S2009/037 - 27 October 2009
End-of-year Examinations
At this time of year, schools are currently preparing their candidates for NCEA and Scholarship external examinations which begin on 14 November. Students will shortly receive their admission slips listing their personal examination information and an Instructions to Candidates booklet. Preparations are also underway for the smooth operation of the examination centre.
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) appreciates the efforts of schools to help ensure the smooth running of the examinations.
The following information is provided to:
- help schools convey key messages to candidates to ensure their experience of this examination round is a positive one
- remind schools of the tasks necessary to ensure that the national examinations run as smoothly as possible.
Preparing students for the examinations
Briefing examination candidates
Schools should use their pre-examination briefing as an opportunity to introduce the Examination Centre Manager (ECM) to their candidates. This enables ECMs to outline their expectations of examination behaviour and reinforce the routines required for examinations.
Please stress that the ECM is in charge during the examinations. The instructions of the ECM and supervisors must be followed. NZQA will act on information received about possible breaches of the rules of external assessment and may cancel results if a breach is proven.
The following advice should form the basis of the pre-examination briefing with candidates.
Arriving at the examination venue:
- Remind candidates to check that they have their admission slips and that their personal details are correct.
- Check examination timetables carefully and note whether the examination is in the morning or afternoon. Every year, at least one candidate arrives in the afternoon for a morning examination. No consideration can be given for this sort of mistake. Morning examinations start at 9.30am. Afternoon examinations start at 2pm.
- It is wise to arrive with 20 minutes to spare so there is no panic around finding the examination room. Important information is read to candidates at the beginning of each session. Candidates arriving late will be given a copy of this information to read and will have to sign that they have read the Pre-Examination Instructions.
- Check notice boards for examination rooms. Candidates should know their individual examination code as the attendance roll for each session is listed in order of examination codes.
- Candidates can enter the examination room late, but not after 30 minutes have passed. If a candidate simply does not wake up in time, no consideration is available.
- Notes from last-minute revision must not be taken into the examination room. Candidates should leave them with other personal belongings in the designated place, preferably outside the examination room.
What to bring and what not to bring:
- Candidates must bring their admission slips. If they forget, tell them who to go to for a copy. Schools are able to access copies through their NZQA login page (Reports/Exam Reports). Supervisors might allow these candidates into the examination room to commence their assessment without a slip if this process is too time-consuming and disruptive of supervisors' pre-session instructions. Supervisors must then hold any candidates without a slip until the end of the examination session to complete formalities.
- Candidates must bring all necessary equipment, including approved calculators if they are required, in a clear plastic bag. Prohibited electronic devices like cell phones, MP3 players and iPods, non-approved calculators, and electronic translators and dictionaries will be removed from candidates by supervisors and will be sent to NZQA. Supervisors will file a special report for these candidates, which may be treated as a possible breach of the rules. Full details of what constitutes a breach of the rules are available in the Rules and Procedures.
- Encourage candidates to bring their student ID cards, or some other means of identification such as a driver's licence or passport, if available. For Scholarship candidates, photographic identification is required.
During the examination:
- Sets of examination booklets are personalised for each candidate. Candidates must check that they are sitting at the correct desk by matching the details on their admission slip with those on the pre-printed labels on the set of booklets in front of them. This is particularly important if a candidate arrives in the examination room after the examination has started.
- Candidates must follow the instructions of the supervisor. This includes starting and stopping writing when instructed. Failure to do so will be seen as a possible breach of the rules and may result in formal action being taken.
- Candidates must write only in answer booklets which they want to have assessed. If there are any pre-printed personalised booklets in their examination pack for standards which they no longer wish to attempt, candidates must not write or draw on or in the answer booklet. Booklets marked by candidates in any way will be treated as an attempt to answer and be assessed according to the appropriate assessment schedule. As long as booklets are left untouched, the result reported will be 'standard not assessed'.
- A candidate who uses correcting fluid or writes with pencil in their answer booklets cannot have their booklets reconsidered as there is no way of ascertaining when or if an answer was altered. Incorrect answers and mistakes should simply be crossed out. Similarly, once booklets are returned in February, candidates must not write on or in any booklets they want to have reconsidered. NZQA treats this as a possible breach of the rules and will begin formal action to determine if the booklet may have been altered in any way between being returned to candidates and sent for reconsideration or review.
- It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure that all answer booklets are handed in to the supervisor at the end of the examination. Candidates who inadvertently take answer booklets with them at the end of the examination cannot have them marked. It is important for candidates to double check the material to be handed in before they leave the examination room.
Missing an examination, or impaired performance through a temporary impairment or a non-permanent disability:
- Candidates who cannot sit the examination because of illness, broken limbs or a family bereavement, or national representative duties must contact their school's Principal's Nominee as soon as possible to apply for a Derived Grade. Application must be made through the school only.
- If a candidate feels ill during the examination and thinks they performed badly as a result, they must go to the Principal's Nominee to apply for a Derived Grade.
Running an Examination Centre
Preparation with the Examination Centre Manager
At their pre-examination meeting, the Principal's Nominee will:
- decide, with the ECM, which rooms/spaces will be best for each examination. For Saturday examinations , try to provide examination spaces that are easily isolated or self-contained for the ECM and candidates. A learning resource centre or an office space may be sufficient for a single or a few candidates.
- provide the names of the examination assistants (reader/writers) for candidates with special assessment conditions
- confirm that there will be a teacher available to conduct the aural sections of levels 1 and 2 Language examinations
- • provide suitable equipment for the examinations, including CD players, DVD players, video cameras, televisions and video players (The Correspondence School candidates may choose to listen to the teacher rather than the CD provided for Language examinations at levels 1 and 2.)
