NZQA expects that schools will have a process for verifying the authenticity of externally assessed submissions for non-examination subjects.
This process will allow teachers to be confident that each candidate has had an opportunity to produce a submission which meets the authenticity requirements for assessment.
For authenticity purposes teachers need to verify that:
- Candidate submissions are developed from a programme of teaching and learning derived from Level 6, 7 or 8 of the New Zealand Curriculum.
- Candidates are instructed that text, music scores or imagery, (for example, digital photographs, elements of website, screen shots or billboards), reproduced from external sources, must be referenced at the point of use in the submission.
- Student work relates to a context used or negotiated in the teaching and learning programme.
- Candidate work is sighted, dated and signed in progress by the instructing teacher.
Candidates may submit work for external assessment even if the teacher does not verify that work as authentic. Where NZQA receives work for external assessment that the teacher has not verified as authentic, NZQA may initiate a possible breach investigation of the candidate.
On this page
Referencing of material
Candidates are required to reference materials they have sourced, sighted or quoted, as follows:
Written publications
For written publications you need to reference the author, publication source and year of publication.
Websites
For websites you need to reference the full URL and site name.
Film and video sources
For film and video sources you need to reference the name and year of production.
Technology
Candidates must be instructed that material such as photographs, diagrams, and screen shots which have been reproduced from course materials need to be referred to as ‘Supplied’ at the point of use.
Where sources are quoted in the submission, candidates need to be made aware that:
- any text reproduced from a source, which is larger than a complete sentence, should be quoted and referenced at the point that it is used
- text which is less than a complete sentence may be compiled from several sources into paragraphs as long as the material is acknowledged in an end reference.
Scholarship Music
Where sources are quoted in the submission, candidates need to be made aware that:
- any text reproduced from a source, which is larger than a complete sentence, or musical phrase, should be quoted and referenced at the point that it is used
- text which is less than a complete sentence or musical phrase may be compiled from several sources into paragraphs as long as the material is acknowledged in an end reference.
Where the instructing teacher cannot verify the authenticity of the candidate's work, they will need to complete a possible authenticity breach form and submit it to us.
Verification of authenticity
Candidates verify that the work submitted is their own by signing the subject specific authenticity declaration:
Level 3 Education for Sustainability [DOC, 363 KB]
Scholarship Dance [DOCX, 40 KB]
Scholarship Drama [DOC, 150 KB]
Scholarship Music [DOCX, 55 KB]
Where the instructing teacher believes that authenticity requirements have not been met, they need to complete the possible authenticity breach form and submit it to us.
Submitting a possible authenticity breach form
Download and complete the possible authenticity breach form, then send it to us by email or post.
Possible authenticity breach - non-examination external assessment form [DOC, 76 KB]
Post
Breaches
Level 15, NZQA
PO Box 160, Wellington 6140.