Independent Review into Year 12 Ancient History Exam Released

The Queensland Government has released an independent panel report examining how incorrect Ancient History content was taught to Year 12 students at nine Queensland high schools in 2025.

The investigation found that seven state schools and two non-state schools were affected, impacting approximately 140 students. Across Queensland, Ancient History is offered as a general subject at 173 schools.

Despite the error, all affected students achieved a passing grade of C or above, with more than 40 per cent receiving an A grade.

The panel, led by Dr Grant Webb, identified two primary contributing factors. These included localised communication and handover processes within schools, with no single point of failure identified, and limitations in the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority's (QCAA) communication processes. The report highlighted the need for more timely and comprehensive messaging around critical syllabus changes, as well as the implementation of validation or registration processes for such changes.

Following the incident, the Crisafulli Government took immediate action, overhauling the QCAA Board ahead of the report's release. The board has since been strengthened with additional expertise in educational leadership, governance and communication.

Minister for Education John-Paul Langbroek has directed the QCAA, the Non-State School Accreditation Board (NSSAB), the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) and the Department of Education to act on the report's findings.

Minister Langbroek said the incident was completely unacceptable and caused significant stress for students, parents and teachers.

"We promised Queenslanders we would act quickly and investigate the circumstances leading up to this incident, and we have held people to account with fresh changes to the QCAA Board, which was in desperate need of renewal," he said.

"I have directed the QCAA, NSSAB, QCEC and my department to ensure lessons are learned from this unacceptable error so history never repeats itself.

"I have requested written advice on next steps to ensure strong risk-mitigation protocols are in place well in advance of the 2026 external examinations.

"At all times, the welfare of impacted students was our highest priority, and the report found the support provided to students and staff was second to none."

The investigation included 27 consultation sessions. Schools submitted Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments - Illness and Misadventure applications for all affected students, with results reviewed by an expert committee that included independent statisticians.

A copy of the report is available on the Department of Education website.