Academic Qualifications

National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)

Year 11 

In Year 11 students follow a partial NCEA Level 1 programme, which improves outcomes for students by extending time for classroom learning by 10 weeks over the school year. The programme removes the pressure of a full suite of internal assessments and external examinations in Year 11 and, at the same time, allows students to retain the advantage of bringing 20 Level 1 credits to contribute to their Level 2 qualification in the following year. 

The Year 11 programme allows students to gain valuable experience in internal assessments and in some external examinations. The Year 11 Mathematics programme is a full NCEA course as this allows students to gain University Entrance Numeracy. In other subjects students undertake 1 Achievement Standard  per subject, apart from Science which is in semesters and has no NCEA component. Students undertaking Science subjects in Year 12 at Level 2 achieve well, reinforcing the benefit of the extended time for learning they experienced in Year 11.  Students gain their Level 1 NCEA Certificate in Year 12 as they gain their Level 2 qualification. 

Year 12

In Year 12 students study English and 5 option subjects in addition to Physical Education and Health. Students require a total of 80 credits to achieve their NCEA Level 2 Certificate. Twenty of these can come from another Level. 

Year 13

In Year 13 students study 5 option subjects and have time for tutorials and independent study. Students require a total of 80 credits to achieve their NCEA Level 3 Certificate. Twenty of these can come from Level 2. Students may also be gaining or working towards a variety of other certificates.

New Zealand Scholarship

Scholarship examinations are available to students and are sat alongside Level 3 NCEA exams. These examinations provide monetary awards ranging from one-off payments of $500 right up to $10,000 each year for three years of tertiary study in New Zealand.

The examinations are designed to extend very able students’ abstract and critical thinking. (Scholarships are not a qualification and they do not generate credits towards NCEA). For further information visit the New Zealand Qualifications Authority website. 

University Entrance

Students who gain University Entrance and maintain a high level of achievement in Level 3 NCEA are qualified to enter competitive courses at New Zealand and overseas universities.

New Zealand universities now have a ranked score component to entry requirements. The ranked score is based on a student's best 80 credits at Level 3 in up to five approved subjects:

• x 2        for each credit at Achieved
• x 3        for each credit at Merit
• x 4        for each credit at Excellence

Listed below are the current University Entrance requirements as laid down in Section 6.2 of the Assessment and Examination Rules and Procedures for Secondary Schools.

University Entrance Requirements

For the latest information on university entrance requirements, please visit the NZQA website.

• NCEA Level 3
• Three subjects - at Level 3 or above, made up of:
  • 14 credits each in three approved subjects. Visit the NZQA website for more information.

• Literacy - 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of:
• 5 credits in reading
• 5 credits in writing
• Numeracy - 10 credits at Level 1 or above, made up of:
  • Achievement standards - specified achievement standards available through a range of subjects, or
  • Unit standards - package of three numeracy unit standards (26623, 26626, 26627 - all three required)