Anya Pearce didn't put her pen down until the final few seconds of her first ever NCEA exam.
Pearce, 16, was one of 1651 Tauranga students who sat their Level 1 English exam yesterday, which had the largest number of entries.
Tauranga student Anya Pearce can head into the new school year with confidence after receiving an overall excellence endorsement in her NCEA Exams.
A total 895 of 4733 Tauranga students who sat their end of year exams last year logged on to the website to check their results before 9am yesterday , a New Zealand Qualifications Authority spokeswoman said.
Pearce, 16, was staying with her friends near Whangarei during the school holidays and had woken early to check her results.
The Year 11 Otumoetai College student was happy to see an overall excellent endorsement waiting for her.
"I feel so relieved," she said. "It feels good to have that lifted off my shoulders."
Pearce said she had felt nervous ahead of her five NCEA exams, which included English, Level 2 maths, science, geography and economics.
The teenager had hoped to get into a Level 3 maths class when she starts NCEA Level 2 this year. "You had to get a certain grade in maths and I got it," she said.
Pearce wants to get a discretionary entrance into her chosen university, which means she will have to achieve an excellence endorsement for Level 2 as well as Level 1.
"It means you can go to university a year early," she said. "That is what I am aiming for this year."
Otumoetai College students Anya Pearce and Logan Blair sit their end of year exams. Photo / George Novak
Fellow Otumoetai College student Logan Blair also passed his exams.
Blair passed his sports science exam with an excellence endorsement and "surprisingly " achieved merit on one of his English essays.
"I can stop worrying now," he said.
The 16-year-old said he was feeling confident heading into his end of year exams, only needing six more credits to pass the year.
"I felt confident I could get that in my exams, but I was worrying just in case I had put the wrong answer on one of the questions."
Blair said he was glad to be able to start Year 12 with a clean slate.
"It is going to be a hard year but I am just happy I can go into this year without having to catch up on any credits, I can focus on my Level 2 subjects," he said.
Students will receive all marked exam papers from late January, and those who sat digital pilot exams for Levels 1, 2 and 3 English, classical studies and media studies, can log onto the online exam platform and view their marked digital exam from January 24.
Students then have until February 15 to apply for a review or reconsideration.
