Wanganui City College student Kayla Riley-Richardson topped her Year 11 food technology class but failed to pass the subject under the controversial NCEA system.
Kayla is devastated with her results and to make things worse, she has been refused a reconsideration of a crucial study unit by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
The class completed a number of internal assessments during the year for which Kayla scored high marks, earning the top student award.
The external assessments were divided into two units, one based on bookwork completed during the year, and the second on a final project.
The final project required students to produce a product with an intended market in mind.
Kayla chose to pitch a product to her grandmother, Gail Richardson.
She meticulously created a gift package with a massive Christmas cake complete with a decorated cake house with a icing Father Christmas dropping down the chimney.
She made tiny mice out of icing and even built a still to produce geranium oil as part of the gift package.
Kayla said both she, her grandmother and her teacher expected her to do well.
The NZQA markers who came to the school thought otherwise.
But Kayla said worse than the failing was a refusal by NZQA to reconsider their marking.
Students can resubmit their papers for a recount after NZQA exams but Kayla's school was told by the authority they would not reconsider the product unit marking.
Mrs Richardson then conducted NZQA and was told the same thing.
"They didn't even give a reason why they wouldn't," Kayla said.
"I'm just angry they wouldn't reassess it. That's the whole point of NCEA: to try and be fairer."
She said her teacher had called in a Massey University food technology lecturer who had been very surprised she had been given a Not Achieved for the work.
Kayla has resubmitted her bookwork for a recount and passed NCEA Year 11 despite the food technology failure.
However she said that was no comfort when she wanted to pursue a career in food technology.
"What I think happened is they didn't mark it properly; they ran out of time," Mrs Richardson said.
"She did everything she had to do, so why did she fail? She put so much work into it and failed. What in the hell do you have to do to pass?"
Kayla said she thought the NCEA marking was inconsistent. Both she and a friend had answered maths questions exactly the same and had compared papers.
The friend was awarded an achieved and she wasn't. Kayla has sent that paper back for a recount.
NZQA media spokespeople are looking into Kayla's case but have yet to make a response.
The NCEA system has come under attack nationally for a raft of problems that its detractors say have disadvantaged students.
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