NCEA 

The National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) is New Zealand's national secondary school qualification. NCEA is regulated by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

Please click below to view Rangiora High School's NCEA Student Handbook. The handbook outlines all the school's Senior Assessment Policies and Procedures:

NCEA Student Handbook 2012 (.pdf Format; 264Kb)

NZQA Principal's Nominee

Every New Zealand school has a Principal's Nominee who liases with NZQA, has expertise in NCEA regulations and keeps all school staff informed of NCEA procedures and developments. If you have questions related to any aspect of NCEA at Rangiora High School, please contact our Principal's Nominee, Ms Adrienne McGowan, by clicking here or by telephoning +64 3 3118888 (extension 4600).

NCEA Entry Fees

NCEA entry fees for 2012 are $76.70. NCEA entry fees must be paid to the school office by the end of August each year. This deadline is set by NZQA. Information on financial assistance with NCEA fees is available at the bottom of this page.

NCEA Examination Timetable

The NCEA (Levels 1-3) and New Zealand Scholarship examination sessions are all three hours. The examination sessions all commence at either 9.30am or 2.00pm. The timetable for the 2012 NCEA examinations can be viewed here.

Understanding NCEA

NCEA Level 1 is gained by earning 80+ credits at Level 1 or above. Students must also meet Level 1 literacy requirements in English or Te Reo Maori and Level 1 numeracy requirements in Mathematics to gain NCEA Level 1.

NCEA Level 2 is gained by earning 80+ credits (60+ from Level 2 or above and 20 from any other level).

NCEA Level 3 is gained by earning 80+ credits (60+ from Level 3 or above and 20 from Level 2 or above).

Level 3 students can gain University Entrance (UE) by earning 14 credits in each of two approved subjects and 14 more credits across two other approved subjects. To gain UE students must also meet UE literacy requirements at Level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo Maori and UE numeracy requirements at Level 1 or higher in Mathematics.

For example, a student has 45 Level 1 credits, 25 Level 2 credits and 18 Level 3 credits. Therefore, assuming the student has met the Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements, the student has:

Level 1 NCEA = 45+25+18 credits = 88 credits = gained NCEA Level 1
Level 2 NCEA = 20+25+18 credits = 63 credits towards NCEA Level 2
Level 3 NCEA = 20+18 credits = 38 credits towards NCEA Level 3

NCEA Certificate Endorsement

At any level, students who gain the required number of total credits with Merit or Excellence will have their NCEA certificate endorsed by NZQA. The endorsement requirements are as follows:

50 credits from one level at Merit or Excellence = Certificate endorsed with Merit
50 credits from one level at Excellence = Certificate endorsed with Excellence

NCEA Subject Endorsement

Students who perform exceptionally well in an individual subject will gain an endorsement from NZQA for that subject if, in a single school year, they achieve 14 or more credits at Merit or Excellence including at least 3 externally assessed credits and 3 internally-assessed credits.

NCEA Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available to assist with the cost of entering NCEA. This may reduce the fees to $20 per student or $30 per family. Please read the following information to see if you qualify for financial assistance with payment of NCEA fees. If you do qualify, please print and complete the application form and send it to the school office with the appropriate payment.

NCEA financial assistance application form (.pdf Format; 86Kb)