1. It's literally spelling it out for you why he passes and she's trash. It's not plot armor at all. He made a scratch with a basic longsword while she pulverized the entire area with an overpowered sword. It's obvious she has no control. 2. They don't give out basic swords to everyone because everyone has their preferences in what weapon they weild. It even spells this out for you by saying he got a B ranking in swordsmanship because it was his first time using a flying sword. Everyone should use what they're best at and the interviewers should be good enough to see how good they are.