UNDERSTANDING NCEA QUALIFICATIONS
- Credits will be gained by external examinations and/or internal assessments in either achievement or unit standards.
- Results will show credits and grades for separate skills and knowledge.
The National Certificate in Educational Achievement is awarded at three levels:
Level 1
|
Requires 80 credits, including ten (10 each in
literacy and numeracy). English and Mathematics courses allow this
requirement to be met in most cases.
These credits are also available through other subjects. Each student
needs to check where they expect their numeracy and literacy credits to come
from. |
Level 2
|
Requires 80 credits, of which 60 must be at Level 2
or above on the qualifications framework.
Students cannot be awarded NCEA Level 2 without fulfilling the Level 1
requirements for numeracy and literacy (10 credits in each). |
Level 3
|
Requires 80 credits, of which 60 must be at Level 3
or above on the qualifications framework (the other 20 must be at Level 2 or
above). Students cannot be awarded NCEA Level 3 without fulfilling the Level
1 requirements for numeracy and literacy (10 credits in each). |
Recognising
High Achievement
Certificates can be 'endorsed' to reflect high
achievement in a significant number of standards. Course endorsements will show that students
have performed well in an individual course.
Certificate
Endorsement
If a student gains 50 credits at Excellence,
their NCEA will be endorsed with Excellence. Likewise, if a student gains 50
credits at Merit (or Merit and Excellence), their NCEA will be endorsed with
Merit. The Record of Achievement shows
endorsement awards. Credits earned can count towards an endorsement over more
than one year and more than one level.
However, they must be gained at the level of the certificate or
above. For example, Level 2 credits will
count towards endorsement of a Level 1 NCEA, but Level 1 credits will not count
towards endorsement of a Level 2 NCEA.
Only one certificate endorsement can be awarded for each student in a
calendar year.
Course
Endorsement
Course endorsement provides recognition for a
student who has performed exceptionally well in an individual course. Students
will gain an endorsement for a course if, in a single school year, they achieve: 14 or more credits at Merit or
Excellence, and at least 3 of these credits are from externally assessed
standards and at least 3 credits are from internally assessed standards. Note, the external requirement does not apply
to Physical Education ? this subject is fully internal.
A course endorsement is not a
qualification. Course endorsements are
only available in courses that have achievement standards. A course endorsement can be gained
independently of a qualification. For
example, a student may achieve a Merit endorsement for their Level 2 Mathematics
course regardless of whether they achieve NCEA Level 2.