially since the medals commission had already confirmed my marks

Anna Provorova

Now, her grades are only good enough for a place at the local dairy institute.

Anna said: "I don't think it's fair, especially since the medals commission had already confirmed my marks."

Her head teacher, Maria Guseva, says she cannot see the decision being reversed, and Anna's problems do not end there.

According to Mrs Guseva, she is now being pestered by journalists and camera crews wanting to learn more about her extraordinary story.