NCEA Booklet for HVHS Families
This booklet is designed for families to ensure that everyone understands what is required of students throughout the senior years regardless of which certificates they are studying for.
Download the HVHS 2024 NCEA Booklet for Families
The booklet covers information on gaining a Level 2 or 3 NCEA Certificate, NCEA internal and external assessment, endorsement of NCEA Certificates, NCEA course (subject) endorsements, NCEA internal standards, NCEA moderation of internal assessments, entrance to subjects at the next level, University Entrance, New Zealand Scholarship exams, awards and grant, reporting of progress and results and NCEA exams and paperwork.
For more information on how NCEA works visit the NZQA’s (New Zealand Qualification Authority) website
Studying NCEA at HVHS
In 2020, the government announced a series of changes to the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). This included strengthening literacy and numeracy requirements, updating NCEA Assessment Standards, simplifying the structure of NCEA and making the Level 1 qualification at Year 11 optional.
In 2024, HVHS reduced the number of NCEA Level 1 assessments for students in Year 11 from up to six per subject down to one. This reduction in NCEA assessments was to ensure more curriculum content is covered and skills development is achieved during the year. By completing one NCEA Achievement Standard per subject students are able to experience NCEA assessment at tolerable stress levels and be better prepared for NCEA Levels 2 & 3 and New Zealand Scholarship.
Alongside the one NCEA standard per subject, there is a variety of rigorous assessments. Subjects that are mainly written will have tests, assignments and examinations. Practical subjects, including The Arts, Physical Education and Technology, will use project work and portfolios in addition to tests and examinations.
NCEA Reporting Progress
Parents and caregivers receive timely and specific feedback on their child’s learning and progress. Parent/Teacher Interviews for Years 11-13 are held in Term 2 each year to discuss students’ progress in each subject. These interviews replace Mentor Teacher meetings in Years 11-13.
Additional Support, Special Programmes and Accelerated Learning
Targeted programmes will be provided for students who rely on NCEA Level 1 as a qualification. Some students may achieve NCEA Level 1 in Years 12 or 13, depending on their individual circumstances. Furthermore, we will continue to offer Industry Training Organisation (ITOs) and work-based training qualifications to Year 11 and 12 students. Students who excel beyond the New Zealand Curriculum expectations for Year 11 may also be eligible for entry to a Year 12 class and NCEA Level 2 Standards.
Frequently Asked Questions on NCEA
1. What are the main advantages of having a course in Year 11 with limited NCEA Assessment?
Our aim is to prioritise learning and student well-being by reducing time spent on assessment. By creating more space for learning, we offer more flexible and engaging experiences that better meet the needs of our students. Many schools with limited NCEA assessment in Year 11, believe this model has gained 6-8 weeks of additional learning time throughout the year.
2. Have other schools removed Level 1 NCEA in Year 11?
Yes. Wellington College, Wellington Girls’ College, Epsom Girls Grammar, Lincoln High School, Macleans College, Christ’s College, St Hildas, Tawa College, Glendowie College, Hobsonville Point Secondary School, and many more.
3. Does a student need NCEA Level 1 to get NCEA Level 2?
No. Most students at HVHS achieve NCEA Level 2 before they leave school (over 95%). Credits can be accumulated and do not need to be gained in one calendar year. NCEA Level 2 is the gateway for most tertiary courses and job opportunities. A partial NCEA Level 1 programme will not affect a student’s NCEA Level 2 qualification. Obtaining an NCEA Level 2 qualification automatically grants students a NCEA Level 1 qualification.
4. Without NCEA Level 1, how will students know how to sit exams?
Throughout the year, students sit exams and tests under NCEA-like exam conditions as they are assessed against Level 6 (Year 11) of the New Zealand Curriculum. Depending on the subjects they study, some students will sit an NCEA exam at the end of the year.
5. How does HVHS ensure the quality of the Year 11 course?
The Year 11 course follows the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) guidelines and is designed to fully prepare students for Level 2 NCEA. The curriculum content covered in Year 11 is the same, or similar, to what is currently covered in preparation for Level 2 content. However, there is now an opportunity for greater breadth and depth as less time will be spent on formal NCEA Level 1 assessment, which takes much time out of learning.
6. Don’t students in Year 11 need external exams to motivate them?
No. New Zealand is one of the few countries in the OECD to have three years of national assessment in high school. Examinations and credits provide some extrinsic motivation, but we believe high-quality teaching, engaging courses and self-motivated students with supportive families have been the key ingredients in motivating our successful students for many years – and so it will continue.
7. What if the top qualification my child can achieve is likely NCEA Level 1?
Our Priority Learner Team, Deans and Head of Learning Areas (HOLAs) track student progress and design unique programmes to suit individual student needs. Some students continue to build Level 1 credits in Years 12 and 13 and complete a Level 1 qualification if needed.
8. What about the Literacy and Numeracy requirements for NCEA qualifications?
Maths and English will continue to be the only compulsory subjects in Year 11. All students have multiple opportunities to gain the required credits in literacy and numeracy.
9. What about students who leave school at the end or part way through Year 11 or Year 12?
If a student leaves HVHS to attend another school at the end of Year 11, they will have had the opportunity to gain some NCEA level 1 credits, literacy and numeracy. They will be able to enter NCEA Level 2 at their new school. A student who leaves school to enter the workforce at the end of Year 11 or during Year 12 will be supported by their employer with their development, whether they have NCEA Level 1 or 2 or not. If a student leaves to enter a course, they can take their accumulated credits with them and continue to add to them (e.g. apprenticeship, Weltec course, Capital Training). NCEA credits can be achieved at other organisations, courses and education providers, and schools.
10. In Year 11, what is the science behind looking after the well-being of students through less formal assessment?
From Kathryn Berkett – Engage Training www.engagetraining.co.nz
Kathryn has her Masters of Educational Psychology. She is also a certified Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics practitioner – a qualification gained via the Child Trauma Academy (Dr Bruce Perry).
‘It is important for parents to understand that feelings of anxiety, fear and failure around exams and tests are part of the learning process. It is okay that students feel uncomfortable, but the level should be tolerably uncomfortable. What HVHS is doing, will allow the staff to work more individually with students to recognise their tolerable stress levels, and build resilience’.