Go Directly to the Contents Page
WAIOPEHU COLLEGE
NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK
NCEA GUIDE FOR STUDENTS AND CAREGIVERS
2014
Version 1.02
Introduction
This guide contains vital information to help you understand the NCEA assessment and reporting processes, and outlines
your obligations.
You must:
 Make sure you understand this document, as well as each Subject Information Sheet you receive from your
subject teachers. Talk to your Teacher, Dean or Careers Advisor if you need help at any time concerning your
subjects or career path.
 Ensure you fully understand the requirements of each assessment undertaken
 Check thoroughly the marking accuracy of each assessment when work is returned by your teachers.
 Keep your own record of your grades so that you can check that reporting of your grades to NZQA is correct.
 Discuss problems/concerns firstly with your teacher, then the subject HOD.
 Ensure submitted work is authentic. On your College enrolment form you undertook to submit only original work
of your own for NQF assessment purposes. Should you submit copied material it will be deemed invalid.
 Be responsible. Classroom assessments are to be taken under recognised exam conditions with no
communication with persons either inside or outside the assessment classroom. Misconduct will make your
assessment invalid and might prevent any further assessment opportunity for that standard.
Remember: Achievement and Unit Standards are the basis of a National Qualification (NCEA) which has international
recognition. This means teachers are obliged to follow rigorous procedures to ensure the NCEA retains its high
credibility with Employers and Tertiary Institutions.
CONTENTS
Blue fonts indicate hyperlinks (ctrl + click)
Course Information and Requirements
Gaining Level 1, 2, Or 3 NCEA Certificates
NCEA Endorsements
External Standards Assessment
 Mock Exams
 NCEA Exams
 Derived Grades (if you miss or are
handicapped for exams)
University Entrance
If you have a Long Term Disability
Scholarship
Checking Entries and Results
Other National Certificates
Misconduct
Young Enterprise Certificate (using it to top up
NCEA)
Leavers - A Few Credits Short of NCEA?
Introduction to NCEA
NZQA Log-in and forgotten passwords
Course Information
Internal Standards Assessment
 Your Responsibilities
 Second Assessment Opportunities
 Retention of Student Work
 Absences
 Appealing a Decision or Grade
 Grade Appeal Application Form
(printable)
National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)
Introduction
NCEA is available at three levels. NCEA Level One to NCEA Level Three. The Certificate is gained by
achieving unit standards or achievement standards. Each standard is worth a specific number of credits.
While year 10 students may be offered a small number of standards, study for NCEA Level One begins in
year 11. Standards achieved at year 10 are reported in year 11. If you are in year 11 this year, do make
sure your year 10 achievements are reported (harass the teacher and check online after April)
Achievement Standards are specifically for Secondary Schools. There are four possible grades – Not
Achieved, Achieved, Merit, Excellence (N. A. M, E). The number of credits towards the NCEA is the same
regardless of whether the award is A, M or E. The value in gaining a higher grade is in personal
satisfaction, impressing potential employers, and the potential to achieve NCEA with Endorsement, and/or
Subject Endorsement. More about these here.
All achievement standards are either Internal (assessed at school) or External (assessed by NZQA)
Tertiary Institutions such as Universities place more weight on Achievement Standards than Unit
Standards and may require Merit and/or Excellence grades for entry to many courses. See the Careers
Advisor for specific information. See also University Entrance.
Unit Standards are offered by schools, Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) and other outside
education providers. Some subjects, Gateway, and STAR programs use these various providers to offer
standards that the school is not able to assess, giving you a much greater range of options.
Unit Standards are usually graded as Not Complete or Complete, although you will more often see the
grade written as N or A. A very small number of unit standards have Merit and Excellence grades as well.
BACK TO CONTENTS
COURSE INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS
Course Outline and Assessment Statements
Your subject teachers will give you a course outline for each subject. It will have a list of the Standards you are being
assessed on, explaining:







The credit value of each
Whether they are internally or externally assessed
An outline of approximately when they will be assessed
The type of assessment – eg test, assignment, research
Whether the course qualifies for NCEA subject endorsement
Whether the course is an approved course for University Entrance
The domain or domains covered by standards in the course
For your assessments criteria for Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for each Achievement Standard and
Achieved/Completed for each Unit Standard must be clear to you so you know what to do to get there. There are a small
number of unit standards that have Merit and Excellence grades possible.
Prerequisites
Check that you have met the required prerequisites for the subjects you want to take this year. You also need to keep in
mind the prerequisites for any Tertiary Level studies (university, polytechnics) you wish to take when you leave school. The
Careers Adviser (Ms Marshall) can guide you here. Also see University Entrance.
