NCEA and NQF Info for Parents
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School Procedures and Guidelines
NQF Management at St Peter’s College
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (or NCEA) is the national qualification for senior secondary school students. It is part of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which includes a range of other certificates and qualifications such as National Certificates in:
- Early Childhood
- Electronics Technology
- Computing
- Performing Arts
For many courses, most assessment is through exams (external assessment) but all courses will have parts that are internally assessed (marked in the school). Internal assessment is used for parts of the curriculum that an exam is unsuitable for (such as research skills or practical performance), or as preparation for external assessment.
NCEA is administered by the NZ Qualifications Authority (NZQA) which runs the external exams and makes checks on schools to ensure that internal assessments are done fairly and consistently across all schools in New Zealand.
The NCEA is awarded at three levels. Level One is mainly designed for Year 11 students, Level Two for Year 12, and Level Three for Year 13 (there is also a separate Scholarship exam at Year 13).
Each subject has developed a number of Achievement and/or Unit Standards at each level. Achievement Standards are either externally or internally assessed; Unit Standards are all internally assessed. They make it clear what level of work and knowledge is necessary.
‘External assessment’ means your work will be assessed by someone outside the school. In almost all cases this will be as a result of NZQA exams sat at the end of the year.
Each Achievement or Unit Standard is worth a set number of credits. If you meet the set level you will receive all the credits for that Standard. If it is for an Achievement Standard you will have the opportunity to be recognised as achieving it at either a satisfactory (Achieved) level, a very good level (Merit), or at an outstanding level (Excellence). The grade does not affect how many credits you get however – if you pass at any level you will still receive all the available credits for that Achievement Standard.
Most courses have between 8 and 14 credits available per semester to be awarded towards your NCEA.
To receive a Level One NCEA, you will need to gain a total of 80 credits, of which at least 8 must be related to literacy skills, and 8 to basic numeracy skills – usually you get these through English and Maths courses.
To receive a Level Two or Three NCEA, you will need to gain a total of 80 credits of which a minimum of 60 credits must be at the appropriate level.
By the end of January in the following year you will receive a Results Notice which will show what Achievement and Unit Standards you gained, how many credits they are worth, and at what level you achieved in them.
Later you will receive a complete Record Of Learning that lists all the Achievement and Unit Standards you have ever achieved, the level you achieved them at, and how many credits each were worth. Year 13 students get these automatically the year after they leave school – other students must request them early in the year.
Once you have attained 80 Level One credits – and met the literacy and numeracy requirements – you will be entitled to receive a Level One National Certificate. This will not list the individual standards. Once you have met the Level Two requirements you will receive a Level Two National Certificate and the same for Level Three.
What about University Entrance
University Entrance requires a minimum of:
- 42 credits at Level 3, including a minimum of 14 credits or higher in each of two subjects from the ‘approved’ subject list, and the other 14 from no more than two subjects
- 14 numeracy credits at Level One (or better)
- 4 reading credits at Level Two (or better)
- 4 writing credits at Level Two (or better)
If you are in danger of not meeting the numeracy or literacy requirements for University Entrance it is very important that you talk to your relevant teachers as soon as possible. They will advise on what Achievement or Unit Standards are required for this and will offer guidance on achieving these.
The following are NCEA fees for NZ students in 2009:
All NCEA subjects plus up to 3 Scholarship subjects $75
Scholarship (if entered for more than 3 scholarship subjects) $75 per extra subject
Additional financial assistance is available for:
- Families having more than two students entering NCEA
- Community Service Card holders those depending on a Work and Income or Study Link benefit as their main source of income
More details will be given when accounts are issued and fees are due half way through the year.
School Procedures and Guidelines
Except for circumstances clearly beyond your control late work will not be assessed for NQF purposes.
You are expected to attend class regularly to ensure educational progress and to fulfil course requirements. It is important that appointments (e.g. orthodontist, doctor…) are not made during times when assessments are to be handed in, or when there is a test or practical assessment.
In exceptional circumstances (e.g. severe illness, bereavement…) an extension to the due date for work may be granted by your teacher (in very clear cases) or the school NQF Co-ordinator. You will need to apply to your teacher or the NQF Coordinator on the ‘Application for Late Submission of Work’ form on the first appropriate day after the work was due or before the date if the reason can be foreseen. If you are away on the day of assessment due to sickness your re parent/caregiver must ring and inform the office of this assessment and your absence before 9.00 am. that day The person in the office will then notify the teacher.
Often you will need supporting evidence from an independent source (such as a Medical Certificate). You will be informed of the decision of your application for an extension in writing.
Teachers have a responsibility to give fair and reasonable time to complete assessment work, and to let you know relevant assessment dates well in advance. In rare situations, it may be appropriate for a teacher to shift the assessment date later than first notified. If this is the case, you can expect at least one week’s notice.
You have the right to lodge an appeal if you believe that you have been unfairly disadvantaged in the assessing or recording of work completed for NQF qualifications.
