QUALIFICATION DETAILS
New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 1)
Version
1
Qualification type
Certificate
Level
1
Credits
60
NZSCED
091506
Strategic purpose
statement
This qualification is intended for learners of English as an additional
language, attending NZQA approved programmes delivered in Aotearoa
New Zealand or off-shore. It is intended for learners who have minimal
command of English.
Graduates will have the language skills required to communicate with
support, in basic, familiar, everyday situations in order to participate in an
English language environment. This qualification is at a level comparable
to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) high A1 – low
A2.
This qualification allows Aotearoa New Zealand community, employers and
educational institutions to recognise the level at which the graduate can use
English for general purposes.
Outcome Statement
Qualification Title
Graduate
profile
Graduates of this qualification will have, in a supportive environment, the
Education
pathway
This certificate builds on the New Zealand Certificate in English Language
(Foundation) (Level 1) and can lead to:
- New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 2) [Ref: 1881].
Employment
pathway
Holders of this certificate will have the English language skills to work in
positions that require:
- basic, short memorised phrases
- understanding of short, basic predictable spoken phrases
- understanding of a small range of individual words.
Qualification
Developer
English language skills to:
- understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic
phrases to initiate and respond to short routine social interactions to meet
basic needs
- read and understand simple texts on familiar topics
- write simple isolated sentences on familiar topics.
NZQA National Qualification Services
Qualification Specification
Qualification award
This qualification will be awarded to people who have met the requirements
of the outcomes.
Credit gained for an outcome may be used only once to meet the
requirements of this qualification.
Awarding bodies for this qualification will be any education organisation
accredited under section 38 of the Education Amendment Act 2011 to
deliver a programme leading to the qualification.
The certificate will display the NZQF logo and the name and logo of the
Qualification Reference 1880
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
Page 1 of 4
awarding body.
Review period
3 years (36 months)
Evidence
requirements for
managing
consistency
Consistency events
Each education organisation must nominate a representative to attend a
scheduled consistency event. The consistency event will enable education
organisations to:
 share information regarding how well their graduates match the graduate
profile outcomes
 ensure that their graduates are comparable with graduates from other
education organisations.
Consistency events are scheduled by NZQA and facilitated by an
independent consistency reviewer. The schedule is available on the NZQA
website.
Education organisations must participate fully and constructively in the
consistency forum and meet the costs associated with participation, including
any time and travel costs.
Evidence for consistency
Each education organisation is responsible for deciding what evidence it will
provide to demonstrate how well its graduates meet the graduate profile
outcomes.
Portfolios of evidence are expected to be based on self-assessment
activities, for example:
 graduate destination data
 graduate surveys or evaluations of the programme
 stakeholder or ‘next-user’ surveys and feedback
 evidence of any bench-marking activities with other education
organisations (e.g. benchmarks relating to graduate employment
outcomes, assessment practice, other benchmarks)
 graduates’ assessment evidence (e.g. completed assessment activities,
naturally occurring evidence)
 national external moderation results
 NZCEL programme evaluation reports, containing some or all of the
above self-assessment activities
Credit transfer and
recognition of prior
learning
arrangements
Education organisations must have policies and procedures in place for
managing credit transfer, and assessing recognition of prior learning and
recognition of current competency. These policies and procedures, and
associated fees must be available to the candidates prior to enrolment.
Where recognition of existing skills and knowledge is required by the
candidate, this will be arranged by the education organisation delivering the
programme leading to the qualification.
To facilitate credit transfer, education organisations must clearly
demonstrate the equivalency between each of the outcomes in the graduate
profile, and the assessment components of their programmes.
Unit standards already achieved by the candidate, which are specified in this
qualification, may be credited to the qualification.
Minimum standard
of achievement and
standards for grade
endorsements
(where applicable)
The minimum standard of achievement required for the award of the
qualification will be the achievement of all the graduate outcomes in the
graduate profile.
There are no grade endorsements for this qualification.
Prerequisites to
meet regulatory
There are no mandatory prerequisites to meet regulatory body, or legislative
Qualification Reference 1880
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
Page 2 of 4
body or legislative
requirements
(where applicable)
requirements for this qualification.