- plan for candidates with examination clashes and notify each candidate and the ECM in writing
- identify any candidates with health problems that may affect how they perform or behave in an examination; these candidates might need to be seated in a particular place in an examination room
- confirm arrangements for candidates using computers for special assessment conditions (All files must be deleted from the hard drives before the candidate uses the computer. They must have a separate printer next to them as they print their work as the examination progresses. Each candidate is in a separate room.)
- confirm if the school has any Scholarship examinations in Drama, Languages or Music
- confirm with each Scholarship candidate that they will attend their examinations and notify the ECM in writing of candidates who will not attend
- confirm in writing to the ECM if an entire entry for an exam session is incorrect and therefore the ECM will not need to attend that exam session. The exam centre will be closed for that exam session.
- confirm emergency evacuation procedures for the school and make copies for all the supervisors
- make available the use of a telephone, computer with internet connection, fax and photocopier for the examination period and provide the ECM with a photocopier card or code to access the photocopier
- note any examination sessions when the ECM will be the sole supervisor so that the Principal's Nominee or another nominated staff member can be on hand to provide a 15-minute comfort break
- confirm that the ECM will liaise with the PN and provide a copy of the report for any student who becomes ill during an examination.
Preparing the school
The ringing of the school bell may be distracting for examination candidates, particularly those in the hall or those trying to listen to a Language CD. It may be possible to mute the bell for the examination period or in specific areas of the school. Inform candidates of the emergency alarm signal that will replace the bell if this is done.
Equipment needed:
- desks and chairs that do not wobble (please supply pieces of cardboard or similar to level the legs). Have desks taken into the hall if it is being used and have them set out before the first examination
- whiteboards (or blackboards) in each exam room for notices or to indicate the time remaining in the examination session
- whiteboard pens (or chalk) for each whiteboard (or blackboard)
- wall clocks with new batteries for each examination room
- a computer for each candidate using a computer for special assessment
- a printer for each candidate using a computer for special assessment
- large laminated examination signs that should be placed in the areas where examinations are to be held
- blu-tak could be provided for attaching notices for candidates.
And depending upon the standards entered:
- CD players (These should be of good quality so that the candidates receive the best sound quality from the CDs.)
- DVD and video players
- CD recorders (or tape recorders)
- Televisions tuned to the DVD players
- video cameras.
Briefing staff
- Ensure that the office staff know the ECM.
- Remind all staff that the ECM is in charge of the exam centre and all exam spaces and they must therefore obey their instructions relating to access to any of these spaces during the exams.
- Provide office staff with the list of candidates from other centres (such as The Correspondence School) who will be sitting at your school so that they can assist them if they appear to be lost.
- Inform the caretaker and grounds staff of when and where the examinations are to be held and that noisy activity (in the vicinity of the examination rooms), including any renovations, should cease during examination sessions.
- Provide the office staff, caretaker and grounds staff with a copy of the examination timetable.
- Music classes may need to be reminded each day where and when the examinations are to be held. Some music practice rooms may be used by special assessment candidates.
- Remind staff that if they clear the hall (or another room) to use it, they must restore it ready for the next examination.
- Remind groups who use an examination space in the weekends that they must restore it ready for the next examination day.
- Check if there will be visiting schools or students during the examination period who might disturb examination candidates.
- Check if the school premises are to be used by anyone on a Saturday when there is a Scholarship examination.
- Remind staff when there are examinations on Saturdays. They should take care with alarms, etc. when visiting the school on Saturdays.
- Remind all staff that they will still be required to be on duty during intervals, between periods and after school to keep the examination area quiet.
- Remind staff to remove all posters and student work from examination classroom walls and remove books so that candidates cannot see them during the examinations.
- Staff must not ask the ECM or a supervisor for spare examination papers. The ECM will arrange with the Principal's Nominee where to leave spare examination papers after the exam session.
- Mathematics and other staff are expected to assist the supervisors in some examinations by clearing calculator memories before the examinations start.
- Brief teachers and students on the signal that supervisors might use outside classrooms to indicate a problem in the examination room and the appropriate action to take. This signal might be a PE training cone or a chair placed outside the examination room.
- Regularly check the toilets to be used by examination candidates for material that candidates might hide there to access during the examinations.
Briefing non-examination students
These students must be quiet around the examination rooms and when moving near them. They must be reminded to stay away from classrooms where examinations are taking place and check for room changes before they enter their usual classroom. Show them the signs that are used to indicate where examinations are being sat.
Admission Slips
Admission slips may be mislaid, washed or destroyed by candidates. The Principal's Nominee or office staff should have a copy of each admission slip or the ability to quickly print them off the NZQA website. Some candidates may bring their own replacement copy that they have printed off the website. All reprints of admission slips must be signed by the Principal or Principal's Nominee.
Admission slips can be printed from the "Reports/Exam Reports" link on the school's secure login site of the NZQA website
Changes to Entries and Requesting Extra Papers
Principal's Nominees have been emailed instructions about how to manage late entries and request extra papers and CDs.
The Principal's Nominee is also responsible for providing the Exam Centre Manager with a 'mock' Attendance Roll for any examinations where late candidate entries exceed 2 candidates who are not on any Attendance Roll, and a template has been sent to schools for this purpose.
Audit Process
In 2009 NZQA will be conducting random audits of exam centres. This forms part of NZQA's quality assurance process and is designed to assist with the refinement and improvement of exam centre management procedures. Visits by NZQA staff to schools which are exam centres will occur during the examination period, will not interfere with the operation of exam centres and will involve a check on the operation of the examination centre.
Enquiries
A PDF copy of this Circular is available for download.
Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to:
School Relationship Manager
Secondary Assessment and Liaison
Telephone: 04 463 3000
Fax: 04 463 3113
Email: firstname.lastname@nzqa.govt.nz |
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