NATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT (NCEA) LEVEL ONE

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level One has replaced School Certificate. 

This certificate is a standards based qualification.

The NCEA is awarded through the accumulation of National Qualifications Framework (NQF) credits that will be granted when students demonstrate they have met the pre-defined outcome requirements (standard) for both Achievement Standards and Unit Standards.  The standards define what students need to know and are able to do in order to gain credits towards a qualification.  Each standard achieved is worth a certain number of qualification credits - on average 3-4 per standard.

NCEA Level 1

A student needs 80 credits in total to be awarded the Level 1 NCEA. 

Included within the 80 credits, a student must have 8 credits showing they have literacy skills and 8 credits showing they are numerate.

A student’s year-end NCEA slip will reflect the subjects studied, which achievement standards they sat and the ranking for each one.  Some students could also sit Unit Standards Assessments.  These will also be recorded on the year-end NCEA slip.

Achievement Standards (A/S) and Unit Standards (U/S)

These are the two types of standards that can be used to assess students in senior courses.  Both are assigned credits that contribute towards a student’s overall achievement in NCEA.  Some subjects use all achievement standards or all unit standards.  Some subjects use a combination depending on the work to be assessed.

Achievement Standards (A/S) – Achievement Standards give students a ranking for their work:

Unit Standards (U/S) – Unit Standards do not give a ranking, but the criteria tend to be very specific.  They are either:

Not Achieved        Has not achieved the standard required.  (No credits awarded)

Achieved               Has achieved the required standard         (the credits are awarded)

Endorsement of National Certificates at All Levels:

In July 2007 The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) announced details for the endorsement of National Certificates in Educational Achievement (NCEA).  Students require 50 credits at excellence to gain an NCEA Certificate endorsed with excellence, and 50 credits at merit or merit and excellence to gain an NCEA Certificate endorsed with merit.  Credits counting towards endorsement may be gained at the level of the certificate or above.

Further improvements to NCEA include endorsing single subjects for merit or excellence.  This is currently under consideration.  The details are still to be released.

The purpose of endorsements is to encourage students to strive to produce work of a high quality and to recognise high levels of achievement.

Year 11 students may take

a)Level 1 NCEA Achievement and Unit Standards

b)National Certificate units (refer to Page 71 of the booklet)

All Year 11 students MUST study five subjects plus a shorter course in Physical Education and Health.

They must study the following compulsory subjects:

English

Health and Physical Education

Mathematics

Science

Plus two subjects chosen from:

Art

Design Technology

Dramatic Arts

Economics

ESOL

Food and Nutrition

French

Gateway

Geography

Graphics & Design

History

Information  & Communication Technology

Japanese (depending on staffing)

Maori

Music – Sound Arts

Outdoor Education 

Rural Pathways

Transition Education