Other conditions
for qualification
There is no required sequence of the assessment of graduate outcomes.
Graduate outcomes must be assessed in tasks, which may include real or
simulated situations, relevant to the context of the candidate.
All assessment activities, including instructions, must be conducted in
English only.
Responses may contain phonological, textual or linguistic inaccuracies, but
errors must not obscure meaning.
Assessment must be conducted in a supportive environment. Clarification
may be requested by the candidate.
A bilingual and/or an English dictionary may be used, but not an electronic
device.
Listening skills may be assessed as part of the oral exchanges, or as
separate assessments.
Sufficiency of evidence indicators
Speaking skills:
- Assessment should include at least three short oral exchanges on three
separate occasions. Each occasion should include at least six turns by
the candidate.
Reading skills:
- Assessment should include at least three texts on different topics, and of
different text types. Each should be assessed on a separate occasion.
- Text length: approximately 300 words over three texts (with visual
support).Vocabulary level: 90% of the text within the first 500 words
(General Service List).
- Responses may be verbal or written, or non-verbal.
Writing skills:
- Assessment should include at least three texts on different topics, and of
different text types. Each should be assessed on a separate occasion.
- Text length and structure: appropriate to writing purpose but at least five
sentences, using capital letters and full stops as sentence markers.
Conditions relating to specific outcomes
Qualification Outcomes
(including indicative
credit values for each
outcome)
Conditions
Mandatory
or Optional
Understand and use
familiar everyday
expressions and very basic
phrases to initiate and
respond to short routine
interactions to meet basic
needs.
30 credits
The following unit standards may be used to assess
aspects of this outcome:
Unit standard 1282: Complete simple, practical
transactions using learnt language patterns (ESOL)
Unit standard 17358: Talk about self and family using
simple learnt language patterns (ESOL)
Unit standard 15006: Understand simple spoken
information and instructions (ESOL)
Optional
In place of the ESOL unit standards listed above, the
following new English Language unit standards may be
used to assess this outcome:
Qualification Reference 1880
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
Page 3 of 4
Unit standard 27988: Participate in basic spoken
personal exchanges (EL) – 10 credits
Unit standard 27989: Participate in basic everyday
spoken transactions (EL) – 10 credits
Unit standard 27990: Participate in basic spoken
instructional transactions (EL) – 10 credits
Read and understand
simple texts on familiar
topics.
15 credits
The following unit standards may be used to assess
aspects of this outcome:
Unit standard 2968: Read simple recounts of life
experiences (ESOL)
Unit standard 2974: Read simple texts to obtain
practical information (ESOL)
Unit standard 2980: Read simple texts giving
instructions (ESOL)
Unit standard 2985: Read simple information texts
(ESOL)
Optional
In place of the ESOL unit standards listed above, the
following new English Language unit standards may be
used to assess this outcome:
Unit standard 27981: Read and understand basic texts
for practical purposes (EL) – 7 credits
Unit standard 27982: Read and understand basic texts
on very familiar topics (EL) – 8 credits
Write simple isolated
sentences on familiar
topics.
15 credits
The following unit standards may be used to assess
aspects of this outcome:
Unit standard 17139: Write simple descriptions
(ESOL)
Unit standard 17366: Write simple recounts of personal
experiences (ESOL)
Optional
In place of the ESOL unit standards listed above, the
following new English Language unit standards may be
used to assess this outcome:
Unit standard 27996: Write basic texts on very familiar
topics (EL) – 8 credits
Unit standard 27997: Write basic texts for practical
purposes (EL) – 7 credits
Unit standard 27998: Complete basic forms on familiar
topics (EL) – 4 credits
Republication information
Version 1 of this qualification was republished in December 2014 to update the Evidence requirements
for managing consistency.
Version 1 of this qualification was republished in December 2013 to include in the Conditions relating to
specific outcomes the new suite of English Language standards, which replaced the ESOL standards.
The last date for assessments to take place for the replaced ESOL standards is 31 December 2015.
Qualification Reference 1880
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
Page 4 of 4