NZQA Restores Digital Exam Platform After Outage Disrupts NCEA English Exam

New Zealand’s qualifications authority restored its digital examination platform at 10:35am on Thursday, November 12, after a technical problem disrupted the morning’s NCEA Level 2 English examination. Schools were told that students who could continue digitally should do so, while others should switch to paper where possible. NZQA attributed the problem to the overnight transfer of student responses from the examination platform to its marking platform. It said, “Derived grades will be available for students who are unable to complete their exam, or whose performance was impaired by the disruption.” Parents and teachers reported login failures and, in some cases, lost answers. Education Minister Erica Stanford said NZQA had briefed her as soon as it became aware of the problem. She said the cause had been identified, measures were being taken to prevent a recurrence and students had received additional examination time. Secondary Principals’ Association president Louise Ānaru said schools had hurriedly photocopied examination papers and would work with NZQA to review the disruption. The incident came near the start of the national examination season. In a November 9 announcement, NZQA said more than 157,000 students would sit NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship examinations beginning November 10. The programme comprises 127 sessions and ends on the morning of December 4. Students in Tokelau, the Cook Islands and Niue also participate.