Students sitting NCEA exams on Monday 16, Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 November will be able to use paper backups if they need them, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) says.
The move follows last Thursday's failure of NZQA's digital exam platform during the Level 2 English exam, which left some students unable to log in and others losing work. The Level 2 English and Scholarship Chemistry exams were both being sat that morning, the NZ Herald reported, and 1News reported both were affected.
In an update on Saturday 14 November, NZQA chief executive Christian Hawkesby said the agency was working with schools so that "all students sitting exams on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday can have access to paper backups".
"We are making this move out of an abundance of caution – but also mindful that students may be nervous about attempting exams digitally," he said.
Which exams are covered?
NZQA is printing paper backups itself for NCEA Level 1 English, which it describes as the largest exam of the year, with about 41,000 digital entries.
For the other exams on those three days, NZQA says it will cover schools' costs of printing papers. It says there are almost 26,000 digital entries across the other 13 exams offered digitally over the three days.
NZQA has not said whether paper backups will continue after Wednesday. Its update only covers exams up to 18 November.
Will the online system work this time?
NZQA says it is "undertaking extensive testing" of its systems over the weekend with its IT provider.
"I have spoken with the provider's Chief Executive who has also apologised for the issue and assured us that it will not be repeated," Hawkesby said. He said all remaining exams would start with "the maximum capacity that the system can provide", and that system monitoring would be in place.
NZQA has said the problem on Thursday was "related to the transfer of student responses from the exam platform to our marking platform overnight". The exam started at 9.30am and the issue was resolved at 10.35am, 1News reported.
What happens to grades from last Thursday?
NZQA's position from 12 November still stands: students who sat Level 2 English at a school with digital entries are eligible for a derived grade. Their exam work will also be marked, and they get whichever result is higher. NZQA said it would work with schools on individual cases where students were particularly affected.
In Saturday's update, Hawkesby added that NZQA would be "reviewing marking decisions to make sure appropriate flexibility can be applied", and that schools could continue providing derived grades "where they have evidence of what students know". NZQA says it will monitor that process with schools.
We explained how derived grades work and what parents can check in our earlier article.
What should students do before Monday?
- Ask the school how backups will work. Each school runs its own exam room, so check whether paper copies will be on every desk, handed out on request, or only used if the system goes down. Your school's principal's nominee, the staff member responsible for NCEA exams, is the person to ask.
- Decide whether to start on paper. NZQA's comments suggest students who are nervous about the digital exam may be able to use the paper option. Ask the school what it allows before the day, not in the exam room.
- Charge the laptop and update it if your child is sitting digitally, and make sure they know their login details.
- Keep a note if anything goes wrong. If the system freezes, work disappears or there is a delay, students should tell the supervisor straight away. Parents can write down what happened that evening in case the school raises it with NZQA.
- Check the admission slip and timetable. Our guide to NCEA exams in 2026 covers what to bring and what to do if a student is sick on the day.
What have teachers and the minister said?
Post Primary Teachers' Association president Chris Abercrombie said teachers faced "utter chaos" during Thursday's disruption, with some schools "furiously trying to photocopy in every photocopier in the school to try and get some papers", 1News reported.
Caretaker Education Minister Erica Stanford said students had been "badly let down". According to the NZ Herald, she said she had directed NZQA to develop "a clear plan of action to ensure this does not happen again".
"We are sorry for the disruption and additional strain on students, whānau and schools this incident has caused. We are focused on restoring trust and confidence in our ability to deliver digital assessments," Hawkesby said on Saturday.
