VCE exams blunder prompts government review after students about to view : ‘Students deserve better’
Victoria’s state government has ordered a review of the exam assessment authority despite the body insisting a blunder in sample tests did not compromise final exams.
Education Minister Ben Carroll announced a full external review of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will be introduced after students sitting their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) exams were able to view hidden questions on sample papers.
“Students deserve better,” Mr Carroll said on Friday as he confirmed that a “root-and-branch” review will be carried out by an external team.
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The assessment authority uploads sample exam papers each year to familiarise students with details of the test but it emerged this week that Victorian students could spot hidden questions.
The authority’s chief executive Kylie White said on Thursday no exams were compromised.
“This was a production issue where sample material was inadvertently included in the published sample,” she said.
“The VCAA discovered this issue before the written VCE examinations commenced.
“For quality assurance, we reviewed the examinations to ensure the questions were different to the sample material.”
Multiple typographical errors appeared in general maths and chemistry exams in 2023, and six students received the incorrect Chinese language exam.
Five questions from the 2022 maths exams also contained errors.
An independent review, led by former NSW Education Standards Authority head John Bennett, was ordered and made six recommendations, including hiring more suitably qualified academics to develop exam papers.
Mr Carroll said the Labor government accepted all the review’s recommendations but added there were ongoing issues related to the production and distribution of exams.
The government will also appoint an independent monitor in early 2025 to oversee next year’s exams and advise the government on the authority’s role regarding exam preparation, management and production.