Attendance
You are expected to attend class on a regular basis and explain absences appropriately. Frequent and unexplained or wilful
absences will be referred to your Dean who will discuss the problem with you and follow up as necessary.
Authenticity
Assessment work completed must be your own work. You and your caregivers will be asked to sign an authenticity
declaration. Where an assessment requires research ensure you have a Reference List including websites, and if you quote
directly you must make this clear. You may be asked to hand in a working draft. Where your teacher suspects work handed
in is not your own and its source is not acknowledged, the matter will be referred firstly to the Head of Department and then
to the Deputy Principal. Their decision may be to declare the work invalid and a grade of Not Achieved will be awarded (See
Grade Appeals).
BACK TO CONTENTS
NCEA: GAINING Level 1, 2, OR 3 NCEA CERTIFICATES
NCEA Level 1
10 credits in
Achievement
Standard Numeracy
80 Credits
at Level 1
or higher
10 credits in Achievement
Standard Literacy (English or Te
Reo Maori)
If you do not achieve 80 credits you can still apply to NZQA for a Record of Achievement which lists the standards and credits
you did achieve. This can be useful to show to prospective employers
NCEA Level 2
Level 1 Literacy and
Numeracy credits
must have been
achieved
80 Credits
At least 60 of these
credits at level 2 or
higher
Up to 20 of these credits
can come from Level 1
even if they were used for
your Level 1 NCEA
Certificate
NCEA Level 3
Up to 20 credits from
Level 2, even if used for
your Level 2 NCEA
Certificate
80 Credits
See also the requirements for University Entrance here
BACK TO CONTENTS
At least 60 credits at
Level 3 or higher
NCEA Endorsements
Endorsement of NCEA Certificates (levels 1 to 3)
Students with enough Merit or Excellence grades across a combination of subjects in the same year will receive an
Endorsed Certificate


You require at least 50 credits at Merit level to get a Merit Endorsed Certificate (any Excellence level grades are
included to make up the total)
You require at least 50 credits at Excellence level to get an Excellence Endorsed Certificate.
Having an Endorsed NCEA Certificate may enhance your employment prospects, or improve your chances of being
accepted for particular university or other tertiary courses.
Course (subject) Endorsement (levels 1 to 3)
A student’s course will be endorsed with Excellence if they achieve at least 14 credits at Excellence level.
A student’s course will be endorsed with Merit if they achieve at least 14 credits at Merit or Excellence level.
The catch: for both these endorsements at least three credits must be from internally assessed standards and at least
three credits from externally assessed standards. Physical Education and L3 Visual Arts have exemptions.
Physical Education courses are exempt from the requirement to include externally assessed credits.
Visual Arts L3 can assess one externally assessed standard worth 14 credits, OR, assess internally assessed standards
to a minimum of 14 credits.
14 credits at
Merit
At least 3
credits from
internals
Merit Course
Endorsement
At least 3
credits from
externals
Any Excellence
credits can count
as Merits
MERIT COURSE ENDORSEMENT
(See exemptions for Physical Education and Level 3 Visual Arts above)
BACK TO CONTENTS
University Entrance
University Entrance (UE) is the minimum requirement to go to a New Zealand
university. To qualify you will need:
14 credits at Level 3
or higher in each of
three approved
subjects
UNIVERSITY
ENTRANCE
Literacy requirements - 10
credits in English or te reo
Maori at Level 2 or higher,
made up of: 5 credits in
reading and 5 credits in writing
Credits can be accumulated over more than one year
NCEA LEVEL 3
Numeracy - 10 credits at Level 1 or above
made up of: specified achievement
standards available in a range of subjects,
OR all three numeracy unit standards
(26623, 26626, 26627)
credits in Mathematics or Statistics and
Probability or Pangarau or unit standards
26623, 26626, 26627.
Which subjects are approved subjects? Your Dean or Subject Teacher can tell you if a subject is approved or not.
Most subjects are approved. For a list of approved subjects click this link to NZQA: Approved Subjects
Warning! Gaining the minimum requirements for UE will not guarantee you a place in the course, university, or
hall residence of your choice. Always try to maximize your achievements. See the Careers Advisor for the
requirements of specific universities and courses.
Combining Standards from two subjects to make one subject: this is a bit tricky. If you have two subjects in
which the subject matter overlaps, you may have different standards from each that are in the same Domain. A
Domain is an NZQA defined subject area. These standards can be added together as one subject to give you the
needed 14 credits – even if one of the subjects is not an approved subject. Your subject teachers can tell you
which domains the standards are in.
