GuidesThe guide, part 7 of 9
What is NCEA?
How New Zealand's main secondary school qualification works today — standards, credits, levels, grades, endorsements and the literacy and numeracy requirement — and what the Government has announced about replacing it.
Every statement on this page comes from an official source: NZQA and Ministry of Education.
What NCEA is
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the main qualification for secondary school students in New Zealand.1 NCEA is recognised by employers, and universities and other tertiary providers in New Zealand and overseas use it for selection.2 NCEA is three qualifications: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.3
Students usually begin NCEA Level 1 in Year 11 and continue through Years 12 and 13.4 Students usually study NCEA between the ages of 15 and 18.5
NCEA was introduced between 2002 and 2004.6 It replaced School Certificate, the old University Entrance qualifications, Sixth Form Certificate and University Bursary.7
Standards and credits
A standard describes what a student who has achieved it knows and can do.8 There are three types of standards: achievement standards, unit standards and skill standards.9 Achievement standards and unit standards are together called assessment standards.10
Each standard has a level and a credit value.11 The level shows how complex the standard is and how much skill it takes to achieve.12 One credit represents 10 notional hours of teaching, learning and assessment.13
- When you achieve a standard, you gain credits, and you must achieve a certain number of credits to gain NCEA.14
- Credits gained at one level can count towards more than one qualification.15
- Standards earned at school, or through tertiary or workplace training, are recorded on the learner's New Zealand Record of Achievement.16
How students are assessed
Schools use both internal and external assessments to measure how well students meet the standards.17 Internally assessed means the school assesses the student's work.18 Externally assessed means NZQA assesses the student's work.19
Most NCEA and Scholarship exams happen in November and December.20 Some external assessments are exams at the end of the year; other standards are assessed by portfolios, reports, investigations, common assessment activities or performances.21
Grades: Achievement standards have four grades: Achieved for a satisfactory performance, Merit for very good, Excellence for outstanding, and Not Achieved if the criteria aren't met.22 Unit and skill standards usually have just two grades: Achieved or Not Achieved.23
If something goes wrong: A student who doesn't achieve a standard can ask their school whether another internal or external assessment opportunity is available.24 Students with sensory, physical, medical or learning difficulties may be able to get support during assessments, called Special Assessment Conditions; the school applies to NZQA on the student's behalf.25 If you think a marked exam was not marked correctly you can apply for a reconsideration, and your grade will not go down as a result.26
The levels of NCEA and the credits each needs
There are three levels of NCEA certificate, depending on the difficulty of the standards achieved.27 Each level needs 80 credits: 60 credits at that level or above, plus 10 Literacy (or Te Reo Matatini) credits and 10 Numeracy (or Te Pāngarau) credits.28
80 Credits for a certificate28
- Level 1: 60 credits at any level (1, 2 or 3), plus the literacy and numeracy credits.29
- Level 2: 60 credits at Level 2 or above, plus the literacy and numeracy credits.30
- Level 3: 60 credits at Level 3 or above, plus the literacy and numeracy credits.31
You can earn the credits for each level over more than one year.32 You can study standards at different levels at the same time.33
The literacy and numeracy requirement
Literacy (te reo matatini) is the ability to read, write and speak.34 Numeracy (pāngarau) is the ability to use mathematics in daily life.35 To gain an NCEA qualification at any level, students need to achieve a 20-credit co-requisite using the Literacy and Numeracy standards or the Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau standards.36
Students only need to meet the co-requisite once; after that it counts for every level of NCEA.37 Students achieve the co-requisite by sitting external Common Assessment Activities (CAAs), and some approved literacy- and numeracy-rich standards can also be used.38
- The external literacy and numeracy assessments are digital-first, meaning students complete them on a computer.39
- Students have at least 60 minutes for each assessment and can take as long as they need, as long as it is done in a single session.40
- Education providers manage the external literacy and numeracy assessments and decide when to run them, but each must fall within the two-week assessment periods NZQA sets.41
Endorsements: recognising strong results
When students perform consistently above the Achieved level, their results can be endorsed to reflect that.42 Endorsement can be at the certificate level or for an individual course.43
