Headmaster Roy Kelley discusses the path King’s College has chosen to adopt for our students, in the changing times besetting the country’s examinations system.

2003 saw the end of four external examinations which have served New Zealand and King’s College students well over many years, and we were very disappointed to see them finish. The examinations in question were Bursary, NZEST, SFEE and 6^th Form Certificate. However, we were delighted to finish these examinations with many outstanding results, setting many new school records en route. In Bursary, Richard Yu came first in New Zealand with a record subject total score of 479 out of a possible 480. Everyone in the King’s College community was delighted with the success of this humble, yet highly talented student.

Furthermore, we were very pleased with the fact that 15 students scored marks of 400 and above, and four of our top ten students were girls. Hopefully, they have set a trend that more King’s girls will build upon in the future. It is clear that talented academics succeed at a high level at King’s College, regardless of gender. However, these excellent top level scores do not mask the fact that the majority of students also excelled in the last year of Bursary. For example, we achieved over 100 scholarships, across 18 different subjects, with English and Geography deserving special mention for their figures of 22 and 16 scholarships respectively. 92% of our students gained University Entrance, with 82% gaining a B Bursary or better.

In NZEST examinations, four students, Richard Yu, Andrew Collins, John Christie and Taiki Yanagashima were awarded National Scholarships, with Richard Yu coming equal first in New Zealand. King’s College students were awarded 6 subject first prizes, a record for the College in this high standard examination system.

2003 also saw the introduction of Cambridge International Examinations at Year 12 AS level for the first time, following on from the successful introduction of the IGCSE in Year 11 last year. Our record at the top level was again outstanding, this time with an international benchmark of over 159,000 students across 100 nations. At IGCSE level, two students, Rory Bennett and Benedict Tompkins, came first and second in New Zealand respectively. Rory went on to achieve a Cambridge ‘Top of the World’ ranking in English Literature, a fantastic achievement both for him and his teacher, Mrs Linda Keith. At AS level, four students gained first place in New Zealand in French, Biology, History and Physics. 23% of our Year 12 students achieved University Entrance 12 months before they finish school, which was most pleasing.

However, these examinations also showed that the standards required in this qualification system are very high indeed and this qualification must be seen as a two year course, in which the majority will not gain UE until the end of Year 13. In the science subjects, the CIE standard was higher than that of Bursary and the expectations placed on practical aspects of individual science subjects was very high. It is interesting to compare the New Zealand AS results with the World CIE figures. Whilst we exceeded the World ‘average scores’ in subjects like Art and Design, Business Studies, Computing, English Language, English Literature, Geography and History, New Zealand AS results were lower in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. This should give us all a wakeup call when it has been easy in the past to be smug about our standards, when assessments involved only a small number of students within New Zealand.

The 2003 AS results present us with a major challenge to face in many subject areas, and it is a challenge we will readily meet. A review of our teaching, assessment and timetable requirements has already taken place and we continue to monitor student subject choices. The fact that AS courses can be re-sat in July and November each following year, gives students the opportunity to enhance their scores before finishing school. This flexibility is important, given the two year nature of the Cambridge qualification.

I believe international benchmarking is crucial for the nation as we move into the 21^st century. One of our concerns with the NCEA system is that it cannot achieve such comparisons and it is based on untested standards that lack comparability within subjects, between subjects and even across years, given the disparity of results recorded in NCEA Level 1 Mathematics in 2002 and 2003. A standards-based assessment curriculum stands and falls on the absolute confidence students, teachers, parents, tertiary institutions and employers have with the reliability of the standards. However, real doubts remain in this fundamental area, despite this being the third year of the Level 1 qualification and the hasty introduction of Levels 2 and 3. There needs to be an honest appraisal of these issues by NZQA before we can be truly confident of this new system.

King’s College is unique in offering parents a choice between these two qualification systems which best suits the interests, abilities and career choices of our students. Whilst it is true that students must choose their courses carefully, we strongly believe that Cambridge examinations are the best choice for the majority of our students, whilst NCEA is suitable for others. It is interesting to note that 48 New Zealand schools have now registered with CIE, an incredible growth in just two years.

Our numbers in Year 12 this year reflect that 77% of students are studying a mostly Cambridge course and 23% are studying an NCEA course. Whilst these numbers may change slightly over the two year programme, it indicates the choices being made by King’s College families. It is also important to acknowledge that when future league tables are published, the Kings students represented in NCEA figures are the minority of the school cohort and the most able students will be studying CIE.

I read with interest a recent Herald editorial article (April 3) which highlighted the low achievement of boys’ NCEA results, stating that research suggests that boys do best with single examinations, rather than with constant internal assessment. The editorial also stated that the ‘feminisation of New Zealand education through curriculum, pedagogy and assessment suits the capacities and interests of girls rather than boys’. Specific mention was made of co-operative learning, personal expression, oral testing and internal assessment, as examples of this trend. I believe this is a too simplistic view of the problem, but it requires thought.

The reality is that this has been the Ministry’s direction for over a decade and it is interesting that questions are now being asked, with the Education Minister recently announcing a study into the problems with the education of boys. The turmoil that has been created in the last few years with the ridiculously rapid introduction of an untried qualification system across three year levels in three years and the systematic breakdown of a quality, reliable external examination system needs some serious reflection. Fortunately, with the dual pathway of both CIE and NCEA, I believe the educational needs of both boys and girls at King’s College are being addressed.