NCEA is New Zealand’s national qualification for students from Year 11 onwards. It is a cumulative qualification and has three levels. For NCEA you will need:

60 credits at the Level (or above) of the qualification you are working towards
10 credits from Literacy or Te Reo Matatini standards, or from a list of approved standards in a range of subjects
10 credits from Numeracy standards, or from a list of approved standards in a range of subjects

You only need to meet the literacy or te reo matatini and numeracy requirements once, you do not need to attempt them again for other levels of NCEA.

Literacy & Numeracy

The Literacy & Numeracy Credits can be achieved in two ways:

Students sit Common Assessment Activities (CAAs)

CAA assessments are run twice a year in May & September

Using the Approved Standards

A small number of subject standards/assessments also count for the Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits and Numeracy credits.

At Rangiora High School in 2025:

Literacy or Te Reo Matatini

Numeracy

English 1.1, 1.2, 1.4

Te Reo Māori 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4

Agricultural & Horticultural Science 1.1

Commerce 1.4

Geography 1.1, 1.4

History 1.2, 1.3

Social Studies 1.1, 1.3, 1.4

English 2.1 - 2.10

Te Reo Māori 2.1 - 2.5

English 3.1 - 3.9

Te Reo Māori 3.1 - 3.5

Mathematics 1.1, 1.2, 1.4

Commerce 1.1

Geography 1.2

Mathematics 2.1 - 2.14

Mathematics 3.1 - 3.15

Teachers will monitor students’ progress to ensure everyone has every opportunity to meet these requirements.

Certificate Endorsement

When students achieve 50 or more credits at Excellence their NCEA certificate will be endorsed with ‘Excellence’.

When students achieve 50 or more credits at Merit or above their NCEA certificate will be endorsed with ‘Merit’.

Subject Endorsement

Students can gain a subject endorsement when they achieve both of the following criteria in a course in the one school year.

14 or more credits at Achieved or above, 14 or more credits at Merit or above, or 14 or more credits at Excellence, and
3 or more of these credits must come from internal standards and 3 or more from external standards. (L2 & 3 Physical Education and L3 Visual Arts subjects have different criteria. Teachers will explain these to their students).

Achievement Standards

Some school subjects are assessed by measuring against standards, called Achievement Standards. Some will be assessed internally eg. an assignment or test within the class, and others will be assessed externally eg. an examination at the end of the year.

Students earn credits when they achieve the standard. There are three levels of achievement:

A Achieved the standard

M Achieved the standard with Merit

E Achieved the standard with Excellence, or

N Did not achieve the standard

Unit Standards

Some subjects will have work assessed to Unit Standards, where students can earn credits towards a New Zealand Certificate in an industry- based field, as well as towards their NCEA.

Students earn credits when they achieve the standard. Generally there is one level of achievement. Some can be up to three levels of achievement depending on the Unit Standard:

A Achieved the standard,

M Achieved the standard with Merit

E Achieved the standard with Excellence, or

N Did not achieve the standard

University Entrance

Year 13 students intending to do a degree course at University or Polytechnic must gain University Entrance (UE) by achieving:

NCEA Level 3
14 credits at Level 3 in each of three approved subjects
10 Literacy credits at Level 2 or above, made up of:

5 credits in reading
5 credits in writing.

10 Numeracy credits at Level 1 or above, made up of:

co-requisite Level 1 Numeracy unit standard 32406 or Te Pāngarau unit standard 32412, or
certain achievement standards.

Scholarship

Scholarship is a highly competitive, stand-alone award designed to extend very high achieving Level 3 students. It is not part of NCEA Level 3. Students should have been thinking of entering this back in Year 12, as Year 12 and Year 13 curriculum make up the Scholarship programme.

The Scholarship assessment often covers the same content as NCEA Level 3, but at higher-level thinking skills. There is a single ‘scholarship standard’ for each subject, assessed by an end-of-year exam or submission of student work for external assessment.

Students should discuss the possibility of entering Scholarship with their teacher early in Term 1, and the students will then work with Ms McDonald, Deputy Principal and Ms Lane, Principal’s Nominee.

There will be three levels of reporting:

Scholarship with outstanding performance, Scholarship, Scholarship not attained.

Monetary Rewards include:

$500 per subject awarded to students who get Scholarship in one or two subjects (Single Subject Award)
$2000 awarded to students who get three Scholarship subjects or the Top Scholar in a subject - for three years of their tertiary studies as long as they maintain a ‘B’ grade average (Scholarship Award, Top Subject Scholar Award)

More details can be found here.

