NCEA levels and certificates
There are three levels of NCEA certificate, depending on the difficulty of the standards achieved. At each level, students must achieve a certain number of credits to gain an NCEA certificate. Credits can be gained over more than one year.
| NCEA level | Requirements |
|---|---|
|
Level 1 |
80 credits are required at any level (level 1, 2 or 3) * including literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy (maths). Schools can explain the literacy and numeracy standard pathways they are using. |
|
Level 2 |
60 credits at level 2 or above |
|
Level 3 |
60 credits at level 3 or above |
Credits gained at one level can be used for (or count towards) more than one certificate. They may also be used towards other qualifications. For example, unit standards in the domain 'generic computing' might be used towards a Level 2 NCEA certificate, as well as towards a National Certificate in Computing (Level 2); or 20 credits gained at Level 1 can also count towards a Level 2 NCEA certificate.
Multi-level study
Many schools allow students to study a mix of standards at different levels, depending on their ability. For example, in year 12, a student may study most subjects at level 2, but add a new subject at level 1 and another advanced subject at level 3. In addition, students may study multi-level courses with standards assessed at more than one level, e.g. an English course at year 11 may contain both level 1 and level 2 standards.
Recognising high achievement
Certificates can be 'endorsed' to reflect high achievement in a significant number of standards. From 2011, 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.
Endorsements were introduced in 2007. Students who gained NCEA prior to 2007 can apply for an upgrade, or to get a certificate reprinted. To do this, see NCEA Results
Course endorsement
Course endorsements will be introduced in 2011.
A course endorsement provides recognition for a student who has performed exceptionally well in an individual course. The key objective of a course endorsement is to motivate students to achieve their potential in one or more courses.
Students will gain an endorsement for a course if, in a single school year, they achieve:
- 14 or more credits at Merit or Excellence at the lower level that supports the endorsement
- at least 3 of these credits from externally assessed standards and 3 credits from internally assessed standards. Note, this does not apply to Physical Education, Religious Studies and level 3 Visual Arts.