Since school and exam marks are different performance indicators, their values may differ considerably. Examination data are provided in the Ministry's Standard Report format. This means that cautionary notes and data definitions are provided in cover notes that are part of the Standard Report. This information is an integral part of the data and should be well understood before any attempt is made to interpret or compare examination results. Exam results should be placed in historical context.
Single year results for a school or district are less meaningful than a trend over several years.
Data anomalies can occur, making conclusions based on one year's data potentially misleading. Results for one session may be deceiving if, for example, there are only a small number of students writing or if the advanced students write in one exam session and the balance of the students write in another session. Ensure that any data being compared are from the same time period. Single year exam results for schools or districts with a small number of exam writers should not be used for comparative purposes. The results for districts or schools which have small numbers of students writing examinations can change dramatically from year to year.