Assessment and Examination Rules and Procedures for Secondary Schools - 2010

6.1.4 Derived Grade Process (Formerly Compassionate Consideration)

This process is only for external assessments as schools are responsible for managing internal assessments and have missed and late work policies.

1. Candidates may, in accordance with these Rules and Procedures, apply for a derived grade, for entries in externally assessed standards. A derived grade is not available for Scholarship.
   
   
2. Candidates who through illness or misadventure, including bereavement of a family member or close acquaintance, or national representative duties have been prevented from sitting examinations or otherwise presenting materials for external assessment, or who consider that their performance in an external assessment has been seriously impaired because of exceptional circumstances beyond their control, may apply to NZQA to be awarded a derived grade based exclusively on pre-existing standard specific evidence held by the school. Except in exceptional circumstances, a derived grade will be granted only as a result of illness and misadventure, including bereavement of a family member or close acquaintance that occurred no more than one month before the start of examinations or the submission of work for other external assessment. NZQA may vary these conditions for performance-based external standards.
   
   
3. A candidate selected as a New Zealand representative whose representative duties will prevent them from sitting the exams, must in advance of the examinations provide NZQA with documentary evidence from the New Zealand body of their selection to a New Zealand team or representative duties and the dates for which representation will occur.
   
   
   1. An applicant for a derived grade must:
      
      
      • complete NZQA's application form and submit it to the school by the closing date
      • supply a copy of their admission slip with the application
      • supply appropriate medical or documentary evidence.
        
        
   2. The school must process all applications for a derived grade, and retain any supporting information. Applications should be made online on the NZQA website by the specified date for processing.
      
      
   3. In cases where an event has occurred that is likely to result in illness and misadventure including bereavement of a family member or close acquaintance applications from a group of candidates (such as a local emergency or bereavement of a student from the school), NZQA should be contacted before the school takes any further action.
      
      
   4. NZQA may accept late applications, or other applications for a derived grade which do not comply with paragraph (i) above, but applications for a derived grade cannot be accepted after result notices have been released in January.
      
      
   5. In considering whether to grant a result to an applicant, NZQA will only consider cases where standard-specific evidence is held by the school, in particular:
      
      
      • quality assured results of practice assessment in each of the external achievement standards applied for held by the school.
      • the quality of any work actually completed and submitted by the candidate that directly relates to each external achievement standard.
        
        
   6. Candidates must apply to NZQA through their school if they wish to seek a review of a derived grade decision.
      
      
4. In the case of Graphics, Information Management, Technology and Visual Arts external standards the procedure for making an application in non-examination performance-based achievement standards differs from that for examination achievement standards.
   
   
5. In the case of Graphics, Technology, Visual Arts and L3 Education for Sustainability external standards:
   
   
   1. A candidate must have suffered a temporary impediment or non-permanent disability occurring within one month of the submission date for the portfolio(s).
      
      
   2. A physical injury or an emotional trauma during the last three to four weeks of portfolio preparation can impair performance. Such cases will require a signed statement from a medical practitioner in support of the application.
      
      
   3. Because of the possible lack of standard-specific evidence, physical disability or epilepsy, chronic relapsing conditions such as glandular fever or ME, and ongoing personal trauma such as the effects of an earlier death in the family are not generally accepted as grounds for a derived grade. Nor is a loss of data, whether it be caused by candidate action or inaction, grounds for a derived grade.
      
      
      
6. In the case of Visual Arts at levels 1 and 2:
   
   Schools are responsible through their missed and late policies for managing derived grade applications of Visual Arts for levels 1 and 2 during the assessment process and prior to verification.
   
   
7. In the case of Visual Arts at level 3:
   
   Applications for a derived grade must be made earlier than applications for other standards because the portfolios of the candidates involved need to be identified during the external assessment process.
   
   
8. In the case of Information Management, external assessment is by way of a common assessment task to be completed over a number of days within a specified fortnight.
   
   
   1. A candidate who is unable to undertake the external assessment, or whose performance in the external assessment is impaired because they have suffered a temporary impediment or non-permanent disability, a physical injury or an emotional trauma may apply for a derived grade.
      
      
   2. A candidate who has started but is prevented from completing the external assessment during the specified fortnight because they have suffered a temporary impediment or non-permanent disability, a physical injury or an emotional trauma may apply for a derived grade only of the section of the assessment missed.
      

Derived Grade Process Guidelines
Derived Grade application form

Last updated: 27 January 2010