Other National Certificate Qualifications

New Zealand Certificate in Primary Industries Level 1

Students taking Agriculture and/or Rural Skills classes in Years 11 to 13 can achieve this National Certificate, or, if they leave school to work in the industry before completing the Level 2 Certificate at school, it can be finished while at work, in conjunction with the Primary Industry Training Organisation (ITO).

Vocational Pathways Award

At Level 2 a Vocational Pathways Award rewards students who achieve 60 Level 2 credits from the recommended assessment standards in one or more Vocational Pathway sectors. A Vocational Pathways Award must include at least 20 credits from the sector-related standards in a Pathway.

A Vocational Pathways Award highlights how a learners’ NCEA achievements align with pathways to further study and work in six broad industries. This helps employers to easily see how a potential employees’ skills and knowledge match with their industry.

The six Vocational Pathways are:

Learning and Assessment in the Senior School

Learning in Class

In each NCEA course, the work students study in class (the curriculum) is generally divided into a number of topics, or themes:

● students will be given a clear understanding of what they need to do in order to achieve

● through ongoing feedback and feed-forward from the class teacher, students will be able to work towards specific goals

● students will gain credits for work assessed during the year in the classroom, as well as in the end-of-year examination

● students, their parents and, in the future, potential employers should have a comprehensive picture of each student’s skills and understanding

Classwork and Homework

Students are expected to attempt and complete all classwork, homework and assessment tasks that are set as part of the course.

It is important that students do their homework, it consolidates their learning while allowing them to work at their own pace: if they realise they don’t understand some aspect of their work, they should talk to their teacher about it at the next opportunity.

Homework also allows students to develop skills in self-management and time management. Students should plan their workload, remember checkpoint and assessment dates, and prepare for assessment tasks.

It is recommended that students have a wall planner at home so due dates are always visible.

Reports

● Academic Counseling Days/Evenings will be held in Terms 2 and 3.

● Every week parents will receive an academic and engagement report about their child’s performance via email. For Year 11-13 students this report will show how many credits available to your child and as assessments are completed, what grade they have received.

Subject Handbooks/Outlines

At the beginning of each year the teacher of each subject students take in the senior school will provide course information which will contain:

● the goals for the course

● course information

● course outline eg what topics will be covered during the year

● assessment information eg number of achievement standards, whether each standard is internally or externally assessed

● whether course endorsement is available

● year planner for teaching topics and assessments dates/weeks

● which standard, if any, will have a Further Assessment Opportunity

● student record sheet for students to record their assessment results and track their own progress

Each subject course information is important - it is often in the Google Classroom or provided digitally.

Special Assessment Conditions

If students have a disability or learning difficulty that may affect their performance in assessments, the school will apply to NZQA for special assessment conditions e.g. a reader/writer for the visually impaired.

● Students must have been assessed by the Head of Student Support/Learning Support Coordinators as needing assistance and must have had that assistance available in previous years.

● The Head of Student Support/Learning Support Coordinators will apply for special assessment conditions for both internal and external assessments (exams in November), if appropriate, in Term 1.

Internal Assessments

Students will be assessed by a variety of methods e.g. common test, in-class assignments, research assignments, portfolios, oral presentation, practical demonstration, end-of-year exam. Each assessment will measure the student’s achievement of either an Achievement or Unit Standard and results will be published for each standard the student achieves. Many longer assessments will have checkpoints along the way with timelines that should be adhered to.

Authenticity & Understanding Plagiarism

Authenticity means the work a student presents for assessment must be their own work. It must not be copied from information sources such as books, other students, from information downloaded from the Internet or AI technology. It is quite acceptable for students to discuss all aspects of their assignments with friends, parents etc, and to access any information source such as the web, books or other resources, as long as when it comes to actually writing their assignment, it is all their own work.

If a quote from another person’s work is used, it must be acknowledged in the correct manner. The class teacher will show students how to do this. To not do this is plagiarism.

If collecting data or newspaper clippings etc is a part of the assignment, these must also be the student’s own work i.e. they cannot be shared, photocopied between friends etc.

The student will be required to sign an Assessment Authenticity Statement on the front cover of all internal assessments.

AI Use

Using AI to complete your assessments at Rangiora High School is considered plagiarism and breaks the rules of the assessment. This means you will receive a "Not Achieved" grade.

