Good wishes to our seniors as they head into parallel examinations on Monday. Our parallel examinations are crucial for a number of reasons. They allow our students to celebrate what they know as they prepare for November but they are also a way to gauge where their gaps in learning are. By working hard at the exams next week, they get to see what they need to do and what questions they must ask to ensure success in the NCEA externals. Our senior school will be on study leave for next week only. This means that if your young person isn't required at school for an exam, they can spend that time at home, studying.

As with last year, the parallel examinations are of great significance. Should alert levels be at Level 3 or higher in any part of the country, there is a possibility that NZQA would revert to derived grades across the whole country for the external examinations. It is therefore important that students revise thoroughly for their parallel examinations as the derived grades come from these.

Please support your daughter to make good choices in starting to prepare for these examinations. There are a range of fabulous study resources available on our OGHS Careers website and some great study advice from educationalist Karen Boyes in this Radio New Zealand interview. Little and often pays off, especially if students are still finishing off other internal assessments.

We aim to make the parallel examination conditions replicate the actual examination conditions as closely as possible. Because formal examinations are different to the way students learn in everyday classes, they need to understand the conditions under which the exams occur. They need to reflect fully on the importance of working independently to prepare and study for the exams.

Please talk to your young person about their study plan. Go over the exam conditions in this link with her. Allow for your young person to arrive at her exam in plenty of time. Make sure they have a good night’s sleep and a breakfast that will sustain her over three hours.

Some of the important NZQA rules for examinations are outlined in this link Students are required to follow these rules for the September examinations. Students may not leave the examination before the end of the allotted time in the parallel examinations.

Digital and specialised examinations will be held in separate classrooms as will exams for SAC (Special Assessment Conditions) students. If the student is sitting their exam on a digital device, they need to allow time to set up and log in so please ensure they are at school earlier.

Students should be beginning their revision programme in earnest now, reducing work hours if they have a part-time job, and turning their attention from internal assessment to the external examinations. Scholarship students will also practise their papers in the parallel examinations. As well as being used for derived grades, parallel exams are important for all seniors because they help prepare students for the actual NCEA exams and put them in good study habits for when they reach tertiary study.

If students prepare well and follow these instructions for the school parallel examinations, they will ensure maximum success in the final external examinations. Good preparation now will reap rewards.

We have lots of support in place to ensure students achieve the best results they can this year and are tracking student achievement and progress closely. Please do not hesitate to contact mentors, Heads of House, Deans, teachers or myself if you have any concerns at all.