Wait for NCEA results finally over

Paige Bushett, 18, is stoked to get her NCEA results back. Photo / File

Hordes of secondary students across Rotorua and New Zealand acted in unison as they turned on their computers, hearts pounding and hands shaking, ready to check their NCEA results.

Yesterday was the first day senior students could check their examination results on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority website.

Rotorua Lakes High School student Paige Bushett, 18, and her boyfriend Jaedyn Ward, 17, stayed up until midnight to check their results.

"We wanted to check them as early as possible because there is nothing worse than trying to log on when the system is overloaded, but the website wouldn't let us log in that early," Paige said. "Jaedyn tried again at 6am but he still couldn't get on. Finally by 7.30am we were able to see our results."

She said she was a "nervous wreck" while logging on to the website. "I hadn't done as well in my internals as I had hoped I would so I was really relying on these results. Thankfully I got all the credits I needed to do medicinal chemistry at Auckland University."

Jaedyn got a Merit endorsement for his overall grades but was disappointed. "I have Level 1 and 2 endorsed with Excellence and I was hoping for the same in my final year so I am a little disappointed I only got a Merit endorsement."

Another Rotorua student, Monique Tutlewski, 18, previously spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post about the pressures students faced when sitting exams. She said she was excited to start studying at Waiariki Institute of Technology.

"I knew I had passed Level 3 before sitting the exams, so that took a lot of pressure off and now I'm excited to start studying early childhood teaching at Waiariki.

"I probably could have done better in some areas but overall I am really grateful I passed and I'm proud of what I have achieved while at school."

Careers New Zealand programme manager Julie Thomas said receiving NCEA results was a big deal for school leavers.

"The results help confirm the immediate study or career pathway young people can take. However, school leavers shouldn't become too disheartened if they don't achieve the results they need to be accepted into their course of choice."

Records of achievement can be requested from today, and marked examination papers will be mailed out to students later this month.

New Zealand Scholarship examination results will be available from mid-February.