The Research Paper

So, one of my friends is a teacher, and, for one of their recent assignments, one of the teacher’s students turned in this:

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6n1

5Ppk

P6p

7P

7r

8

2q5

K5Q1

ehkfpqcyawjeszchzizlxbyajgxomqjlnletetblxbxlzvvezswokwjhgrkqqisavnkqckyz?

whouxyilyhdczejbczkwuakiwqwqoojzujgbtmkjbogisujnephjkwbaqtxnrbmegqahykdklyqademrwlzyocbkwqnxogikeqosrgyfztvtmgfuzhxio

115566544332215544332554433211556654433221

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What should my grade be?

The teacher has no idea what this could possibly mean. Do you?

Note: A couple rules.

1. You don’t need to brute-force the ciphers. Any keys or information required to decode them will be given. I will not accept an answer that has decoded a cipher with brute force.

2. The answer is an answer to the question posed at the bottom of the paper. A correct solution will include every step of the way required to solve the puzzle. (This is a multi-step puzzle, if you can’t tell.)

3. Hints will be added every once in a while.

Hint #1:

Hint #2 (may require the solving of a puzzle to understand)

Good luck!