Think of it this way: your assessments are designed to show what you have learned and can do. When you use AI to do the work for you, it's not your own learning being demonstrated.

Your teachers know your work. They understand your writing style and how you think. They can often tell when an assessment doesn't sound like your usual work.

We also have tools that can help us see how the work was created, like looking at the history of a document or Google edits. These tools can show if significant portions of the work were generated all at once, which is a strong indicator of AI use.

To succeed in your assessments, make sure the work you submit is truly your own. If you're struggling, please talk to your teacher – they are there to help you learn!

Due Dates for Internal Assessments

The due date for an assessment to be handed in will be advised when the assessment is given out and must be written on it. Students must ensure:

● they understand the assessment programme and policies

● they understand the requirements of each assessment before they start work on it

● the class teacher receives the work. The teacher will explain how and when to submit their work. The assessment must be clearly named and secured.

● work is handed in on time, even if it is incomplete, so feedback can be given, and a further assessment opportunity given by the teacher if appropriate.

Work that is handed in late will receive N Not Achieved, unless the student has applied for an extension (see Extensions). If there are extenuating circumstances, students may appeal (see section Appeals).

Dates are signalled to students via their course information handbook/course outline. THey are also published on KAMAR which reports to parents upcoming deadlines and assessment two weeks before.

Extensions

Students can apply for an extension if the student loses assessment time due to any one of the following situations:

General illness - short and long term
Representing the school, region or country in a sporting or cultural activity
Field trips

Students can find the Extension Process Flowchart linked to the top of the Extension Application Form. This will help students determine if they need to use the Extension Application Form or talk to their teacher. The Extension Application Form can be found in the RHS Shortcut folder on their drive. The Extension Application Form is sent through to the Principal’s Nominee, Ms Lane.

All extension applications must be received at least three days prior to the due date except in exceptional circumstances. Decisions on the outcome of the application are made in consultation with the Leader of Learning/Curriculum Leader of the course. A decision will be made within 3 days of receiving the application.

Missed Internal Assessments

In order to learn the work and develop skills in the classroom, students should attend every class, unless prevented by sickness, injury or bereavement, or pre-arranged and approved school functions.

The subject teacher should be informed if a student will miss an internal assessment, if possible.

If the absence is ‘wilful’ ie where the student is away from class because there is to be an internal assessment that day and the absence is deemed to be unacceptable, the student will receive a ‘Not Achieved’ grade and will be ineligible for a further assessment opportunity (see section Further Assessment Opportunities), but may appeal (see section Appeals).

Note: A letter from home does not make an unacceptable absence legitimate if an assessment has been missed.

The consequences of missing an internal assessment depends on the nature of the assessment:

● Class-time assessments or assignments prepared over time (e.g. essays, reports, collection of data) If a student thinks they will miss the due deadline, they must notify the class teacher as early as possible to ask for an extension of time. It is not acceptable to be absent the day before, then come to school on the day to claim an extension, nor to be absent on the day and expect an extension the next day.

● Assignments dependent on particular events e.g. field trips or practicals that cannot be repeated. In these cases the student will only be eligible for a further assessment opportunity if there is one for that standard. In some assessments, students are expected to do some research for Part A and have it ready by a certain date, when they will do Part B in the classroom.

● If the student hasn’t completed Part A by the due date, they will receive a ‘Not Achieved’ grade.

● A student will not be allowed to continue Part B of the assessment task if they have not completed Part A.

● If the student is absent on the day the class does Part B, but has completed Part A by the due date, they will be eligible for an extension of time or other remedy as described above, if the absence is verified.

Students have the right of appeal (see section Appeals)

When the absence from an assessment is legitimate, once the student returns to school, the subject teacher will arrange:

● an extension of time.

● rescheduling the assessment at an agreed time, if practicable, or

● a further assessment opportunity, if one is available for that standard (see section Further Assessment Opportunities),

Note: a holiday in term time is NOT a legitimate absence and NO extension will be given. Students taking holidays in term time must organise to submit any internal assessments before they leave for holiday.

Teachers will follow the NZQA guidance on Gathering Evidence of Student Achievement

Returning Marked Work

Test papers and other assessment activities will normally be marked, internally-moderated and returned as quickly as possible.

● Information recorded on the cover sheet by the marker will allow students to see how well they have completed the aims of the assessment.

● The teacher will explain the marking process with the class when returning the marked assessments and remind students about the appeals process at this time.

