Teenagers who don't know how many minutes are in an hour or when to use full stops could soon fail NCEA.
A test run of tougher literacy and numeracy standards, to come into effect next year, revealed many students are making basic errors.
Last year's trial asked students if taro is seven dollars a kilo, how much is 510 grams? If it takes an hour to walk four kilometres, how accurate is a friend's estimate that a 3.6 kilometre track will take 25 minutes?
These Year 13 students attempted some of the questions and while they do know there are 60 minutes in an hour, they understand how some might get that wrong.
Association of Teachers of English vice-president Pip Tinning spoke to Corin Dann.
