How to understand NCEA

NCEA quick facts

How does NCEA fit into the NQF?

NCEA is part of the NQF. NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 are Levels 1, 2 and 3 of the NQF. Secondary school students generally study at these levels. Levels 4 and above are usually studied after finishing school.

What do the NCEA levels mean? What is the NCEA equivalent of School C, etc?

• NCEA Level 1 is usually studied in Year 11. It replaces School Certificate.
• NCEA Level 2 is usually studied in Year 12. It replaces Sixth Form Certificate.
• NCEA Level 3 is usually studied in Year 13. It replaces Bursary.
• The New Zealand Scholarship exams are usually studied in Year 13 but they are not part of NCEA. The Scholarship is a financial reward for top-performing students who intend to enter tertiary study. The Scholarship does not contribute towards a qualification.

Background to NCEA

Why was NCEA introduced?

• Before NCEA, students’ results were often scaled so only a certain number of students could pass. This meant that some students would receive a fail grade regardless of how they performed. NCEA measures an individual student’s learning against set standards, instead of comparing students and ranking them.
• Everyone learns in different ways. Some students thrive under the pressures of exam-based assessments while others perform better in their own time and in a relaxed environment. NCEA provides an assessment system that recognises these differences.
• Not all skills and knowledge can be assessed using tests and exams (eg fluency in foreign languages, competency in conducting science experiments). NCEA provides a range of assessment methods that are appropriate to the subject being assessed.

How is NCEA different from the old system?

NCEA enables students to work towards other qualifications on the NQF at the same time as they are working for their NCEA. For example, if a student is studying materials technology at school, their class might also be working on the National Certificate in Elementary Construction Skills. This means they are able to earn credits towards NCEA and a national certificate at the same time.

The advantages of this are:

• A student is equipped with a school qualification as well as an industry qualification when they leave school.
• The credits they earn for the national certificate and NCEA are transportable, which means that even if they don’t complete NCEA at school, they can take the credits they’ve earned with them into tertiary education or other workplace training.

How is work assessed?

Students’ work is either externally or internally assessed.

• External assessment means that students sit for an external exam that is set and marked by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
• Internal assessment refers to work that is set and marked by the school (eg essays, tests, experiments), but the marking is checked by independent moderators from the NZQA to make sure all schools are assessing work to the national standard.

So are there still exams?

Yes. Although some subjects (eg visual arts, technology) require students to submit a portfolio of work to be assessed, most external assessment will involve a national exam at the end of the year.

How the system works

What are credits?

Each achievement standard and unit standard is worth a certain number of credits. When a student achieves a standard, they earn the amount of credits that standard is worth.

A single achievement standard is usually worth three to four credits. A single school subject usually has five to eight achievement standards. Depending on the school, the usual number of credits needed per subject is 18 to 25.

How many credits are needed to earn NCEA?

To gain NCEA Level 1:

• Achieve 80 credits at any level (Level 1, 2 or 3).
• This must include 8 credits in literacy and 8 in numeracy.  
  

To gain NCEA Level 2:

• Achieve a minimum of 60 credits at Level 2 or above; and
• 20 credits at any level.

To gain NCEA Level 3:     

• Achieve a minimum of 60 credits at Level 3 or above; and
• 20 credits at Level 2 or above.

What are standards? What’s the difference between achievement standards and unit standards?

Standards describe particular skills or knowledge within an area of study (eg English or maths). Students gain NCEA and other qualifications by working towards a combination of achievement standards and unit standards.

• Achievement standards are gained from studying traditional curriculum subjects. Depending on their performance, students may gain achievement standards with either ‘achieved’, ‘achieved with merit’ or ‘achieved with excellence’. 
• Unit standards are gained from studying towards traditional curriculum subjects as well as vocational subject areas (eg tourism or hairdressing). Students are awarded unit standards on an ‘achieved’ (pass) or ‘not achieved’ (fail) basis.

What is needed to gain a ‘merit’ or ‘excellence’?

This will vary depending on the subject. However, as a general guide:

• ‘achieved’ means that the student has gained the achievement standard by demonstrating elementary level skills or knowledge
• ‘achieved with merit’ means that the student has gained the achievement standard by demonstrating intermediate level skills or knowledge
• ‘achieved with excellence’ means that the student has demonstrated highly developed skills or knowledge.

Here are some examples of achievement criteria for some of the achievement standards for biology, history and graphics at various NCEA levels:

How many credits are needed to get into university?

To gain entrance to a New Zealand university, students must have at least:

• Level 1 or higher: 14 credits in maths or pāngarau (Māori immersion maths).
• Level 2 or higher: Eight credits for English or te reo Māori. This must include four credits in reading and four credits in writing, and be from the NZQA approved list of standards.
• Level 3 or higher: 42 credits. Two of these subjects (14 credits each) must be from the NZQA list of approved subjects. The remaining 14 credits must be from two approved subjects or not more than two additional domains.

NZQA website - list of approved standards
NZQA website - list of approved subjects

Click on the block diagram or here to expand

Are there any additional entry requirements for university?

Some university programmes will have additional entry requirements, especially where admission is competitive or restricted (eg engineering and medicine). Achieving NCEA Level 3 may only be the first step to gaining entry to these programmes. Applicants may also be ranked by their best credits, short-listed and/or asked to attend an interview.

For example, there are limited places in the University of Auckland’s Bachelor of Engineering degree. To be admitted to the programme, students will:

• gain the NCEA credits outlined above
• have a minimum of 18 credits each at Level 3 maths with calculus and Level 3 physics
• be ranked according to their best 80 credits at Level 3 or higher over a maximum of five approved subjects. These are weighted by the level of achievement reached in each set of credits (most successful entrants have an average grade of ‘merit’ in their best 80 credits at Level 3).

It is advisable to check each university’s website for information about their particular entry requirements to a programme of study.

Information about NCEA and entering other courses and jobs

I still don’t understand how NCEA actually works! How do I put all this together?

• A student will typically begin working for their NCEA in their third year of secondary school (Year 11).
• They will no longer be awarded a single grade for a subject. Instead, each subject is now divided into pieces of skills and knowledge called standards (unit standards or achievement standards). The standards clearly set out what a student needs to be able to demonstrate to achieve that particular standard.
• Each standard has a certain number of credits. When a student receives an ‘achieved’ for a standard, they will have earned credits towards their NCEA. (See above for how many credits are needed to pass NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3, and to enter university.)
• This system allows a student to work towards an industry qualification as well as NCEA while still at school, as the credits they earn for an NCEA level may also be counted towards a national certificate of the same level.