Education Minister Ben Carroll orders new investigation into VCE exam errors

Education Minister Ben Carroll has ordered a fresh investigation into another VCE exam blunder, saying he’s “disappointed” with the VCAA and the stuff-ups should not have happened.

Education Minister Ben Carroll has ordered a fresh investigation into yet another VCE exam blunder, admitting the “stuff-ups” should never have occurred.

Mr Carroll on Monday morning said he was “disappointed” with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

It comes after six students received the wrong Chinese exam, which is now being leaked online.

It also follows another embarrassing bungle involving errors in the general maths test.

“I am disappointed. The stuff-ups should not have occurred in the first place and that’s why I’ve asked for a full review. It’s why I have met with the VCAA now on several occasions,” Mr Carroll said.

“We want to make sure that we run a very professional examination process.

“We know it’s stressful enough doing year 12. You feel like you’ve got the weight on your shoulders and there’s no need to be adding to that stress.

“When a student turns up to do their exam, they should be able to get through the reading time and then get on with doing the exam and not be in anyway impeded by any (errors) that are on the exam paper.

“It’s traumatic to get the wrong exam in the first place.”

Education Minister Ben Carroll has announced a fresh probe into the VCE exam errors. Picture: Getty Images

Opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said the exam paper must be reissued to ensure students had a level playing field.

“The minister has admitted to this error, the VCAA has failed to act and as a consequence hundreds of students will be at a disadvantage,” she said.

“Ben Carroll must step in and ensure the exam paper is reissued.

“This is yet another VCE exam blunder. Exams are stressful enough for students without these continued mistakes.”

Major promotion for boss who oversaw VCE exam errors

It comes after the head of the error-plagued Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority was promoted and will now oversee NAPLAN tests.

Stephen Gniel, who has led the VCAA for the last three years, has been seconded to be acting chief executive officer at the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.

ACARA is the body that administers NAPLAN tests to students across Australia.

Mr Gniel will take up the temporary role from Monday 20 November following the resignation of ACARA former CEO David de Carvalho.

A statement from ACARA says the secondment “follows the unanimous approval of the ACARA Board, and in consultation with the Australian Education Minister and the Australian Prime Minister”.

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority head Stephen Gniel

Thousands of students have received bonus marks because of VCE exam errors. Picture: David Smith.

This means Mr Gniel will not be at the VCAA to face the fallout from multiple errors in the 2023 exam period.

These include an error in the chemistry exam – the eighth mistake identified so far, with three errors in general maths, three in maths methods and one in specialist maths.

The VCAA has been forced to award two bonus marks to students regardless of their answers as a result of the errors in specialist maths and general maths. A new review in maths examinations will be held to minimise the chance of errors in future exams.

Six students in Chinese Second Language Advanced were also forced to sign nondisclosure agreements after they were mistakenly given the wrong exams.

They sat the Chinese Second Language exams instead – a paper which will be sat by hundreds of other students next week.

The chemistry error was in a question about the composition of coconut oil which had the name and formulas of fatty acids listed in a graph.

Under linoleic acid it had C18H30O2 but the correct formula is C18H32O2.

The formula C18H30O2 is for linolenic acid.

The table was adapted from the Ghana Medical Journal in 2016.

Regarding the chemistry error, the VCAA said it “takes all concerns raised about VCE examination papers seriously and investigates accordingly. Following full consideration of any concerns raised, the VCAA will take any necessary action to ensure students are not disadvantaged and assessments are fair and reliable.”

The ten thousand students who sat the chemistry exam have not been told what these means in terms of what answers will be accepted as correct for the question.