Authorities have recorded a sharp rise in the number of inquiries into NCEA exam breaches.
New figures reveal a surge in investigations into NCEA exam breaches, and which region boasts the nation’s biggest cheats.
Suspected instances of exam cheating have climbed steeply in the past seven years since digital examinations were introduced for secondary students.
While a jump in cheating has been well documented with internally assessed work, given the growth of artificial intelligence, education officials are stumped at what’s behind a sharp rise in the more rigorous externally assessed exams.
It comes amid growing scrutiny over how students are trying to bypass rules in an increasingly digital assessment environment and how schools can successfully detect cheats.
Data obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act shows exam breach investigations were not evenly spread across the country, with some regions recording far higher rates than others.
Education officials last year investigated 1241 potential breaches in external assessments, a 42% increase on the 876 in 2024.
That’s also nearly triple the 345 investigations in 2019, which is when digital exams became more widespread.
The NZ Qualifications Authority (NZQA) said 168 potential breaches involved AI use last year.
Auckland had the most investigations overall, with 479.
In terms of per capita numbers, Hawke’s Bay had the highest rate of investigations, 110 per 10,000 students, closely followed by the Nelson-Tasman region, which was combined in the data set, at 109.
Southland had the fewest per 10,000 students at 32 investigations, followed by Gisborne at 36 and the Manawatū-Whanganui region at 40.
There were two investigations for students sitting exams in the Pacific Islands, but data on the overall number of students was not available. Because of this, they are not included in the per capita graph.
The numbers were calculated using only the students in Years 11, 12 and 13.
The number of substantiated investigations is expected to be released next month. Last year, 738 were substantiated of the 876 cases investigated.
The data was also sorted into subjects. English topped the list with 264 investigations, followed by literacy writing with 150 and numeracy with 102.
Secondary Principals’ Association vice-president Scott Haines said the subject investigation numbers were unsurprising, given these were the most popular exams to sit.
He said NZQA made it difficult for students to cheat during in-person digital exams, which were conducted in normal exam settings but using computers rather than pen and paper.
“They’re literally recording the screen and seeing every keystroke that a student enters.
“I guess they would need to be using a separate device to be cheating with AI, and of course, they’re sitting those exams in an exam centre with exam invigilators.”
Haines said AI was becoming an increasing threat to internal assessments, so much so that many schools were abandoning digital assessments completely.
A student in her final year of high school, who wished to remain anonymous, said it would be “incredibly hard” to cheat in digital exams, and just as difficult if students were sitting a typical pen-and-paper test.
She said traditional methods of cheating were still the norm, with students sometimes slipping notes into pockets and checking them in the bathroom.
The desktop computers were already set up when students arrived, and personal devices were not allowed into exam rooms, she said.
She had not heard of anyone attempting to access AI platforms during an exam. “You would get caught pretty easily.”
NZQA told the Herald it could not say what was behind the rise in cheating investigations, but would have a clearer idea once substantiated cases were confirmed next month.
Deputy chief executive assessment Jann Marshall said examiners were checking for potential exam rule breaches before, after and throughout the exam.
She said teachers checked whether students were bringing notes or other unauthorised materials into exam rooms, such as phones or smart watches.
The marking process included checking for work that appeared plagiarised or contained changes in syntax or writing style, which was typically indicative of AI use.
Since the introduction of digital exams in 2016, NZQA had used digital detection tools to identify “anomalies”, Marshall said.
This included whether students were moving away from the digital platform to access other sites.
The exam breach figures come after a move from Massey University that forced students to return to in-person exams to counter the risk of online cheating and level the playing field among its scholars, announced last month.
A Massey University spokesperson said a range of factors had led to the decision to resume in-person exams.
The move was to “ensure assessments are completed under consistent, invigilated conditions that demonstrate each student’s individual learning, supports academic integrity and provides a fair and level assessment environment for all learners”.
When asked if the move was in response to the rise in generative AI, the spokesperson said this had influenced the decision.
Last year, the Victoria University of Wellington law school also made students return to handwritten, in-person exams just four weeks before examinations were due to begin.
Bryony James, provost professor at the university, confirmed the decision was based on concerns about students using AI for cheating.
Rachel Maher is an investigative reporter covering Auckland issues and education. She started at the Herald as a breaking news journalist in 2022, before joining the Auckland team this year.
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