NZ Students Are Upset Because "Trivial" Was Used In Their Final Exam

The students are arguing it's unfair. Others think their cause is trivial.

New Zealand's Year 13 history students had a rude shock when they were asked to respond to a Julius Caesar quote that contained a word many were unfamiliar with.

The word that stumped them? Trivial.

According to Oxford Living Dictionaries, trivial is defined as an adjective that denotes something as "of little value or importance" or, in relation to people, "concerned only with petty things."

But the Level 3 History students decided that, instead of letting it go and cutting their losses, they'd whip up a petition, asking New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) to "mark the essay based on the student's own content and understanding of the event."

The petition has already received more than 2,500 signatures.

One of the signers wrote: "I sat the exam and had no idea what the work [sic] meant and just had to guess, I hope my miss understanding [sic] won't effect [sic] my grade!!!"

Another argued it wasn't a common word: "I don't think a history grade should be based around ones [sic] interpretation of an uncommon word in the English language."

Others suggested including the definition of words where there might be ambiguity: "There was no definition of the word trivial therefore ones openness [sic] interpretation was needed."

NZQA responded to the issue stating that trivial "was expected to be within the range of vocabulary for a NCEA Level 3 History student" but that students would not be penalised for their misinterpretations.

Header Image: iStock.com/cometary