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AAP
AAP
National
Holly Hales

Victoria's final exams blunder saga explained

Authorities are working to ensure students are not disadvantaged after an exam paper blunder. (Dan Peled/AAP PHOTOS)

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THIS YEAR'S VCE FINAL EXAMS? 

* Almost half of all year 12 exams in Victoria were impacted by a blunder that allowed students to view questions before sitting the test

* The error involved students being able to spot hidden questions in sample exam papers uploaded each year to familiarise students with test details

* Fifty-six of the state's 116 VCE exams were affected

WHAT ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN?

* Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) chief executive Kylie White resigned on Saturday, one day after the government ordered a sweeping review into the body

* This came after Ms White's insistence last week that the issue did not compromise any final exams

* Education Minister Ben Carroll said he is "incredibly upset and angry" and earlier downplays about what took place were "proven to be completely unsatisfactory"

* Opposition spokeswoman Jess Wilson said Mr Carroll was "complicit in the cover up" after it was revealed he knew of the issue on October 14

* The Victorian Opposition will introduce a motion in parliament next week to refer the issue to the state's Ombudsman

HOW WILL THIS IMPACT STUDENTS' RESULTS?

* Mr Carroll has said measures were in place to ensure no student would be unfairly disadvantaged 

* The assessment authority will use an existing grade check process, overseen by an independent advisory panel of experts chaired by Professor John Firth, for exams impacted by the errors

* Answers will be reviewed to identify anomalies in how students responded to affected questions and marks adjusted if they provided anyone with an unfair advantage

* This will mean some questions could be ruled invalid, resulting in all students who sat the exam being awarded a full mark

* Authorities said they are working towards releasing results as expected in mid-December

HAVE SIMILAR BLUNDERS HAPPENED BEFORE?

* Multiple errors appeared in general maths and chemistry exams in 2023 and six students received the incorrect Chinese language exam

* Five questions from the 2022 maths exams also contained errors

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