Exam & NCEA Information

End of Year NCEA Exam Timetable 2026

Timetable 2026

Student NCEA Handbook 2026

Student NCEA Handbook

NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement)

NCEA Level 1:

  • 80 credits at level 1 (or higher)
  • 10 numeracy credits from a range of subjects
  • 10 literacy credits from a range of subjects

NCEA Level 2:

  • 60 credits at level 2 (or higher) and 20 credits at any other level.

These 20 credits are usually gained from Level 1 the year before – you don’t need more than 80 credits in Level 1 to be able to carry 20 credits over to the next year.

There are no literacy or numeracy requirements above that already needed for Level 1.

NCEA Level 3:

  • 80 credits, of which 60 must be at level 3 or above, and 20 at level 2 or above.

These 20 credits are usually gained from Level 2 the year before – you don’t need more than 60 credits in Level 2 to be able to carry 20 credits over to the next year. There are no literacy or numeracy requirements above that already needed for Level 1.

Certificate Endorsement: (eg NCEA Level 1 endorsed Excellence)

  • 50 credits at Merit or better for Endorsed Merit
  • 50 credits at Excellence for Endorsed Excellence

Course Endorsement: (eg Y12 Japanese endorsed Merit)

  • 14 credits at Merit or higher for Endorsed Merit, 14 credits at Excellence for Endorsed Excellence
  • at least 3 such credits from externally assessed standards and at least 3 such credits from internally assessed standards. (Excluded from this rule is Physical Education and Level 3 Visual Arts.)

Learner-login:

Students should check on their NCEA progress by using the learner-login facility on the NZQA website. Click on LOGIN near the top right.

Year 11: You will not be able to log in until the middle of the year.

All students: If you have forgotten your “Username or NSN” ask a teacher to look up your NSID on Kamar.

For more information about NCEA, click here for the website, or click Student NCEA Handbook for a pdf booklet.

Parents and students are welcome to contact Helen Shore-Taylor with any queries.

Phone +64 (0)3 308 4193 ext 830

How NCEA Works

Please click the following links to see a YouTube animation on how NCEA works in your language:

How NCEA Works animation: English

How NCEA works: Te Reo Māori

How NCEA Works: New Zealand Sign Language

How NCEA works: Samoan

How NCEA works: Niuean

How NCEA works: Tongan

How NCEA works: Cook Islands Maori

University Entrance

2015 onwards (Going to university in 2016 or later)

To be awarded UE you will need:

  • NCEA Level 3 (You need 80 credits, of which 60 must be at level 3 or above, and 20 at level 2 or above – those 20 are usually gained the year before.)
  • Three subjects – at Level 3 or above, made up of 14 credits each, in three approved subjects
  • Literacy – 10 credits at Level 2 or above made up of:
    • 5 credits in reading
    • 5 credits in writing
      These credits can come from a range of subjects, not just English.
  •  
  • Numeracy – 10 credits at Level 1 or above, which you will have gained already to get NCEA Level 1.

For a list of approved subjects for University Entrance, click here.