Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)

Every student has a right to express their knowledge, skills and understanding without being unfairly disadvantaged.

Special Assessment Conditions are available to meet a range of physical, emotional, sensory, medical, and learning needs. They provide flexibility in the ways learners can access and demonstrate their learning. They do not make assessments easier or impact their validity.

SAC applies to internal and external assessments

Special Assessment Conditions apply to both internal and external assessments towards NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship. They can include:

special papers for vision-impaired students
writers or readers for students with learning disorders, such as dyslexia
rest breaks for students with diabetes
separate accommodation for students with anxiety disorders.

NZQA's SAC rules

Our rules about the provision of Special Assessment Conditions are published annually.

Read the SAC Rules in Schedule 3 of the Assessment Rules for Schools, TEOs assessing against Achievement Standards, and Candidates:

Candidate Processes →

Who can get SAC

Students with a permanent or long-term sensory, physical, medical or learning difficulty that directly affects their access to fair assessment for national qualifications may be eligible for SAC.