● Students will be required to carefully check the accuracy of the marking of their assessment

● Discuss concerns and problems with their teacher and/or the Leader of Learning before appealing their result if appropriate. If a student wishes to appeal they should not sign for the grade awarded and instead instigate the appeal procedures (see section Appeals)

● Sign the cover sheet to verify the assessment decision.

● Students should check their yearly progress on the School Portal.

● Students should check the NZQA website to ensure the accuracy of the results reported to and recorded by NZQA, once it has gone live for the year in April. Any errors or omissions should be reported to the class teacher in the first instance, or the student can appeal their result (see section Appeals).

● Assessments will be taken back for safe-keeping until they are no longer required for appeals or moderation. After 31 March the following year for Achievement Standards and after the following full academic year for Unit Standards.

● Parents/caregivers can make an appointment to view the student’s assessment after it has been marked.

In subjects where there is more than one class at the same level, teachers will ensure there is consistency in their marking of assessments across all classes.

Strategies to ensure consistency include:

Common assessment tasks
Common marking schedules
One teacher marking one section of work across all scripts
Internal moderation process

Further Assessment Opportunities

If a student does not achieve the standard when their work is assessed, it may be possible to be reassessed at a later date.

Teachers may give another opportunity to achieve the standard if the student has a realistic chance of achieving it. Students must indicate that they have learned more than they knew when they did the first assessment i.e. students cannot be reassessed just because they did not achieve credit the first time – there must be evidence that more learning has taken place. Students who meet the standard can achieve ‘Achieved’, ‘Achieved with Merit’ or ‘Achieved with Excellence’ grades when they are reassessed.

In many cases, a further assessment opportunity will not be practicable, e.g. collecting data on a fieldtrip. In practice, this means students will have to come to school that day, even if they are poorly, in order to do the fieldwork.

Students may take advantage of a further assessment opportunity, if they have already achieved the achievement standard, in an attempt to improve their grade.

Students who do not hand in their assessment when it is due, in the expectation that they would do it better when reassessed later, will be denied a further assessment opportunity and their result will be N ‘Not Achieved’.

Resubmissions

A student may be offered a resubmission opportunity in an internal assessment only when the teacher deems a minor error prevents them from reaching an ‘Achieved’ grade.

The only change in grade boundary available for resubmissions is from ‘Not Achieved’ to ‘Achieved.’

Students can have one resubmission opportunity for each assessment event against an Assessment Standard.

Misconduct – Breaches of the Rules

If a student’s internally assessed work leads the assessor to suspect that there has been a breach of the rules in regard to:

● authenticity, eg. copying another student’s work, colluding with another student to produce the same answers, or plagiarism

● other assessment rules eg disrupting others during an assessment, misuse of electronic devices

The class teacher will refer the case to the Curriculum Leader for review. The consequences will be:

● If the case is proven, the student will receive N, Not Achieved. The student will not be eligible for a further assessment opportunity in the same academic year.

● If the work has been copied from another student, both students will receive N, Not Achieved. The students will not be eligible for a further assessment opportunity in the same academic year.

● A formal letter will be sent to the student’s parents/caregivers by the Principal’s Nominee

Students have the right of appeal. (see section Appeals)

Breaches of rules in the external examinations are dealt with by the Exam Centre Manager and NZQA. The process is outlined here.

Appeals

Students may appeal any assessment-related decision:

● Relating to authenticity

● Breaches of the rules

● Awarding a N ‘Not Achieved’ grade for a late submission or a non-approved absence eg ‘wilful’ absence

● if they think their assessment was incorrectly or unfairly marked

● if they think their assessment was incorrectly recorded in the teacher’s mark book or on the NZQA website

In the first instance, students should discuss any assessment issue as soon as possible with their class teacher, and certainly within one week of having received their marked work back and checking the marking process in class.

If the issue is not resolved, a student may appeal the teacher’s decision to the Curriculum Leader who will review the issue/s under dispute and make a decision as to the outcome. The student can download a copy of the NCEA Assessment Appeal Form from the RHS Student Shortcut folder.

Students complete the form and return it to Ms Lane, Principal’s Nominee. The decision made by the Curriculum Leader is subject to an appeal to the Appeals Committee, consisting of the NZQA Principal’s Nominee and a Deputy Principal. This committee will make a final and binding decision.

The final step in the Appeals process is for students to make a complaint to the school. Details of the procedure can be obtained from the school office.

