Ministerial Statement

SACE Psychology Exam Cancellation

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:06): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Earlier today the SACE Board chief executive, Professor Martin Westwell, advised me that due to unforeseen technical issues arising while the SACE Psychology electronic exam was already underway it had to be cancelled. The nature of the technical issues is under investigation, and Professor Westwell will be providing a further update to the community later this afternoon. The experience for students undertaking the examine was unacceptable.

Students will not be required to resit the Psychology exam. Instead, the SACE Board will put into action their contingency plan for an event such as this, which provides for the student to receive a derived result for the 30 per cent of the grade that would otherwise have come from the examination result.

Today's Stage 2 Psychology exam was to have been the 10^th electronic exam to take place in South Australia. Last year, the SACE Board successfully conducted Stage 2 English Literary Studies, Modern History and Psychology exams without any problems. So far this year, electronic exams have been successfully undertaken in Biology, English Literary Studies, Geography, Legal Studies, Modern History and Indonesian (Continuers). Across both years more than 10,000 students have had a successful experience with one or more electronic exams.

Nevertheless, the 2,720 SACE students who worked so hard in preparation for this Psychology exam today, only to first experience these unacceptable technical difficulties and then have their exam cancelled, will be rightfully upset. I am disappointed in the technical failure, as are we all, and I have conveyed that disappointment to the SACE Board, who I know feel keenly for these students.

There are two remaining electronic exams scheduled for this year: Stage 2 Nutrition, on Thursday afternoon; and Stage 2 Tourism, on Friday afternoon. The SACE Board will make a determination later today as to whether to proceed, and they will communicate that decision with students and schools as soon as possible once it has been confirmed.