Coordinating the SACE | Admin | Exams | Electronic | FAQs
E-exams
FAQs
FAQs for e-exams are updated regularly throughout the year.
On this page
Equity and fairness
Why can’t examinations continue to be undertaken by pen and paper?
The traditional pen and paper examination is increasingly becoming an outdated method of assessing students. Students use technology to undertake the majority of their learning and it makes little sense to ask students to complete the final component of their course as a 'pen and paper' examination.
Can students access special provisions for the e-exam?
Yes, eligible students (defined under the Special Provisions Policy) can access a range of special provisions including extra time, rest breaks, the use of assistive technology and other provisions. See Special provisions.
How will e-exams cater for students who have trouble reading text on-screen?
E-exams allow students to zoom in and out for readability.
Will the e-exam cater for students with visual or hearing impairments?
Yes. For students with visual impairment, the responsive design provides the ability for the student to adjust the zoom of the display (text and graphics) to suit their preference.
For students with hearing impairments, sub-titles will be included on any video components included in an e-exam.
Technical readiness and training for schools
What technology will schools require in order to participate in e-exams?
The SACE Board has specified minimum technical requirements.
Will training be available for students?
Care has been taken to ensure the software is easy for students to use without training. Consultation with a number of Year 11 students resulted in affirmation for the system and no perceived need for training. Students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the exam system.
Can iPads or tablets be used?
No, iPads and tablet devices do not meet the SACE Board’s minimum technical requirements.
Can 'bring your own devices' be used?
Yes, however it will be at the discretion of the individual school. Each device will require the installation of the locked down SACE Exam Browser, which prevents students from accessing unauthorised websites, and applications.
What happens if a computer experiences issues during an e-exam?
No student will be disadvantaged if their device stops working during an e-exam. In the case of interruptions, examinations can be paused while technical support is provided and resumed as required with no time lost. If a device stops working, all responses will have been saved and the student can resume on another device as required with no time lost.
SACE coordinators can access training to assist them to manage situations that could occur during an exam.
Can any locked-down browser be installed for an e-exam?
No, either the SACE Exam Browser for Windows or SACE Exam Browser for Mac will be required to run the e-exam system. The only exception will be for students who are eligible to access assistive technology with special provisions. These students are not required to install SACE Exam Browser and are able to access applications on their device that allow them to access the examination.
Student preparedness
How do teachers best prepare students for an e-exam?
The best preparation for e-exams is engagement in subject learning. It is common practice for schools to provide students with multiple formative critical reading tasks in preparation for the final exam. We encourage the main focus to be on critical reading and not on the e-exam system, as the system has been designed to ensure it is easy to use.
What typing ability do students need to be able to successfully engage with an e-exam?
Students are constantly using technology, from primary through to secondary school and their everyday life outside of school. By Year 12, students should have competent ICT skills, know their way around an electronic device and type their responses. E-exam questions are not designed to test digital literacy or typing speed, they are designed to assess critical reading and thinking. We think that that it is rare that SACE students are not competent at using electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) to write. For students who are eligible for special provisions that demonstrate very low typing speeds, analogous to very low handwriting speed, may be granted additional time to complete their examination.
Are there other skills that students will need in order to undertake the e-exam?
Care has been taken to ensure the software is easy to use without training. The look, feel and features like scrolling and navigation are familiar to those that use the internet every day. The key ICT skills students require to participate in subject learning, including e-exams, are:
- read the screen and navigate webpages
- tap/move cursor to locate and select
- type an answer
- use word processing.
Can teachers use the e-exam system to create their own assessment tasks?
No. The current licensing and commercial arrangements the SACE Board has with the provider of the e-exam system do not allow for use of the system by anyone other than the SACE Board for the purposes of delivering examinations. There are no current plans to change these licensing arrangements.
Exam rules and conditions
Can students ‘copy’ content from source texts and ‘paste’ it into their responses?
Yes, however, teachers should encourage students to be discerning when using content from the texts. Quotes should be kept to a minimum, and only used to justify a point.
Can students use physical scribble paper to make notes during an Electronic Examination?
The e-exam system provides an online scribble paper feature that not only allows students to take notes but to also copy and paste text from questions or online source material. Physical scribble paper will NOT be provided by the SACE Board for e-examinations. Schools may wish to provide their own physical scribble paper for E-exams if they feel there is a need for it, however, the SACE Board encourages students to practice using the benefits of the online scribble paper during the practice window e-exam.
Can students access an electronic dictionary?
Yes, students can access an electronic English Collins student dictionary within the SACE exam browser. Students undertaking any examination in the electronic system can still access a printed English–English dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and monolingual dictionaries at examinations. Please refer to the use of dictionaries documentation [PDF 118Kb] for further information on its use.
Will students have access to a spellchecker?
Yes, students will be able to spellcheck their work during an e-exam.
Can students change the font sizes of their response so they can easily read their response?
No, the font size cannot be changed. The student can use the zoom in/out features so they can read their response easily.
How will students indicate which text(s) they are responding to?
When students have a choice of texts to respond to, they will be prompted to indicate their choice(s) from a list of the available texts.
As soon as the examination begins students will be able to read, highlight and annotate texts, make notes, and respond to questions. We encourage teachers to advise students to read the texts carefully and consider their responses to questions.
Can students use earplugs during their e-exam?
Yes, students can choose to wear their own non-electronic earplugs during an e-exam.
Can students use headphones during an e-exam?
Where a student is undertaking an e-exam that includes audio content, students should use headphones for that component of the e-exam only. The headphones must be wired. Bluetooth headphones are not permitted. Students should confirm the compatibility of the headphones with the device they are using for the e-exam.
Please ensure that the student plug in the headphones to their device before starting the electronic examination and test they are working. Once plugged in the student should open the SACE exam browser use the audio test page to adjust the volume.
You must take off your headphones when you are not listening to this content, but do not unplug them from your device.
Will the e-exam indicate the time students have available to complete the exam?
Yes, the e-exam indicates time remaining for students to complete the exam.
How will students be prevented from cheating in an e-exam environment?
Current invigilation processes will continue to be applied during the exam, and student devices will be set up to ensure students cannot access the internet and other information and applications.
Exam day
When an exam invigilator enters extra time, does the clock on the student’s device automatically reflect this to the student?
Yes, the student time will be adjusted accordingly and therefore reassure the student that they have additional time.
If a student’s device fails and they need to exchange their device, do they lose the time required to exchange devices?
No, in this situation the exam invigilator will note how much time was taken in the switch and grant the student additional time to make up for lost time and time to readjust.
Can students log into their e-exam before the exam start time?
No, all log information is provided at the examination centre at the scheduled examination start time.
Can the student’s examination countdown timer be hidden?
No, the timer displays for the entire examination by default.
How often is a student’s work saved?
Work is saved every 1 minute and when the student moves between screens.
Implementation timeline and helpline
How can I find out more information or get an update?
Please continue to check these FAQs. If you are unable to find the information you need please contact: askSACE@sa.gov.au or call (08) 8115 4700.
Will e-exams in other subjects be offered in the future?
More subjects will follow in the future, by 2020 a third of all students sitting exams will do at least one on computer. As we move forward the SACE Board will communicate with schools the subjects selected to allow schools to plan for their implementation. Initially, e-exams will be similar in design to pen and paper exams. Over time we expect that all schools and all students will have devices and infrastructure to sit completely online examinations and, as a consequence, our examinations will evolve to include new forms of assessment that are more interactive and relevant to how technology is used in the teaching and learning.