QUALIFICATION DETAILS
New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 2)
Version
1
Qualification type
Certificate
Level
2
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.
Graduates will have the language skills required to communicate 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 A2 – low B1.
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 the English language skills to:
- understand and use basic language in familiar situations to engage in
simple and routine tasks, social encounters and exchanges of information
with emerging fluency and accuracy
- read and understand simple texts on familiar topics and locate specific
predictable information in short texts
- write simple, comprehensible connected texts on familiar topics.
Education
pathway
This certificate builds on the New Zealand Certificate in English Language
(Level 1) and can lead to:
- New Zealand Certificate in English Language
(General/Workplace/Academic) (Level 3) [Ref: 1882].
Employment
pathway
Holders of this certificate will have the English language skills to work in
positions that require:
- simple face to face interpersonal communication
- understanding of simple spoken and written instructions and descriptions
- completion of simple forms relevant to workplace contexts.
Qualification
Developer
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
awarding body.
Qualification Reference 1881
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
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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
body or legislative
requirements
There are no mandatory prerequisites to meet regulatory body, or legislative
requirements for this qualification.
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© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
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(where applicable)
Other conditions
for qualification
There is no required sequence of the assessment of graduate outcomes.
It is recommended that education organisations develop their own entry
criteria for this qualifications, using the following guidelines:
- Achievement in New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 1), or
demonstrate equivalent knowledge and skills.
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 implemented 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.
Sufficiency of evidence indicators
Listening skills:
- Assessment may be assessed as part of the oral exchanges, or as
separate assessments.
Speaking skills:
- Assessment should be at least three oral exchanges of different types, on
three separate occasions. Each occasion should include at least eight turns
by the candidate.
Reading skills:
- At least three texts on different topics, and of different text types. Each
should be assessed on a separate occasion.
- Text length: approximately 600 words over three texts (with visual
support) Vocabulary level: 90% of the text within the first 1000 words
(General Service List).
- Responses can be verbal, written, or non-verbal.
Writing skills:
- At least three texts on different topics, and of different text types. Each
text should be assessed on a separate occasion.
- Text length and structure: appropriate to writing purpose but normally
each text at least 125 words.
Qualification Reference 1881
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
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Conditions relating to specific outcomes
Qualification Outcomes
(including indicative
credit values for each
outcome)
Conditions
Mandatory
or Optional
Understand and use basic
language in familiar
situations to engage in
simple and routine tasks,
social encounters and
exchanges of information
with emerging fluency and
accuracy.
30 credits
The following unit standards may be used to assess
aspects of this outcome:
Unit standard 1287: Talk about self in an interview
using learnt language patterns (ESOL)
Unit standard 1283: Complete practical transactions
using learnt language patterns in familiar contexts
(ESOL)
Unit standard 17360: Participate in a conversation in
a familiar context (ESOL)
Unit standard 15007: Understand spoken information
and instructions in familiar contexts (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 27991: Participate in simple spoken
exchanges on personal and familiar topics (EL) – 10
credits
Unit standard 27992: Participate in simple spoken
routine transactions (EL) – 10 credits
Unit standard 27993: Participate in simple spoken
instructional interactions (EL) – 5 credits
Unit standard 28022: Demonstrate understanding of
simple spoken information on familiar topics (EL) – 5
credits
Read and understand
simple texts on familiar
topics and locate specific
predictable information in
short texts.
15 credits
The following unit standards may be used to assess
aspects of this outcome:
Unit standard 2969: Read recounts in familiar
contexts (ESOL)
Unit standard 2975: Read texts to obtain practical
information in familiar contexts (ESOL)
Unit standard 2981: Read texts giving instructions in
familiar contexts (ESOL)
Unit standard 2986: Read information texts in familiar
contexts (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 27983: Read and understand simple
texts on familiar topics (EL) – 8 credits
Unit standard 27984: Read and understand simple
texts for practical purposes (EL) – 7 credits
Write simple,
comprehensible connected
texts on familiar topics.
15 credits
The following unit standards may be used to assess
aspects of this outcome:
Unit standard 17368: Write information texts on
familiar topics (ESOL)
Unit standard 3477: Write recounts on familiar topics
Qualification Reference 1881
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
Optional
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(ESOL)
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 27999: Write simple texts on familiar
topics (EL) – 8 credits
Unit standard 28000: Write simple texts for practical
purposes (EL) – 7 credits
Unit standard 28001: Complete simple forms (EL) – 5
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 1881
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2012
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