Grounds for appeal include:
- a mistake made by the marker
- unfairness in the way marks were awarded
- incorrect recording or transfer of results to NZQA
- failure to be given a reassessment opportunity where it is obviously part of the department’s practices
- a decision regarding ‘breaches of rules’
The main principle that will be considered is fairness.
If you believe that you have grounds for appeal you must approach the teacher within 3 days of receiving the assessment back and attempt to sort it out then.
If you are still dissatisfied, then you must approach the HOD of the subject area (or if the HOD is your teacher, another teacher the HOD nominates) with your concern. This second teacher will reassess the work in question and let you know.
If you still believe that you have been wrongly assessed you may appeal in writing to the NQF Co-ordinator ( Mrs Lynch) on the ‘Formal Appeal of Marked Work’ form. The NQF Co-ordinator will investigate fully and let you know his/her decision in writing. The NQF Co-ordinator’s decision is final.
This is about guaranteeing that the work you present for NQF assessment is your own. You are required to sign a statement, with your parent or caregiver, affirming this that is included in this booklet.
For many assessments it is appropriate to learn at home and gain information from a variety of sources. This must be suitably acknowledged. However, you must NEVER claim that work necessary for assessment is your own when this is untrue.
It is vital that you are very clear how much outside help you are allowed for any assessment work. CHECK WITH YOUR TEACHER FIRST.
Teachers will use a number of different practices to reassure themselves that the work you submit is legitimate.
Cases of suspected cheating will be thoroughly investigated and submitted to NZQA. If the cheating is confirmed you may suffer some or all of the following:
- no grade being awarded
- no opportunity for reassessment
- be brought before the Board of Trustees Disciplinary Committee and subject to any of the sanctions they have at their disposal
- being barred by NZQA from entering other qualifications if the breach occurs in external exams
Similarly, if you help another student cheat, such as by deliberately allowing them to copy work you produced, this will result in the same procedures being applied to you. In other words, the case will be considered as if you had cheated yourself.
In some courses you will be given more than one opportunity to achieve an internally assessed Achievement or Unit Standard. This is where such additional assessment is reasonable and practicable.
Teachers will inform you for which internal standards additional assessment opportunities will be given.
If you feel that you have a disability that hinders how well you do in examinations, there is a possibility that additional assistance may be available for you. This may be in the form of someone to help with reading and/or writing in exam situations.
There are very strict rules that must be met before you can receive this assistance.
If you think this may apply to you it is very important that you see the HoD Learning Support as soon as possible. It is too late to apply for this half way through the year.
NQF Management at St Peter’s College
If you have concerns about NCEA or the NQF you may talk to your subject teachers about it, your dean, or Mrs Lynch. We are all concerned that you are given the best opportunities to show whether you can meet the standards required of this qualification in a way that is fair to all.
Initially you will be focussed on getting enough credits for your Level One Certificate (ie. 80, including the right number of literacy and numeracy credits).
- However, you must not stop there, because:
- for future study or employment it is in your best effort to show what you are able to do. To do this you need to show, through assessment that you can do more.
- you may not be able to get into courses you want at higher levels in the school if you haven’t got the right number of credits in that subject. Some subjects also require you to gain particular standards before you can advance to a higher level.
- some people make the mistake that it doesn’t matter what grade you get – as long as you pass a standard that is all that matters. They think this because if you pass a standard you get the same number of credits regardless of what grade (Achieved, Merit or Excellence) you get.
- this is a big mistake. Although it won’t affect the number of credits you get, a Merit or Excellence pass in an Achievement Standard is better than an Achieved because:
- it shows an employer that you know the material better than someone who just got an Achieved
- some courses at Level 2 or 3 require some Merit passes before you are allowed to do them
- it is more challenging to get a higher grade and therefore more rewarding when you do succeed
- some tertiary courses require higher grades – check with the Careers Department.
Getting your certificate endorsed with Merit or Excellence is straightforward and says a lot about the quality of the work you do
At Level 1, 2 or 3 you must achieve 50 credits or more at Merit or Excellence level
If you have a combination of 50 or more Merit and Excellence credits you will receive your certificate endorsed with Merit
For some academic scholarships having your certificates endorsed with Excellence has become the minimum entry requirement for consideration
There are huge administration demands on running assessment programmes and sometimes mistakes happen. It is very important that you keep track of:
- standards offered in each course
- what standards assessment activities relate to and when they are coming up
- Ways you can keep track of these include:
- making use of the tracking sheet in this booklet
- recording results in the back of your Student Diary
- regularly referring to the Course Booklets given to you in each course at the start of each semester
- some other system that suits you
It is also important to check that results are recorded accurately by the school. All results are entered onto the computer at school and this is used to generate your reports and to send to NZQA. Therefore if you think your report does not show accurately everything you have done it is vital you see your teacher about it and quickly sort it out.
You also have two other useful ways to check results:
- the school will give you a list of standards you have entered for late in the third term or early in the fourth term for you to check. Make sure you do this carefully.
- once you have entered for NCEA this year, and paid your fees, your entries will be available to check online at the NZQA website. They will send you information on this nearer the time (usually late in third term).