Once you have achieved UE it will appear on your Record of Learning.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Scholarship
Scholarship is a monetary award to recognise top secondary school students in individual subjects.
Scholarship exams are externally assessed and are an additional set of exams held at the same time as
NCEA exams. They do not gain credits, nor contribute towards a qualification, but the fact that a student
has gained a Scholarship appears on their Record of Achievement. Having Scholarship awards
impresses potential employers and helps gain entry to some University courses and Halls of Residence
For more information click on these NZQA links: Scholarship and Scholarship Awards
Please be aware that the Scholarship exams are aimed at the country’s top students. They are tough
exams that will require a lot more preparation than the standard NCEA assessments. Discuss your
interest in entering with your subject teachers before committing yourself. Waiopehu students have
been successful at Scholarship level in the past and there is no reason why they should not in the future.
Entries in Scholarship exams will be called for in terms 2/3.
Scholarship Fees: In 2013 the NCEA fee of $76.70 included up to three scholarship subjects. Additional
subjects cost $76.70 each. These fees are subsidized, so international students will be charged more.
Exam fees for 2014 will be set in April.
BACK TO CONTENTS
OTHER NATIONAL CERTIFICATES
Certificates within the National Qualifications Framework but not within the Base Scope of Accreditation for Schools are
managed by Industry Training Organisations. You may use credits gained here towards your NCEA.
National Certificates are available in Computing at Levels 2 and 3, and Tourism Level 2. Other National Certificates, such
as National Certificate in Agriculture, may be gained through STAR and Gateway programs.
Waiopehu College also assesses credits for the Service Skills Institute (retail, hospitality, tourism), BCITO (building and
construction), Skills Active (additional outdoor education and sport and leisure standards).
YOUNG ENTERPRISE CERTIFICATE (Topping up your L3 NCEA)
Business Studies students at Level 2 and Level 3 may be assessed for the Young Enterprise Certificate.
This gives you credits towards NCEA only if you don’t have enough credits for a Level 3 NCEA Certificate. You must
apply for this Credit Inclusion. This will give you an extra 24 credits at Level 3. See your Economics teacher or the
Principal’s Nominee (Mr Kean) for an application form.
Credit Inclusion can only be used for NCEA, and may only be used once. Credit inclusion may not be available after 31
March 2016.
BACK TO CONTENTS
BACK TO CONTENTS
ENTS
Your Responsibilities for Internally Assessed Standards
Because internally assessed achievement and unit standards are National Qualifications, teachers have very little leeway
when it comes to breaches of the conditions set for each standard.
For classroom assessments you must:



Be present – you will not necessarily be given the assessment on another day if you are absent. This is
especially true of practical tests.
Obey all instructions given, as you would for an external NCEA exam
If you are using research notes and references, all that you bring into the room must be handed in at the
end. They will not be marked, but will be checked for authenticity, and held by the school.
For Research assignments where the assessment is completed outside the classroom

All work must be your own. Do not borrow from, or lend your material to, anyone else. You will be asked to
sign an authenticity statement at the start of each NCEA year, covering the whole year.
 Deadlines must be met in order to be fair to all students.
For all Internal Assessments you must keep your own records of grades. See Checking Entries and Results
BACK TO CONTENTS
What happens if you are absent? This depends on the nature of the absence
 Wilful absence without excuse – a “Not Achieved” grade will be awarded
 Self-Interest absence (e.g. family holidays) – A “Standard not Assessed” or “Standard
Withdrawn” may be allowed. A teacher might grant another assessment opportunity in some
cases. Discuss this with your teacher before you leave.
 Absence for school activities or sports – Hand in any research assignments before you leave.
Teachers will try to accommodate you for classroom assessments but be aware this is not always
possible. Discuss this with your teacher before you leave.
 Illness or injury – contact the school office about arrangements to hand in research assignments.
There may not be an opportunity sit an assessment another day. This will depend on the nature of
the assessment. You may be asked for evidence of illness or injury.
Extensions to the due date of assessments must be discussed and approved by the subject teacher in
advance of the due date. Medical certificates and/or other supporting evidence may be asked for.
Work submitted late, without an extension granted, will be marked, but any award will be decided in
consultation with the HOD, and if necessary the DP Curriculum. You may require written evidence to
back up your request. Take this to your subject teacher.
Second Assessment Opportunities
Wherever practicable, students may be given a second attempt at an internally assessed standard. This
will be a different task from the first assessment. If a second assessment is given all students are
entitled to attempt to improve their grade.
Students should be advised in the course outline for each subject what further assessment opportunities
are likely to be available and when these are likely to take place.
A resubmission is an opportunity to correct minor errors or omissions, either verbally, or written. This
not regarded as an extra assessment, but teachers need to be confident that any resubmission you
make is a genuine input from you.
Retention of Student Work
Your internal assessment material will be retained by each department until it is no longer required for
moderation purposes. This may be in excess of 18 months.
You will be allowed reasonable access to your own assessments on request to your teacher.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Appeal a Decision or Grade
You have the right to appeal any assessment-related decision. This may include
 The grade you receive for an assessment
 No further assessment opportunity offered ( where applicable)
 Late work
How do you do this?
1. For grade appeals, talk to your subject teacher within three days of receiving your result or
judgement to try and sort the problem. Use the Grade Appeal Application Form.
2. For appeals related to a non-grade decision (e.g. non acceptance of late work) make your appeal
as soon as possible. Use the General Appeal Application Form
3. If it’s not sorted, see your subject HOD or the Principals Nominee (Mr Kean) for an Appeals Form,
fill it in and hand it back by the next day if possible. ( You have five days to do steps 1 and 2)
4. The HOD will reconsider the decision, which may involve remarking of your work by a teacher from
outside the school, and inform you of the decision in writing.
5. If you still have a concern then talk to the Deputy Principal Curriculum ( Mr Reichenbach). He will
make a final decision and inform you in writing.
Grade Appeal Application Form (printable)
General Appeal Application Form (printable)
BACK TO CONTENTS
Disabilities and Special Assessment Conditions
If you have a permanent or long term disability which places you at a disadvantage in school based
assessments and/or NCEA Exams, you may be eligible for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC).
These can include: extra time, a person to act as a reader and/or writer, separate accommodation, use
of a computer.
To qualify, you need to be assessed by an approved assessor. Usually your needs will have been
identified in year 9 or 10 and the process will be well under way before reach your first NCEA year.
Check with the SAC Coordinator (Ms Praat at Learning Support). Your Tutor Teacher can do this for
you if you prefer.
We need to process your SAC request early in term one. If you were doing fine but a long term issue
arises during the year we can put in a late application, but the sooner we know, the better the chance of
a successful outcome.
BACK TO CONTENTS
EXTERNAL STANDARDS ASSESSMENTS
External Standards are assessed in one of two different ways:


Projects/portfolios are completed in school but are sent to NZQA for marking. Usually the school teacher
marks the work first, assigns provisional grades, and sends a sample of students’ work to NZQA for
checking. The teacher then receives a “grading list” that determines all the class’ final grades. Art and
Technology can be assessed this way. Your teacher is not allowed to tell you your provisional or final grade
until the official results are released in mid-January.
Students sit written examinations in November. There is talk of shifting externals to online exams which can
be taken at any time of the year, but that will not occur this year.
Mock Exams
These are practice exams to give you experience before the NCEA exams. They can be given in class time or during
school exams in term 3. The school exams will be held in the Auditorium under strict supervision. Unlike internal
assessments, your exam scripts will be returned to you so you can use them for study.
Strong Warning: do not treat mock external assessments lightly. They are your insurance if, due to illness, accident, or
bereavement, you miss or are disadvantaged in the NCEA exams (see Derived Grades).
NCEA Exams
Your subject teachers will enter you in these exams. Entries are finalised in August. After this you cannot withdraw from
a standard. If you don’t want a standard to be assessed when you get to the exam, do not mark the exam paper in any
way. Then “Standard Not Attempted” will be in put in your results. Anything written or drawn on the paper will result in “Not
Achieved”.
It is up to you to check that you are correctly entered for exams (see Checking Entries and Results)
You sit these NCEA exams at school, but are controlled and supervised by people employed by NZQA. You will receive
instructions about sitting exams from NZQA (via the school). Read these carefully as misconduct can result in the loss of
passing grades.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Derived Grades
You may get ill for the exams or suffer an injury, or bereavement. These may cause you to miss exams,
or be unable to perform to your best. In these events you apply for a Derived Grade. To qualify you
must have evidence of illness, bereavement, or other trauma, in the week leading up to the exams or
during the exam period. You must try to sit the exam if at all possible, even if unwell.
For illness / injury on the day you must see a doctor the same day. For illness or injury before the day of
the exam(s) a doctor will need to assess the number of days you are likely to be affected. Take the
Derived Grade application form with you to the doctor. Some doctors charge if you have to go back with
the form.
