Understanding NCEA in 2020
Due to Covid-19 and the shortened school year a number of changes have been made to NCEA. The main changes are outlined below. Detailed information can be found at the NZQA website.
Terminology
Level 1 - This is the first (lowest) level of NCEA, most students at Kāpiti College will complete this in Year 11.
Level 2 - This is the second level of NCEA, most students at Kāpiti College will complete this in Year 12.
Level 3 - This is the third level of NCEA, most students at Kāpiti College will complete this in Year 13.
University Entrance (UE) - This is the qualification that you need to pass in order to achieve entry to University in New Zealand. Most students at Kāpiti College will complete this in Year 13
Achievement Standards - These are the standards that are most common at Kāpiti College. The results a student can achieve in an Achievement Standard at Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit and Excellence.
Unit Standards - These standards are offered in some courses at Kāpiti College. In these standards students either pass or fail. There are no Merit or Excellence grades.
Internal Assessments - These assessments are completed in class time during the school year. They are marked by Kāpiti College teachers and can be either Achievement Standards or Unit Standards.
External Assessment- These assessments are completed as exams at the end of the year. They are not marked by Kāpiti College teachers.
STAR Courses - Star courses are offered to some students and are conducted by external providers, normally during school hours. These courses offer Unit Standards across the levels from 1 to 3.
Merit Endorsement - This is a certificate that a student gains if they achieve 50 credits at Merit level or above.
Excellence Endorsement - This is a certificate that a student gains if they achieve 50 credits at Excellence level or above.
Learning Recognition Credits - These are available in 2020 only. For every 5 credits a student achieves they are entitled to an 1 'learning recognition' credit. These credits are achieved credits only and do not count towards Merit or Excellence endorsements. Credits that have been achieved in previous years do not qualify for Learning Recognition credits. So, if a Year 12 student started 2020 with 10 Level 2 credits that they had achieved in 2019 those credits are just worth a total of 10. If the same student achieves 10 Level 2 credits in 2020 they effectively count as 12 credits. Sorry this is really confusing. It's not our fault!
Level 1 NCEA (Year 11)
Level 1 requirements in a normal school year
80 total credits. These can be at any level of NCEA. Level 2 and 3 credits count back for Level 1.
10 Literacy credits at Level 1 (or higher)
10 Numeracy credits at Level 1 (or higher)
Merit Endorsement 50 Level 1 (or higher)
Level 1 requirements in 2020
In 2020 for every 5 credits you achieve you get 1 extra 'learning recognition' credit up to a total of 10.
This means that a student needs 70 NCEA Level 1 credits assuming that they are all achieved in 2020.
Endorsements only need 46 credits. Learning recognition credits do not count towards this.
Literacy and numeracy requirements are unchanged.
Level 1 Notes
If a student does not achieve Level 1 during the school year that they started all of the credits that they have already achieved will continue to count for Level 1.
Level 2 and 3 credits count backwards to Level 1.
All 50 Merit and Excellence credits MUST be achieved in one school year in order to get an endorsement.
A scenario
Dave starts NCEA Level 1 in 2017. During 2017 he achieves the following credits.
58 NCEA Level 1 credits
14 NCEA Level 2 credits
4 NCEA Level 3 credits
This leaves Dave with a total of 76 credits. He has not passed Level 1 as he needs 80 (in a normal school year). However, in January 2018 Dave passes his first assessment which gains him 4 Level 2 credits. At this point he has passed NCEA Level 1.
Level 2 NCEA (Year 12)
NCEA Level 2 requirements in a normal school year
A total of at least 80 credits.
20 Level 1 credits can be used to count towards that 80. This effectively means that a student needs 60 Level 2 (or higher) credits to pass NCEA Level 2.
You must also have met the NCEA Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy requirements.
For a Merit or Excellence Endorsement you need 50 at, or above that Level.
NCEA Level 2 requirements in 2020
In 2020 for every 5 credits you achieve you get 1 extra 'learning recognition' credit. At Level 2 the maximum amount of these you can gain is 8
This means that a student needs 52 NCEA Level 2 credits assuming that they are all achieved in 2020 and they already have at least 20 NCEA Level 1 credits.
Endorsements only need 46 credits. Learning recognition credits do not count towards this.
Literacy and numeracy requirements are unchanged.
Level 2 Notes
If a student does not achieve Level 2 during the school year that they started all of the credits that they have already achieved will continue to count for Level 2.
Level 3 credits count backwards to Level 2.
All 50 Merit and Excellence credits MUST be achieved in one school year in order to get an endorsement(46 in 2020).
A scenario
Dave started Level 2 in 2018 with 78 credits including the 58 NCEA Level 1 credits, 14 NCEA Level 2 credits and 4 NCEA Level 3 credits he achieved in 2017.
20 of the 58 NCEA Level One Credits from last year count towards his NCEA Level 2. 60 NCEA Level 2 credits to go.
The 14 NCEA credits that were achieved in 2017 count towards his Level 2 qualification. 46 NCEA Level 2 credits to go.
The 4 NCEA Level 3 Credits that were achieved in 2017 count towards his Level 2 qualification. 42 NCEA Level 2 credits to go.
In summary this means that in order to achieved 80 credits at NCEA Level 2 he needs a further 42 NCEA Level 2 (or higher) credits.
In 2018 Dave achieves the remaining 42 NCEA Level 2 credits and ends the year with:
20 NCEA Level 1 credits that carry over to Level 2.
56 NCEA Level 2 credits, 42 of which he achieved in 2018
4 NCEA Level 3 credits
He has achieved NCEA Level 2 in 2018.
Level 3 NCEA (Year 13)
NCEA Level 3 requirements in a normal school year
A total of at least 80 credits.
20 Level 2 credits can be used to count towards that 80. This effectively means that a student needs 60 Level 3 (or higher) credits to pass NCEA Level 3.
You must also have met the NCEA Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy requirements.
For a Merit or Excellence Endorsement you need 50 at, or above that Level.
NCEA Level 3 requirements in 2020
In 2020 for every 5 credits you achieve you get 1 extra 'learning recognition' credit. At Level 3 the maximum amount of these you can gain is 8
This means that a student needs 52 NCEA Level 3 credits assuming that they are all achieved in 2020 and they already have at least 20 NCEA Level 2 credits.
Endorsements only need 46 credits. Learning recognition credits do not count towards this.
Literacy and numeracy requirements are unchanged.
Level 3 Notes
Any credits that are higher than Level 3 count backwards to Level 3. It is unlikely that students will gain any credits at a level higher than Level 3 in normal circumstances.
All 50 Merit and Excellence credits MUST be achieved in one school year in order to get an endorsement (46 in 2020)
A scenario
Dave started Level 3 in 2019 having passed NCEA Level 2 with exactly 80 credits.
20 of his Level 2 NCEA credits count towards his Level 3 qualification. No Level 1 credits count. 60 NCEA Level 3 credits to go.
The 4 NCEA Level 3 Credits that were achieved in 2017 count towards his Level 3 qualification. 54 NCEA Level 3 credits to go.
In summary this means that in order to achieved 80 credits at NCEA Level 3 he needs a further 54 NCEA Level 3 (or higher) credits.
In 2018 Dave achieves the remaining 54 NCEA Level 2 credits and ends the year with:
20 NCEA Level 2 credits that carry over to Level 3.
60 NCEA Level 3 credits
He has achieved NCEA Level 3 in 2019.