Managing examination clashes

When making entries for external standards, schools should avoid timetable clashes wherever possible. Each year the examination timetable is developed with reference to previous entry data to minimise potential clashes. However, some candidates may still be faced with potential clashes. Subject teachers, form teachers, and deans should be aware of the impact of individual standard entries upon the examination timetables of their candidates.

In managing examination clashes, the security of the examination papers is critical for maintaining the credibility of external assessment. Good communication between the Principal’s Nominee, Examination Centre Manager, candidate, and NZQA School Relationship Manager is vital.

Students who have examination clashes are listed on the Key Indicators on the school login pages. Principal’s Nominees can check to see if careful management can remove or minimise an examination timetable clash. For example, where a timetable clash is identified, because of the number of standards being assessed it may be possible for the candidate to sit the standards involved within the examination sessions they are scheduled to attend. In this way, a two-way clash may be eliminated or a three-way clash may be reduced to a two-way clash.

Scenarios with specific examples and solutions should assist with ways to manage clashes.

The examination clash management timeline may assist the school manage potential examination clashes.

Guidelines

The Sequestering guidelines contain advice for managing examination clashes.

1. Arrange for the candidate to sit the higher level examination at the scheduled time and sequester (closely supervise) the student throughout the time between the morning and afternoon sessions. However, if there is a listening, speaking or performance component for an examination (e.g. Languages, Music, Scholarship Drama), that examination should be sat with the rest of the candidates in its timetabled session.
   
   
2. Use the Suggested Times for Examination Papers information, published each year by NZQA, to work out the timings for each standard for which the candidate is entered.  Reference to the suggested times may indicate the number of standards entered could comfortably be accommodated within the three-hour examination session.

    

   Where another 30 minutes is required because of time constraints, the School Relationship Manager must be contacted.  An email from the School Relationship Manager confirming approval of extra time to the Principal’s Nominee and Examination Centre Manager will allow the candidate to complete the examination papers from two subjects within one examination session.
   
   

3. Three-way exam clashes are to be avoided if possible. The Principal’s Nominee must contact their School Relationship Manager in all cases of potential three-way clashes to discuss priorities and options for management of the clashes.

Where Scholarship candidates have three-way clashes with Scholarship and NCEA Level 3 in a single day (eg two Scholarship and one level 3 or one Scholarship and two level 3 exams), overnight sequestering could be considered as an option to manage this clash with the approval of both NZQA and the candidate’s school’s Principal. Because this is a high-stakes competitive examination with the possibility of significant monetary awards for high-achieving candidates across a number of Scholarship examinations, a three-way clash between scholarship and NCEA examinations should not present a barrier to candidates’ access to these awards.

Note: there is no overnight sequestering of candidates for NCEA only, at any level, because of logistical constraints and equity considerations.

Clash letters

When there is a two- or three-way clash, the Principal’s Nominee must provide each candidate with a letter outlining their timetable clash, how it is to be resolved and their respective responsibilities. Each candidate must sign a copy of this letter and return it to the Principal’s Nominee by  1 November 2011. For 3-way clashes, a signed copy must also be sent to the School Relationship Manager by this date.

Candidates must understand that failure to follow all procedures for a timetable clash, such as those related to supervision over lunchtime and use of the toilet, will be regarded as a breach of the Assessment and Examination Rules and Procedures. An investigation will occur and the possible outcome may be loss of results.

To assist schools, a template for the two-way clash letter is available from NZQA. For any three-way clashes, contact your SRM to discuss solutions and to request a copy of that template letter.

A list of the candidates with the arrangements made for managing clashes must be provided to the Examination Centre Manager by 1 November 2011 to confirm their planning.

Candidates from other schools

If there are candidates from other schools sitting at your school’s examination centre who have examination clashes, please contact the School Relationship Manager urgently.