Information for secondary students and school leavers

NCEA and the National Qualifications Framework

: NCEA results arrive by post in mid-January

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is New Zealand's main national qualification for secondary school students.

Here's how NCEA fits into the National Qualifications Framework (NQF):

There are 10 levels on the NQF, starting with Certificates at Level 1 and Doctorates at Level 10. The levels of NCEA (Level 1, 2 or 3) match the first three levels on the NQF.

The levels tell you how difficult the study is. For example, if you want to be a baker, you can choose from a range of courses at Level 2, 3, 4 or 5. Depending on how advanced you want the study to be, you might choose a National Certificate in Baking at Level 2 or a Diploma in Patisserie at Level 5.

How to build a qualification

How do New Zealand's qualifications fit together? This interactive diagram shows you how.

Step 1: Click on a coloured brick. If you choose the right one, it will drop into place.
Step 2: Once the tower of bricks is built, click on the brick to find out more about the qualification.

Tip: Build your diagram from the bottom up.

You will need Flash Player to build the diagram. If you don't have Flash Player, you can download the diagram as a PDF.

Download the NZQA Framework diagram (PDF, 52kb)

Find out more

Other websites

NCEA and working on national certificates at school

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While you are at school you may work on national certificates as well as NCEA. National certificates tell employers you have proven skills in a particular area of work.

For example, if you are studying materials technology at school, your class might also work on the National Certificate in Elementary Construction Skills. This means you get credits towards NCEA and earn a national certificate at the same time.

The advantage of working on a national certificate as well as NCEA means that when you leave school you have an industry qualification as well as a school qualification.

Another benefit is that even if you don’t complete a full NCEA at school, the credits you earn for the national certificate (and NCEA) are transportable, which means you can take these credits with you into other workplace training.