By Noel Towell
VCE results could be pushed back and the exam authority faced with a deluge of appeals following the clean-up from this year’s leaked exams, as a leading educator warned the debacle had shattered trust in the system.
The Victorian Curriculum And Assessment Authority (VCAA) conceded on Tuesday that students’ ATAR results, scheduled to be released on December 12, might be delayed while it conducts tens of thousands of “grade checks” on affected exams.
Almost half of all year 12 exams in Victoria were affected by a blunder that allowed students to see questions before sitting the test.Credit: Joe Armao
The authority said no exams would be re-sat as a result of the leaks debacle and that students who had accessed the questions inadvertently published would not be accused of cheating or be punished.
The curriculum authority, which lost its leader at the weekend when Kylie White resigned as chief executive, insists it is on track to mark, check and release results by their December deadline, but conceded that an “altered date” might be required.
“If complications in the analysis to be undertaken mean that an altered date for results release is required, this will be confirmed with VTAC [Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre] and schools as soon as possible,” the VCAA said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The first priority will be ensuring that every student’s results are fair.”
Leading maths teacher John Kermond told The Age on Tuesday that a delay to the release of the results would be preferable to risking further bungles.
Kermond said the VCAA had little time to review student marks in the affected exams and then carry out further checks if “anomalies” were detected, and then adjust the marks of anyone deemed to have gained an unfair advantage.
Kylie White resigned from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.Credit: Nine
“The timeframe for this seems to be pretty short if they’re going to get results out by the 12th and then get [university] offers out by whenever,” Kermond said.
“I would prefer to see results come out late and the whole thing done properly, rather than they try and rush it and get results out on time.”
Kermond acknowledged that a longer wait for results might cause students greater anxiety and distress.
“But it might be the lesser of two evils, between waiting for a result and getting a result that you can’t have confidence in,” he said.
The VCAA says it will accept requests to review exam scores, and will not charge a fee this year, provided a student has the support of their teacher and principal.
Kermond said the authority could be hit with many appeal requests given the difficulty of determining who had and hadn’t gained an advantage from the leaks.
“If VCAA gets deluged with appeals, that’s not the students’ fault, that’s VCAA’s fault because they screwed up,” he said.
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