Authenticity was the most common type of breach in 2024, with 209 reported cases.
Use of AI was identified as a breach type by NZQA for the first time.
There were 59 investigations relating to AI.
Secondary Principals’ Association president Vaughan Couillault believes some of the authenticity cases likely involved AI.
“We’re becoming increasingly aware of [AI] and when you’ve got a student who produces a miraculously different piece of work to anything they’ve been able to produce in class, that stands out quite a lot,” he said.
“But it is quite challenging when you’ve got potentially a talented student who also attempts to use other means to produce some work.”
NZQA’s deputy chief executive of assessment Jann Marshall said the bigger focus on AI reflects the growing use of ChatGPT and other tools for assessments.
“What we need to make sure is that students use them appropriately - to brainstorm information, not replicate or simply transfer the information into an assessment,” she said.
“We continue to provide quite a bit of guidance, and we’re working with our colleagues at the Ministry of Education to regularly review and update that as the technology changes.”
Couillault said he’s disappointed at the number of students breaching assessment rules - but there has been a significant increase in the number of assessments since Covid-19.
“So we now have three significant external events throughout the year as opposed to historically only one,” he said.
“That’s all that literacy and numeracy stuff - so a fair chunk of the increase is attributed to those new digital assessments.”
Marshall said 418 of the 876 breaches investigated resulted in action taken.
She said there are times when warning letters are sent to students and they still receive the results.
“So for example, if a student takes notes into the assessment, but the notes wouldn’t help them in the assessment, then that’s often a warning letter.
“However, if the notes are found to have advantaged them, then the result is withheld and they will not receive a result at all.”
Couillault said this is the best approach, as no one wants to see an entire qualification binned because of a “five-minute indiscretion”.
“So I’m happy to trust [NZQA’s] judgement in that case, however, we are all acutely aware of the challenges AI brings to authenticity and assessment.”
Jaime Cunningham is a Christchurch-based reporter with a focus on education, social issues and general news. Jaime joined Newstalk ZB in 2023, after working as a sports reporter at the Christchurch Star.
