I'm furious about my yr 11s French exam (external...)

French teachers nationwide are mobilising to complain about a "shocking" NCEA exam that they say contained errors, bizarre references to elderly women and Pablo Picasso, and convoluted questions.
Dozens of French teachers are complaining to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority about the NCEA level 1 exam, expressing their dismay at the content of a paper they say was at least two years above the year 11 standard.
But the authority says candidates and teachers should expect challenging material, without which excellent pupils would be unable to demonstrate their skills.
In letters of complaint compiled by the Association of French Teachers and seen by The Dominion Post yesterday, one teacher asked NZQA if it was trying to "demolish an entire subject via a nasty exam".
"What kind of sadist could get away with setting an exam like this?" asked another teacher on the association's forum, which attracted more than 70 comments in the aftermath of Thursday's exam last week.
NZQA confirmed that, of 13 official complaints it had received about NCEA exams so far, five were about the French exam.
Paraparaumu College principal Richard Campbell said the school would complain, after reports that pupils were upset and demoralised.
Teachers were given the exam paper to read half an hour before the test, to familiarise themselves with an oral section that had to be read out for transcription. When teachers realised the exam contained mistakes, they rang NZQA – and were advised by the authority to continue, he said.
As well as containing mistakes, the section put many questions in a context that he said was "completely irrelevant" to 15 and 16-year-olds, such as a scenario involving a missing elderly woman, and the art of Pablo Picasso.
"We're absolutely disappointed with what has happened. The kids would have been confused and scared by it and there's going to have to be some sorting out [by NZQA]."
Wellington East Girls' College head of languages Gillies Marguier said the exam was totally different from the seven years of exam papers his pupils had studied.
"They are quite confusing questions, the language is very different, there's more vocabulary ... It was basically very upsetting for the girls. It was quite shocking."
New Zealand Association of Language Teachers French adviser Ruth Bourchier said the exam would damage pupils' desire to continue studying the language. "When they are confronted by something like that ... it's too hard, they will go and do something else."
NZQA deputy chief executive Bali Haque said the paper was still at the beginning of the marking process, but early indications were that pupils were coping well. However, NZQA would investigate any issues.
Apart from the five complaints about the French exam, it had also received five about sign language for deaf pupils and three about fees.
- The Dominion Post