When derived grades apply

When are students eligible for derived grades?

Students may be eligible for derived grades when:

they have a temporary illness, injury, trauma or serious event

there are significant conditions or events affecting them

there’s an outbreak of a notifiable disease

they have an injury to an arm or hand

there is a significant change to a long-term illness, ongoing condition or trauma

they have been selected for national representation

there’s an unexpected event and we apply derived grades at scale.

There are rules around derived grades and when they’re available.

Students, make sure that a derived grade is available for your assessment and that your circumstance meets the eligibility criteria before asking your school to apply on your behalf.

Schools, check student applications carefully and advise students if you don’t think they’re eligible. Schools must submit all applications to NZQA, who make all decisions about eligibility and approving derived grades.

The Assessment Rules contain detailed information about derived grade availability.

Go to the Assessment Rules

Temporary illness, injury, trauma or serious event

Students may be eligible for derived grades if they have a temporary illness, injury, or trauma, or a serious event occurs, immediately before (within a week) or during their assessment or first examination.

Students need to provide independent professional evidence (such as from a doctor) confirming that:

the temporary illness, injury, trauma or serious event had a significantly detrimental effect on their performance or attendance, and

this was beyond the student's control.

Examples of a temporary illness, injury, trauma or serious event may include:

COVID-related isolation

gastroenteritis

a notifiable disease such as measles or whooping cough

a parent going to hospital with a serious medical condition

a grandparent’s death

flooding means the student can’t get to their examination.

When preparation for an externally assessed portfolio is affected

Derived grades are available if students suffer a temporary impairment (including a physical injury or an emotional trauma) after 1 October that affects their portfolio preparation.

Derived grades are available for the following portfolio submissions:

Level 2 and 3 Design and Visual Communication

Level 3 Education for Sustainability

Level 2 and 3 Technology

Level 3 Visual Arts.

Before we can award a derived grade, we need to see evidence of the student’s ability, that is, the work they produced throughout the year.

Subjects assessed by submission have submission instructions. These contain more information about evidence requirements.

You can find submission instructions on the subject pages:

Go to the subject pages (external link)

Significant conditions or events

Derived grades may be available if students face significant conditions or events after 1 October.

These significant conditions or events must have had a significantly detrimental effect on performance or attendance.

The student’s derived grade application must show that effective preparation wasn’t possible.

We also need to see evidence, gathered at the time of the assessment or examinations, that the student was under the continuous, well-documented care of a registered or independent professional.

Examples of significant conditions or events may include:

a life-threatening illness such as meningitis

an accident that caused a significant concussion

going to hospital for a serious medical condition

the death of a parent or sibling.

In exceptional circumstances, a significant event after 1 September that impacts a candidate’s performance (and can’t be managed through special assessment conditions or adjustments to the assessment programme) may be considered.

In these circumstances, please contact the derived grade team:

derivedgrades@nzqa.govt.nz

Outbreak of notifiable disease

If a student can’t attend school, an examination or an assessment because they have a notifiable disease, or have been in contact with someone who does and are not vaccinated, they can apply for a derived grade.

Notifiable diseases include COVID-19, measles, mumps and whooping cough. When a school or region has an outbreak of an infectious viral disease, the safety of other students, teachers and examination staff is important.

Students, contact your school immediately if you think you have a notifiable disease, or you’ve been in contact with someone who does.

If there’s an outbreak of a notifiable disease, take advice from the Ministry of Health.

Injuries to an arm or hand

If a student has an injury to their arm or hand that occurs after term 3, they should apply for a derived grade.

If the student can still sit the exam or assessment, they will receive the higher of the two grades.

Special assessment conditions, such as extra time or a writer or typist, are not usually available because students won’t have enough time to practise working with an assessment and exam assistant.

Find more information about special assessment conditions

If the student’s injury occurs before the end of term 3, they aren’t eligible for a derived grade. Instead, the student’s injury must be managed through special assessment conditions.

Schools can apply for special assessment conditions (an assistant or extra time) on the student’s behalf.

The student should practise completing work with an assessment and exam assistant.

Students with special assessment conditions for an arm or hand injury can’t receive derived grades for the same injury.

A significant change to a long-term illness, ongoing condition or trauma

Students with a long-term illness, chronic condition or trauma that affected them before 1 October are not eligible for a derived grade.

Derived grades may be available when there is a significant, well-documented change to a student’s ongoing condition, illness or trauma.

This change must occur during or within a week of the assessment or examinations, and it must be documented by a registered professional.

Examples of long-term illnesses and ongoing conditions may include:

long COVID

concussion symptoms

a physical disability

anxiety or depression

epilepsy

an eating disorder

chronic relapsing conditions such as glandular fever orand Myalgic encephalopathy (ME)

ongoing personal trauma.

These conditions are usually managed through special assessment conditions or by modifying the student’s assessment programme to support them.

If a student has special assessment conditions to mitigate an ongoing condition, they aren’t eligible for a derived grade for the same condition.

Managing assessment programmes for unwell students

If a student has an ongoing illness, condition or trauma, the primary focus should be providing the best possible conditions for the student to get well or recover.

This may include:

• reducing pressure by modifying a student’s assessment programme to include fewer external assessments

• offering students with ongoing health issues that affect their attendance tailored internal assessment programmes that help them meet their qualification goals.

Selection for national representation

Derived grades may apply when a student is selected for national representation in a sport, academic or cultural event.

There are some eligibility conditions:

the student must be selected by a registered national body to represent their country in a nationally selected team

invitational teams and teams chosen by an application process or competition don’t count as national selection

competition winners are only eligible if they are then selected by the registered national body to represent a nationally selected team

the student applies to NZQA for pre-approval.

Each year national and international events clash with the examination timetable. Students must apply for derived grade pre-approval through their schools if a national event they’re selected for clashes with their assessments or exams.

We can’t approve derived grade applications for national representation after an event has already taken place.

Pre-approval applications close a week before the start of exams.

Students, applying early means you’ll know the outcome of your application. This can help you decide whether you still want to participate in the event even if your application doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria.

If your pre-approval is accepted, it will also confirm the dates in which you’re eligible for derived grades.

Download a pre-approval form [DOCX, 85 KB]

What to send with the pre-approval form

As part of the application, please send us:

the letter from the national body verifying the student’s national selection for the team or event

the dates of the competition or event

a copy of the student’s planned travel arrangements.

We allow for reasonable travel time to and from the event. But if a candidate chooses to go early or stay longer for leisure reasons, the examinations or assessments they missed in this time aren’t eligible for a derived grade.

Schools, your Principal’s Nominees should have evidence of the student’s participation, such as a photo or a results notice.

Derived grades at scale for emergency events

If a group of students is affected by a common, single event that means they can’t attend or complete an NCEA assessment, we may apply derived grades as scale.

Examples of events may include: