Newlands College is committed to the National Certificate in Educational Achievement and the New Zealand National Qualifications Framework, recognising that the qualifications they provide are the most suitable for Newlands College students.

Some standards are offered as part of the Year 10 programme but NCEA study begins in earnest in Year 11. Details of courses studied at NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3, and the pre-requisites for entry into each course are found in the Subject Choice Site. In Years 12 and 13 it is possible for students to study courses at a range of levels depending on individual strengths. For instance a Year 13 student may have a programme of study which includes a Level 2 Mathematics course and Level 3 Geography.

To gain an NCEA at Level 1, 2 or 3 students will require:

Level 1
80 credits at Level 1 or above with the following literacy and numeracy requirements.

Literacy
either A minimum of 10 credits obtained from specified achievement standards in a range of subjects.

Or The package of three literacy unit standards, totalling 10 credits, offered through the English literacy course.

Numeracy

either A minimum of 10 credits obtained from specified achievement standards in a range of subjects.

Or The package of three numeracy unit standards, totalling 10 credits, offered through the Mathematics numeracy course.

Level 2
60 credits at Level 2 or above and 20 credits from any other level. Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy.

Level 3
60 credits at Level 3 or above and 20 credits from Level 2 or above. Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy.

NCEA University Entrance requirements are:

ENDORSEMENTS

Course Endorsements

Students will gain an endorsement for a course if, in a single school year, they achieve:

• 14 or more credits at Merit or Excellence at the lower level that supports the endorsement.
• At least 3 of these credits from externally assessed standards and 3 credits from internally assessed standards. Note, this does not apply to Physical Education and Level 3 Visual Arts.

Certificate Endorsements

Students will require 50 credits at Excellence to gain an NCEA endorsed with Excellence, and 50 credits at Merit (or Merit and Excellence), to gain an NCEA endorsed with Merit.

Credits counting towards certificate endorsement may be gained over more than one year and more than one level but must be gained at the level of the certificate or above. For example, Level 2 credits will count towards endorsement of a Level 1 NCEA, but Level 1 credits will not count towards endorsement of a Level 2 NCEA. Only one endorsement in any one year will be made; this will be the endorsement at the highest level.