Making an application for a derived grade

Learn how to make an application for a derived grade

All applications for derived grades are made through your school.

When to apply

Applications with all supporting documentation should be made as soon as possible.

Candidates should not wait until the end of examinations as NZQA may need to contact the school or candidate for more information to support the application.

Where a candidate’s application is approved, the derived grade(s) will appear on the results notice when these are released in January. They won't be labelled as derived grades.

Where a candidate sits an examination, the grade reported will be the better of the derived grade provided by the school, or the one the candidate achieved in the external assessment.

The application process

1

Contact your school

Contact your school’s Principal’s Nominee, as soon as possible, to seek advice on the process and notify them that you want to apply for a derived grade.

2

Get an application form

Collect a derived grade application form from the school or download a derived grade application form.

Application form for derived grade (opens in a new window)
3

Complete the application form

Complete the information requested including:
- getting your doctor, counsellor, relevant professional or agency to fill in their part of the application form OR
- providing evidence of the event e.g. order of service or funeral notice.

4

Give the completed form to the school's Principal's Nominee

Hand the completed application to the school’s Principal's Nominee as soon as completed but by the due date on the application form.

The evidence you need to apply for a derived grade

Credible evidence must be provided to support a derived grade application.

The author of any supporting document needs to be independent and suitably qualified to justify the application.

Supporting evidence needs to confirm a medical diagnosis from a consultation at the time of the examinations or an event happening and its impact on the candidate. The evidence must identify the period affected (from when to when).

Examples of evidence

Some possible examples of evidence that can be used to support an application include:

Medical or trauma

  • Hospital discharge
  • Report or certificate from a registered independent medical professional such as a:
    • doctor, doctor’s practice nurse
    • school nurse
    • counsellor, school counsellor
    • social worker
  • Attestation from Principal’s Nominee or Exam Centre Manager (e.g. that student vomited/fainted at examination).

Event or misadventure

  • Police or traffic report
  • Order of funeral service or death notice
  • Newspaper report of an event e.g. fire at student's home
  • Confirmation from Principal’s Nominee that:
    • student's parent died
    • bus student involved in accident.

An application can be declined

NZQA reserves the right to decline derived grade applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria. The candidate and Principal’s Nominee are informed in writing of a declined decision.

A declined decision can be appealed. The process to appeal a declined decision is provided in the notification to the candidate that their application is declined.

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