The 2023 VCE exams have been riddled with errors. These errors have been covered by the ABC, The Age, the Guardian, the Herald Sun, and other news outlets. Mistakes have also been reported in previous years' exams. These errors have consequences - they decide whether students can get into the university course they want. Lots of students were disadvantaged by mistakes which made them lose composure and confidence, affecting them not just on the problematic questions but also on their overall exam performance.

Exams, if they have to be used, should be an opportunity for us to demonstrate what we have learnt throughout our 13 years at school. Instead, errors mean that we have to waste precious time worrying about whether the mistake is VCAA's or ours. This is unacceptable. What message does it send to students and the general public about how education and our hard work is valued, if VCAA cannot even be bothered to make sure the exams forced on us are fair?

We are aware of reports of errors affecting the following subjects so far:

• General Mathematics
• Mathematical Methods
• Specialist Mathematics
• Foundation Mathematics
• Software Development
• Chemistry
• Visual Communication Design
• Food Studies
• Data Analytics
• Chinese Second Language Advanced (some students were given the wrong paper and reportedly were forced to sign NDAs)
• Chinese Second Language

VCAA has acknowledged an error in few but not all exams.

It is clear that the procedures themselves are hopelessly broken. If these problems are not fully dealt with now, students will continue to be screwed over. For Victoria to be taken credibly as the "Education State" (it isn't), this is one of the things that the government just can't drag its feet on. It must be fixed, properly, by the next exam cycle.

We demand that VCAA take the following actions, for transparency and to ensure that this never happens again. We think these are fair requests and we can see no legitimate reason that they can't be met. Current and future VCE students are relying on this.

• By 1 December 2023, a statement outlining all known or reported errors/typos on 2023 exams and explaining how VCAA has or intends to minimise the impact of these mistakes on students and their results. Additionally:
  • A report on how mistakes have been addressed in previous years.
  • Fully explain how the 2023 exams were written and checked, including how exam writing panels were appointed.
  • Fully explain how the 2023 exams were administered, how papers were delivered to schools, and how exam supervisors were trained.
• Commit to a comprehensive and transparent independent review of the entire VCE exam process, including the writing, administering and marking of exams. Release the terms of reference and a full report on the review.
• Commit to overhauling the VCE exam process based on this review, which must include subject matter experts fully involved in writing and vetting each exam (eg professional mathematicians for VCE maths exams).
• By 1 December 2023, release all unedited exam papers. If this deadline cannot be met for any exam, immediately explain reasons for the delay and state an expected release date.
• By 11 December 2023, release all marking schemes, including full solutions (not just the unhelpful sketches given in exam reports), for all past VCE (including NHT) exams in all subjects including 2023 exams.
• By February 2024, release all exam reports for 2023 exams. If this deadline cannot be met for any exam, immediately explain reasons for the delay and state an expected release date.
• For future exams, commit to releasing unedited exam papers within a week of students sitting the exam, all marking schemes with full solutions by results release of the same year, and all exam reports by February of the following year.
• Commit to releasing a report on each yearly exam cycle, outlining problems that occurred that year including exam errors, and how these were addressed and measures that will be implemented to prevent them from occurring again. All exam reports should also address the problems affecting that subject that year.