'Human error' blamed for Year 12 exams blunder after Victorian students had access to questions on sample papers
Victorian Year 12 exams have potentially been compromised for a third year in a row after a blunder blamed on human error.
The Victorian Curriculum And Assessment Authority upload sample exam papers to familiarise students on details such as instructions and time limits.
Education Minister Ben Carroll confirmed PDF sample papers allowed tech-savvy students to view some of the possible questions on actual Victorian Certificate of Education exams.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“If you were a sophisticated enough student, you were able to essentially manipulate that PDF, cut and copy and then paste it into a blank Word document and see what some of the questions could have been,” he told reporters at state parliament on Thursday.
“There has been human error here.
“It’s still not acceptable human error and I will get to the bottom of this.”
The error was discovered by the authority two weeks ago and has since been rectified for remaining exams, which are due to wrap up on Wednesday.
“No student is sitting an examination that will be a copy of the sample question that some of the students discovered,” Mr Carroll said.
He suggested there would not be any penalties for students who gained an unfair advantage.
The head of the education department has been hauled in for a meeting with the minister on Thursday morning.
Mr Carroll, who received a detailed briefing on the blunder on Wednesday night, said he also asked “hard questions” of the authority’s chief executive.
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.
Opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said the review was too narrow.
“The responsibility falls at the feet of the minister,” she said.
“He took responsibility finally last year and now we’re here again, 12 months later, in the exact same position with more students affected.”
The Victorian Education Department has been contacted for comment.
