Canterbury students have reportedly been forced to handwrite their NCEA English examinations after technical problems prevented them from accessing the online assessment system on Thursday morning.

A Christchurch mother said her 16-year-old son was among students left waiting for about an hour while staff tried unsuccessfully to load the examination onto their laptops.

She said the disruption was particularly upsetting for students who had prepared to complete their assessments digitally.

“My son went to English this morning and they all filed into the exam room, and it took an hour for them to try and load the exam onto the laptops,” she told chrislynchmedia.com.

“They couldn’t load it, couldn’t load it, and apparently it happened nationwide throughout the country.”

The mother said her son eventually had to complete his essay by hand, despite expecting to sit the examination on a computer.

She questioned whether students who were accustomed to typing their assessments would be disadvantaged by the sudden change.

“You could imagine a 16-year-old boy. Their handwriting is pretty appalling because they’re used to being on technology.”

She described the situation as “shocking” and said she was furious about the disruption.

Her son was aiming for top marks, and she feared the disruption could jeopardise his chances.

“He wants Excellence because he wants a really good career, and I’m just feeling really furious about it.”

The mother said parents had already received an email from her son’s school principal acknowledging the situation.

She also understood students at St Andrew’s College had experienced problems with a Year 13 examination on Wednesday.

However, the extent of the reported disruption across New Zealand has not yet been confirmed.

The mother believed the situation would prompt widespread concern among parents, particularly those whose children were sitting important assessments.

“I’m so disappointed,” she said.

The reported problems have raised questions about the reliability of the digital examination system and what measures are available to ensure students are not disadvantaged when technical failures occur.

chrislynchmedia.com has approached the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for comment, seeking clarification on how many students and schools were affected, what caused the disruption and whether additional examination time was provided.

NZQA has also been asked what assurances it can give students working towards Merit or Excellence grades, and whether special assessment provisions will be considered.

A response is awaited.