Let the exam supervisor know you are unwell as he/she will support and monitor you, and send a report
to NZQA. Forms will be available at the school office. See the Principal’s Nominee (Mr Kean) if you are
uncertain if you meet the criteria.
You should only apply for a derived grade in standards you have actually achieved in school mock
tests and exams, as it is the school grade that will be given to you. That includes Not Achieved, so don’t
apply for any standards where you do not have Achieved or higher. Your subject teacher can advise
you.
Long term illnesses or disabilities are not reasons to apply for a Derived Grade. See Special
Assessment Conditions
BACK TO CONTENTS
CHECKING ENTRIES AND RESULTS
Waiopehu College processes nearly 10,000 results and exam entries each year. We try to ensure that
records are as accurate as possible but mistakes can happen.
As part of the process to ensure accuracy, it is your responsibility to check all your results and exam
entries are correctly recorded on the School’s Administration Software (KAMAR). To do this you must
keep accurate records yourself.
Confirming Grades
You will be required to confirm your grade by signing the result slip attached to each piece of internally
assessed work. Near the end of the year your subject teacher will also ask you to sign a printout
confirming all your results are correct.
Checking Results and Entries Online at NZQA
At the end of each month, from 31 March, Waiopehu College sends an update of grades to NZQA. Get
into the habit of checking your online record by logging into NZQA after the 3rd of each month. Year 11
students will get details on how to do this from NZQA in April. Entries in External Standards (exams) are
finalised in August, as are Scholarship entries.
See your subject teacher immediately if an entry is incorrect. It is possible to add late entries, but you
cannot withdraw from an external exam after August 31st.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Registering and logging in to NZQA
To register you need to have your National Student Number (NSN or NSI) and your birthdate.
Go to http://nzqa.govt.nz Click on login. Under “Students and Learners” click register now. Complete the
online form, reading the requirements for each data field carefully. Choose an easy to remember
username and a password that is significant to you.
Your password must be at least 7 characters. It needs to contain ALL of the following types of
character:- numbers(0-9) - lower case letters(a-z) - capital letters(A-Z). For example welcoMe1, joE1290.
It is a good idea to sort out a good password before going online. Do not share your username or
password!
The email address will be the one NZQA will use if you forget your password.
Forgotten your username or password and no longer have the same email address? Phone 0800
697 296, you will need your NSN and birthdate. The school office can check your NSN for you.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Leavers - A Few Credits Short?
If you need just a few more credits to make up your 2014 certificate total, your subject teacher may
allow assessment in additional standards to be completed and marked before the end of February 2015.
You do not need to re-enrol at school or pay 2015 NCEA fees. See your Dean or subject teacher as
soon as school opens.
BACK TO CONTENTS
MISCONDUCT
Misconduct occurs when a student:



Cheats or behaves disruptively during an assessment
Submits work for assessment which is not their own, or uses resources belonging to another student during the
assessment
Knowingly provides another student with researched information or work that that student then submits as their
own. This does not include unmodified reference material.
All incidents are reported to the subject HOD, and the DP Curriculum if necessary. Such breaches are treated seriously
and consistently, with an award of “Not Achieved” the most likely outcome.
A student who is suspended or stood down at the time of an assessment will lose that opportunity for assessment. (Note
this action may be the subject of an appeal by the student prior to the assessment date – see the DP Curriculum prior to
the assessment date).
If students are suspected of submitting work for assessment which is not their own they are referred to the Subject HOD
who will investigate the situation and take any necessary action or refer the matter to the DP Curriculum.
A student who loses a grade due to misconduct may be assessed later if there is a further assessment opportunity for the
class.
Incidents in NCEA external exams are reported directly to NZQA and may result in Not Achieved grades for the exam
session or even for all exam sessions. NZQA do bring prosecutions in serious cases.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Privacy
Student information is managed in accordance with the Privacy Act 1994. Permission must be sought by the teacher from
the student if he/she wishes to use student material for any purpose other than assessment, moderation, and reporting to
NZQA.
Staff will ensure that assessment results and other student information are only available to the student concerned.
Students will sign off the individual KAMAR results printouts at appropriate times during the year and at the end of year.
Permission will be sought in writing to use your work for exemplars and benchmarks.
Exemplars and benchmarks are examples of student work that assist teachers to maintain consistent standards over
different years. Good exemplars and benchmarks are rare so you are encouraged to give permission for your work to be
used this way. If your work is to be used outside the school, further permission will be sought.
BACK TO CONTENTS