NCEA
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NCEA is a general certificate based on the total number of credits gained at level 1, 2 and 3. Generally, topics are assessed via Unit Standards or Achievement Standards.
NCEA also has Literacy and Numeracy requirements at Level 1.
Guides to NCEA
NCEA Level 1
Generally, level 1 courses are taken by senior students in year 11. We do enable students to be accelerated where appropriate, so it is possible for students to sit Level 1 Unit and Achievement Standards in years 9 and 10.
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To pass NCEA Level 1 you will need to:
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Gain 80 Credits (from Unit Standards or Achievement Standards) at Level 1, or higher.
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Meet the Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements
To pass Level 1 Literacy a minimum of 10 literacy credits must be acquired through either:
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Achievement standards – Specified achievement standards available through a range of subjects (minimum total of 10 credits), or
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Unit standards – package of three Literacy unit standards (total of 10 credits – all three are required)
To pass Level 1 Numeracy, a minimum of 10 credits need to be acquired through either:
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Achievement standards – Specified achievement standards available through a range of subjects – (minimum total of 10 credits), or
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Unit Standards – package of three numeracy unit standards (total of 10 credits – all three are required)
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Literacy and Numeracy requirements can be achieved over more than one year, although it is best to aim to pass them in year 11.
NCEA Level 2
Generally, level 2 courses are taken by senior students in year 12. We do enable students to be accelerated where appropriate, so it is possible for students to sit Level 2 Unit and Achievement Standards in other year groups.
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To pass NCEA Level 2 you will need to:
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Have passed your Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy (as above)
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Gained a minimum of 80 Credits, of which 60 must be at Level 2 or higher, ie 60 at Level 2 and 20 at Level 1 will do.
NCEA Level 3
Generally, level 3 courses are taken by senior students in year 13. We do enable students to be accelerated where appropriate, so it is possible for students to sit Level 3 Unit and Achievement Standards in other year groups.
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To pass NCEA Level 3 you will need to:
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Have passed Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy (as above)
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Gained a minimum of 80 Credits, of which 60 must be at Level 3 or higher, ie 60 at Level 3 and 20 at Level 2 will do.
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Effectively, you can upgrade the NCEA from one level to the next with 60 credits at the higher Level. You do not need to have completed the NCEA at a lower Level to achieve it at a higher level, but you must meet the Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy requirements.
NCEA Endorsement
An endorsement is a way to show that a student has performed well at either the Certificate Level or at individual Course level. To get a certificate or course endorsement you will have to meet some additional requirements.
Certificate Endorsement
Your NCEA will be endorsed with Excellence if you achieve at least 50 Excellence credits at or above the level of the certificate. It will be endorsed with Merit if you achieve at least 50 Merit at or above the level of the certificate.
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Excellence credits can contribute to a Merit endorsement. Certificate Endorsement can be accumulated over more than one year and awarded once the requirements have been met.
Course Endorsement
NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3 courses that are eligible for Course Endorsement are indicated by ‘Subject Endorsement applicable in this course’ in their NZQA Assessment notes.
Note that a course is not a subject - it is possible to gain endorsement for a course comprising two different semester courses, as long as the internal and externally assessed credit rule is met.
There are three levels of course endorsement in 2022:
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To achieve a Course Endorsement with Excellence, you must achieve at least 14 credits with Excellence.
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To achieve a Course Endorsement with Merit, you must achieve at least 14 credits with Merit (or a combination of Merit and Excellence)
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To achieve a Course Endorsement at Achieved, you must achieve at least 14 credits(or a combination of Achieved, Merit and Excellence)
For each endorsement, these 14 credits must include a minimum of three internally assessed credits and three externally assessed credits. There is a variation to this requirement for Physical Education and for Visual Art subjects – see the Head of Faculty or Course Coordinator for further information. Course endorsement is gained at the level of the lowest-level standard making up the eligible credits, the course must be completed within one school year. Course endorsement does not include Scholarship.
The College also provides study opportunities leading towards a number of Industry National Certificates.
If you want to learn more about NCEA, talk to your teacher. You can also visit the NCEA Website where you will find more information, as well as examples.