For a whole certificate: An Excellence endorsement needs 50 credits at Excellence, at the level of the certificate or above.44 A Merit endorsement needs 50 credits at Merit (or Merit and Excellence), at the level of the certificate or above.45 Certificate endorsement is calculated in January each year, when external assessment results are released.46
For a single course: A course is endorsed if, in a single school year, the student achieves 14 or more credits at Achieved, Merit or Excellence, including at least 3 credits from externally assessed and 3 from internally assessed standards (some subjects, such as Levels 2 and 3 Physical Education, are exempt from this split).47 Students can get a course endorsement even if they don't achieve the NCEA certificate for that level.48 Course endorsement is an award, not a qualification.49
NZQA explains that you won't get any more credits for Merits and Excellences, but there are good reasons for aiming high.50
Results and other awards
The results of every standard you achieve are recorded on your New Zealand Record of Achievement.51 To view or download it, you set up a MyNZQA account using your National Student Number (NSN).52
Other awards: New Zealand Scholarship is separate from NCEA and is assessed through a different set of exams or portfolios.53 Entering Scholarship doesn't earn NCEA credits, but a Scholarship award appears on your Record of Achievement.54 A Vocational Pathways Award needs NCEA Level 2 with 60 credits from the recommended standards for a pathway, 20 of them from sector-related standards for the same sector.55
KuraHub does not use NCEA results to rank or rate schools.
Replacing NCEA: what has been announced
The structure of a new qualifications system to replace NCEA has been announced by the Education Minister.56 The Ministry of Education says that from 2028, new senior secondary qualifications will start to replace NCEA.57
- NCEA will be replaced by two new national qualifications: the New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) for Year 12 and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) for Year 13.58
- A new foundational qualification will be introduced for Year 11 in 2028, focused on reading, writing and maths.59
- The stages are: the foundational award starts in 2028, NZCE (Year 12) begins in 2029, and NZACE (Year 13) begins in 2030.60
- During Year 11, students will be required to study English or Te Reo Rangatira, and Maths or Pāngarau.61
The new qualifications are based on school subjects and are designed to be easier to understand, trusted by universities and employers, and similar to those used in other countries.62 They will line up with an updated senior secondary curriculum that is being introduced gradually in schools and kura from 2028.63 In 2028, Year 11 students will be the first to take part in the Foundational Award, which recognises achievement in literacy and numeracy at a Year 11 curriculum level.64
For families of students already working on NCEA: The Ministry says no student will need to switch between NCEA and the new qualifications system during their schooling.65
How the plan was reached, and what is still being worked out
The Ministry consulted on a proposal to replace NCEA; consultation opened on 4 August 2025 and closed on 15 September 2025.66 The Ministry describes the announced structure — a subject-based approach, a Foundational Award at Year 11 and a two-level qualification over Years 12 and 13 — as the first major milestone in a carefully sequenced set of decisions, following a consultation with more than 10,000 people having their say.67 The Government has since released more detail on how students will be graded, recognised and assessed under the new qualifications from 2028 onwards.68
The Ministry points to its Tāhūrangi website for full details, including recognition of achievement, enrolment requirements, assessment, grading and transitional arrangements.69
In August 2026 the Ministry opened additional new senior secondary subjects for feedback.70 NZQA's review of University Entrance requirements, originally planned for 2023–2025, is currently paused.71
A consultation proposal is not a final decision. Check with your school and the Ministry for the latest position.
Sources
Every statement on this page comes from an official page, quoted in full here.
Each numbered statement above is followed here by the words of the official page it comes from. Every quote was checked against its page on .
“The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the main qualification for secondary school students in New Zealand.”
“NCEA is recognised by employers, and used for selection by universities and other tertiary education providers in New Zealand and overseas.”
“NCEA is three qualifications, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-secondary-quals/secondary-… ↑
“Students usually begin studying for their NCEA Level 1 in Year 11 and continue through Years 12 and 13.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-secondary-quals/secondary-… ↑
“Students usually study NCEA between the ages of 15 to 18.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-secondary-quals/secondary-… ↑
“It was introduced between 2002 and 2004.”
“NCEA replaced: School Certificate qualifications University Entrance qualifications Sixth Form Certificate and University Bursary qualifications.”
“A standard describes what a student who has achieved the standard knows and can do.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“There are 3 types of standards: achievement standards unit standards skill standards.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“Achievement and unit standards are also called assessment standards.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“Each standard has a level and a credit value.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“The level shows the complexity and skill it takes to achieve the standard.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“One credit represents 10 notional hours of teaching, learning and assessment.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“When you achieve a standard, you gain credits. You must achieve a certain number of credits to gain NCEA.”
“The credits you gain at one level can count towards more than one qualification.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“Standards earned in school, or through tertiary or workplace training are recorded on a learner's New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZRoA).”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“Schools use internal and external assessments to measure how well you meet these standards.”
“Internally assessed means that schools assess student work.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“Externally assessed means that NZQA assesses student work.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“Most NCEA and Scholarship exams happen in November and December.”
“Some external assessments are by examination at the end of the year. Other standards are assessed by portfolios or kete manarua, reports, investigations, common assessment activities or tūmahi aromatawai pātahi, or performances.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“For achievement standards, there are 4 grades: Achieved (A) for a satisfactory performance Merit (M) for very good performance Excellence (E) for outstanding performance Not Achieved (N) if students don't meet the standard's criteria.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“For unit and skill standards, all grades may be available, but usually there are just 2: Achieved (A) if students meet the standard's criteria Not Achieved (N) if students don't meet the standard's criteria”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“Students who don’t achieve a standard can ask their school or tertiary provider if there’s another internal or external assessment opportunity available.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-and-standards/about-standards ↑
“If you have sensory, physical, medical or learning difficulties, you may be able to access support options during assessments. This help is called Special Assessment Conditions. Your school or kura needs to apply to NZQA on your behalf to approve this support.”
“You can apply for a reconsideration when you think your marked exam has not been marked correctly. This involves reassessing all answers in the marked exam using the original assessment schedule. Your grade will not go down after a reconsideration.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/student-assessment-hub/ncea-results/revi… ↑
“There are 3 levels of NCEA certificate, depending on the difficulty of the standards achieved.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“You need 80 credits to achieve an NCEA certificate at each level: 60 credits at that level or above, plus 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits and 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“How to achieve NCEA Level 1 60 credits at any Level (1, 2 or 3) Plus 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits, and 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“Level 2 60 credits at Level 2 or above Plus 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits, and 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“Level 3 60 credits at Level 3 or above Plus 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits, and 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“You can earn the credits you need for each level of NCEA over more than 1 year.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“You can study standards at different levels at the same time.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-levels-and-certificates ↑
“Literacy or te reo matatini is the ability to read, write and speak.”
“Numeracy or pāngarau is the ability to use mathematics in daily life.”
“To gain an NCEA qualification at any level, students need to achieve a 20-credit co-requisite using: the new Literacy and Numeracy standards Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau standards.”
“Students only need to meet the 20-credit Literacy and Numeracy or Te Reo Matatini and Te Pāngarau requirement once. After they have met the requirement, it counts for every level of NCEA.”
“Students achieve the co-requisite by sitting external Common Assessment Activities (CAAs). Some approved literacy and numeracy-rich standards can also be used to achieve the co-requisite.”
“External Literacy and Numeracy CAAs are digital-first, which means students complete the assessments on a computer.”
“Students have a minimum of 60 minutes to complete each assessment. But they can take as long as they need provided the assessment is delivered in a single session.”
“Education providers manage the delivery of Literacy and Numeracy CAAs. They decide when to deliver an assessment, but it must be during the 2-week assessment periods we set.”
