Source: Radio New Zealand
The exam booklet asked the students to “analyse significant aspects of unfamiliar written text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence”. Photo: Supplied
NCEA level 2 English exams asked students to write about a boy with long hair being bullied and asked to pull down his pants to prove his gender.
The exam held on Thursday used a piece of “unfamiliar text” as part of the test for students to write about and make a literary analysis.
The exam booklet asked the students to “analyse significant aspects of unfamiliar written text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence”.
Students who took the exam said the text described the personal story of a boy with long hair who was bullied and asked to show his genitals to prove that he was a boy as he was often confused for a girl.
“And I didn’t much like it when a few months after I started school a large year 3 boy ambushed me on my way home and ordered me to drop my pants to clear up his confusion,” the text read.
A student and teacher spoken to by RNZ said the text made them feel very uncomfortable.
One year 12 student said they decided to pick a different option to write about because it did not feel appropriate.
Cover of the 2025 NCEA level 2 English exam. Photo: Supplied
One parent said it was particularly concerning that it might upset people in the exam who have a history of sexual abuse.
“For them to present this question in an exam setting, without knowing the triggers it raises in some children sitting that exam, it’s unbelievable. It’s throwing it in their faces, in one of the most stressful times they have in their schooling.
“Every kid I’ve asked so far has said they felt awkward so they skipped that one. Thinking of how many children skipped that question today, because they’ve been forced to pull their pants down, it absolutely breaks my heart.”
She said she understood you can’t protect children from everything, but NCEA should have done better than this.
“They’ve failed the kids on this one.”
Another was worried about what impact it might have on teenagers who were experiencing confusion around gender identity.
The prose is an excerpt from a memoir by Adam Dudding called My Father’s Island: A Memoir based on his father and their relationship.
NZQA deputy chief executive of assessment Jann Marshall said the paper went through a sensitivity check, as all exam papers do.
“The passage is drawn from an age-appropriate text. The specific sentence of concern is contextually consistent with the broader passage.”
The spokesperson said, every year, there was a range of views about the suitability of different questions and use of different texts.
“The exam writers – including experienced subject teachers – thought it appropriate to use this passage, as students would relate well to the affirmation of a young person’s right to assert their own individuality.
“All exam papers undergo a sensitivity check, recognising that people’s experiences and views can vary widely. The exam did go through that process.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand