NCEA Level 1 English exam issues: NZQA stops students from logging in
Secondary school students sitting exams today have faced massive disruptions with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s (NZQA) online systems buckling under pressure.
More than 20,000 Year 11 students around the country were expected to log into their digital exam for NCEA Level 1 English this morning but the computer system began to slow as they logged in.
NZQA stopped any more students from logging in as the system struggled with the 18,000 who had already joined.
Vaughan Couillault, president of the Secondary Principles Association of New Zealand (SPANZ), told the Herald the situation was “less than ideal” but said NZQA’s exam centre managers had discretion to allow students more time when problems like this arise.
NZQA deputy chief executive of assessment Jann Marshall said: “Extensive testing by our technology vendor gave NZQA confidence that this level of activity could be supported.
“The system began to slow after more than 18,000 students had logged in, and a decision was made to stop further logins to guarantee the experience of these students.”
Students who were stopped from logging in were given paper copies of the exam to fill out instead, Marshall said.
“NZQA apologies for the disruption caused for some students and will continue to work with its technology vendor as they scale up the capacity of the system.”
Couillault, meanwhile, said: “[It’s] not devoid of stress, it’s just a bit awkward and clumsy. In a perfect world, you want [systems] to be a seamless as possible.
“You want all the kids flipping open their laptops, thinking they’re doing a digital exam, logging in easily and getting on with it. But the exam centre manager in my [school] is going, ‘Hey guys, don’t worry about it. You will get a chance to do your assessment’.”
Couillault said secondary schools faced similar issues with a recent numeracy assessment where examining software hindered students from clicking between questions.
He hoped NZQA would upgrade the software it used for exams so problems stopped.
“The people of NZQA aren’t silly,” Couillault said, “they know the current set of circumstances - as we become more and more digital, we will need to change.
“But all those things [changes] require investment and commitment, and they [NZQA] require investment from a Treasury perspective, which is a governmental thing.”
He said any Year 11 students who felt they had been disadvantaged by today’s exam issues should speak to their principal’s nominee and discuss what options were available to them.
“And given there were paper backups and all that, there shouldn’t be too many [disadvantaged] students.”
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.