Keeping Track of NCEA Results

Subject teachers have Checkpoint dates to look at progress (standards completed, credits achieved) in Week 2 and 7 of each term. Concerns will be forwarded to the Leader of Learning and/or Kaitiaki for action where necessary.

Students can keep track of their assessments throughout the year using the School Portal.

Students have an NZQA Login which they will use for accessing their digital exams, entries and results on the NZQA website. Students can review their entry information on their Entries and Results page and access their results throughout the year to check their progress. Year 10 students will create an NZQA login during Wānanga before each round of the Common Assessment Activities. A document showing the steps can be found here. A powerpoint showing what students can see through their NZQA login is here.

Their page details:

the internally assessed achievement and unit standards they are entered for and have achieved in each subject during the academic year, their grade: N, A, M or E for each standard and how many credits they have achieved
the externally assessed achievement standards they are entered for
the results of the Common Assessment Activities, these results are available approximately 6 - 8 weeks after each round

In mid-January the next year, their achievement grade N, A, M or E for each external achievement standard and the credits they achieved from their exams in November, any course endorsements and any certificate endorsement

Once appeals have been completed and results are finalised, students can order their certificates and their Record of Achievement online, or from January when results are released, if their results are accurate.

If students have achieved 50 or more credits at Excellence, their National Certificate will be endorsed “with Excellence”.
If students have achieved 50 or more credits at Merit or above, their National Certificate will be endorsed “with Merit”.

Privacy

Information about an individual student’s results should be made available only to that student, their parents/caregivers and staff who need that information, as set out in the Privacy Act, 2020. Such information must not be shared with other students.

Students will be asked for permission to use their work as an exemplar.

Preparing for External Assessments (Examinations)

Examination practice for end-of-year external assessments is essential. Students need to learn how to organise their time when preparing for external exams and to sit for up to 3 hours writing under exam conditions.

● Senior students will learn study skills and be able to practice them throughout the year in their classes

● Formal school examinations will be held in late Term 3.

● Students are encouraged to prepare for their end-of-year exams by starting their revision programme before the October school holidays. Teachers will help students draft their plan and practice revision skills.

● Many Faculties run lunchtime or before school study sessions throughout the year.

● In Term 4, after-school study facilities will be provided in the school Library.

Common Assessment Activity - Literacy & Numeracy Exams

These are held in May and September every year. The school dedicates one week each round for these assessments.

In the week before all students who are sitting these exams attend an assembly. The students are reminded of the exam rules and regulations and what to do if they are suddenly affected by illness, injury or bereavement.
These assessments are a digital exam.
Students have as long as they need to complete these assessments.

End of Year Examinations

External assessments are held in November each year. A copy of the exam timetable is available here.

● In the week before students go on exam leave, an NCEA assembly is held where students are given their Exam Admission Slip. They are also reminded of the exam rules and regulations (outlined in a handout from NZQA) and what to do if they are suddenly affected by illness, injury or bereavement.

● Students have the full exam time of three hours for each exam, whether the student is doing one or all of the external achievement standards in that subject. Each standard takes about one hour to complete.

● External assessments are either written or a digital exam. Except for Level 1 & 2 Visual Art and Technology in Year 11, where students’ portfolios are sent away for marking. Some have an aural component eg Music or listening eg Languages

● Students who have two exams scheduled for the same time are able to sit both on the same day. The Principal’s Nominee will give students a letter to explain at which time each exam will be sat.

Missed External Assessments (Exams) - Applying for a Derived Grade

Students can apply for a Derived Grade if they miss an end of year examination or other external assessment for an approved reason:

They have been unable to attend an examination or are unable to submit a portfolio
They believe their performance has been significantly affected and they have attended an NZQA examination session
They have been selected for national representation in a sport or approved activities. (this has a pre-approval process - separate form)

They need to collect the forms from the NZQA Principal’s Nominee, Ms C Lane or their Kaitiaki, or the school office, as soon as possible. The form is to be completed by a medical professional and must be included. A medical certificate on its own is unacceptable.

Whenever possible, students are encouraged to sit their exam and also apply for a Derived Grade on the grounds that their performance was impaired.

The forms must be returned as soon as possible after the first missed examination.

If a student misses an examination as a result of getting the date wrong, the only recourse is to sit the examination in November the following year.

There are no derived grades for Scholarship or the Common Assessment Activities - Literacy & Numeracy exams.