“When students perform consistently above the Achieved level, their results can be 'endorsed' to reflect that high achievement.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“Students can achieve an endorsement at the certificate or individual course level.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“To achieve an Excellence endorsement, a student must earn 50 credits at Excellence. Those credits must be at the level of the certificate or above.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“To achieve a Merit endorsement, a student must earn 50 credits at Merit (or Merit and Excellence). Those credits must be at the level of the certificate or above.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“Certificate endorsement is calculated in January each year when we release external assessment results.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“Students achieve course endorsement if, in a single school year, they achieve: 14 or more credits at Achieved or Merit or Excellence, and at least 3 credits from externally assessed standards and 3 credits from internally assessed standards.* *There are exemptions for Levels 2 and 3 Physical Education, Religious Studies, New Zealand Sign Language, Level 3 Visual Arts, Level 2 Psychology and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa in domains without externally assessed standards.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“Students can be awarded course endorsement even if they don't achieve an NCEA certificate for that level.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“Course endorsement is an award, not a qualification.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/about-ncea/ncea-endorsements ↑
“You won't get any more credits for getting Merits and Excellences but there are good reasons for aiming high.”
“Results of every standard you achieve are recorded on your New Zealand Record of Achievement.”
“To view or download your New Zealand Record of Achievement, you need to set up a MyNZQA account using your National Student Number (NSN).”
“NZ Scholarship is separate from NCEA and is assessed through a different set of exams or portfolios.”
“Entering NZ Scholarship does not earn credits towards NCEA, but if you are awarded a Scholarship it appears on your Record of Achievement.”
“To receive a Vocational Pathways Award, you need: NCEA Level 2 60 credits from the recommended assessment standards for a Vocational Pathway. Of these, 20 credits must be from sector-related standards for the same sector.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-secondary-quals/vocational… ↑
“The structure of a new qualifications system to replace the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has been announced by Education Minister Erica Stanford.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/news/ncea-update-structure-new-qualification-… ↑
“From 2028, new senior secondary qualifications will start to replace NCEA.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/pare… ↑
“NCEA will be replaced by 2 new national qualifications: New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) for students in Year 12 New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) for students in Year 13.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/pare… ↑
“A new foundational qualification will also be introduced for Year 11 in 2028. It will focus on reading, writing and maths.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/pare… ↑
“the foundational award will start in 2028 NZCE (Year 12) will begin in 2029 NZACE (Year 13) will begin in 2030.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/pare… ↑
“During Year 11, students will be required to study English or Te Reo Rangatira, and Maths or Pāngarau.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/news/ncea-update-structure-new-qualification-… ↑
“The new qualifications are based on school subjects and are designed to be: easier to understand trusted by universities and employers similar to those used in other countries.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/pare… ↑
“They will align with an updated senior secondary curriculum that is being finalised this year and will be introduced gradually in schools and kura from 2028.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/pare… ↑
“In 2028, Year 11 students will be the first to take part in the Foundational Award. This award recognises students’ achievement in literacy and numeracy at a Year 11 curriculum level”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/news/ncea-update-structure-new-qualification-… ↑
“No student will need to switch between NCEA and the new qualifications system during their schooling.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/news/ncea-update-structure-new-qualification-… ↑
“Consultation has now closed on a proposal to replace NCEA with a new qualifications pathway. findings Opened: 4 Aug 2025, 8:50 am Closed: 15 Sept 2025, 5:00 pm”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/have-your-say/consultation-proposal-replace-n… ↑
“This follows a consultation process with more than 10,000 people having their say. The first major milestone in a carefully sequenced set of decisions to design a modern qualification system includes a move to a subject-based approach, a Foundational Award at Year 11, and a two-level qualification over Years 12 and 13.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/news/ncea-update-structure-new-qualification-… ↑
“Today the Government has released more detail about the new qualifications that will replace NCEA. The detail includes about how students will be graded, recognised and assessed from 2028 onwards.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/news/more-details-about-new-senior-secondary-… ↑
“For the full details of the new qualifications, including details about recognition of achievement, enrolment requirements, assessment, grading and transitional arrangements, go to the Tāhūrangi website.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/news/more-details-about-new-senior-secondary-… ↑
“Additional senior secondary subjects open for feedback 21/08/2026 Check out the additional new senior secondary subjects and give us your feedback.”
Ministry of Education · ncea.education.govt.nz/whats-new ↑
“The review of University Entrance requirements, originally planned to run between 2023-2025, is currently paused.”
NZQA · www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-secondary-quals/university… ↑