A big shake-up for the education sector. 

Students could end up sitting fewer exams, under plans to overhaul the education model.

National Standards for literacy and numeracy will be abandoned, and schools will be able to pick their own way of tracking students' progress.

READ MORE: Labour planning significant education shake up

The Government says it would help teachers focus on learning, rather than assessment.

Former Head of Auckland Grammar John Morris says the plans will see the end of league tables, which would be a good thing.

"They've always been around, but I think under NCEA it's always been a desire of schools to make sure they're right at the very top, or at least not at the very bottom of those tables, and so they manipulate the figures."

Teachers will also get more say on how students are assessed, as part of the new government's educational reforms.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins wants primary teachers to still have to report to parents in eight levels of the curriculum, but league tables are gone.

Morris argues the current NCEA system is fundamentally flawed.

"When you try and combine leisure qualifications and academic qualification into one big qualification, then you've got certain issues. Then to say each are of equal esteem that is totally not possible, and we're the only country in the world that tries to do that."

LISTEN ABOVE AS JOHN MORRIS SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING