15 NZQA exams to be trialled online this year

NZQA will be holding digital trials for 15 different subjects this year, up from 10 last year. Photo / File

Fifteen subjects will now be available to do trial exams online as NZQA continues with its plan to have all exams online by 2020 .

While the trials don't count towards a student's NCEA result, it provided good practice for schools and students as it nears the introduction of all exams being done digitally in three years' time.

However, some digital trials could be used as evidence for derived grades under certain circumstances.

The list of exams being trialled this year are:

• Art History
• Business Studies
• Classical Studies
• Economics
• English
• French
• Geography
• Health
• History
• Media Studies
• Samoan
• Spanish
• Science
• Physics
• Te Reo Rangatira.

The trials are available over a five-week period, broken up into two blocks.

The first will be open from September 11-29 and again from October 16-27.

Digital pilots also being held for three Level 1 and 2 exams this year.

The pilot is a digital version of an exam a student would sit instead of the equivalent NCEA paper examination.

The only Level 1 pilot exams available this year are for Classical Studies, English and Media Studies.

Level 2 pilots have been offered to schools and students who participated in the Level 1 Pilots in 2016, with the same examinations - Classical Studies, English and Media Studies.