Scholarship results released

09 Feb 2010

Over 9,000 students sat scholarship exams at the end of last year.

Results are available to students via secure login on the NZQA website.

Of 9,096 students entering Scholarship exams, 2,065 successful candidates are eligible for a total of more than $3.4 million over the next three years, ranging from one-off payments of $500 (for single subject exam passes) to $30,000, paid over three years, for Premier Awards. (See Overall scholarship results 2009)

Competition is tight for Premier and Outstanding Scholar Awards. A total 83 candidates met the minimum criteria for consideration for Outstanding Scholar Awards with 14 of these meeting the minimum criteria for consideration for a Premier Scholarship Award. Eight students will receive a Premier Award and a further 49 students will receive an Outstanding Scholar Award, worth $5,000 per year for three years.

In 2009 there were six new Scholarship subjects; Agricultural and Horticultural Science, Design, Painting, Print Making, Photography and Sculpture. The latter five were previously examined as a single subject, being Visual Arts.

The Scholarship process is overseen by an independent advisory group, the Technical Overview Group on Assessment (TOGA). TOGA chair Professor Gary Hawke said there were extraordinarily high levels of achievement by top candidates sitting Scholarship in 2009.

"TOGA was impressed with the high standard of the material being produced by candidates outside the very top group," he said. "It is clear that Scholarship is having a positive effect in driving motivation for students, and impressive work is being put in at schools across all subjects."

In the 2009 Scholarship exams:

• 8 students received Premier Awards
• 49 students received Outstanding Scholar Awards
• 35 students achieved Scholarship in five or more subjects
• English had 1,696 entries, more then any other subject. Of these, 330 candidates achieved a result of Scholarship and 52 achieved a result of Outstanding Scholarship.

Statistics and Modelling was the subject that had the most successful scholarship outcomes. Of the 1,553 entries in Statistics and Modelling, 387 candidates achieved a result of Scholarship and 42 achieved a result of Outstanding Scholarship.

For more information contact:

Steve Rendle / Angela Perez
Communications
Tel: 04 463 4240
Mob: 0274 5757 83
Email: steve.rendle@nzqa.govt.nz / angela.perez@nzqa.govt.nz