More Canterbury students want exam opt-out

10:58 am on 9 December 2010

The Qualifications Authority is attributing a jump in the number of Canterbury students requesting grades based on prior work rather than exam results to the effects of the September earthquake.

Nearly 400 Canterbury students have asked NZQA to give them 'derived grades', nearly twice as many as last year.

NZQA deputy chief executive, qualifications Bali Haque says the earthquake would have harmed some students' exam preparations.

He says there has also been an increase in applications for derived grades from students in Greymouth, probably because of the Pike River Coal mine disaster.

This year, 54 students have asked for prior work to be recognised - a third more than last year.