Accepting secondary school English from northern European countries
The following achievement in English as a subject at secondary school will be accepted as evidence of English proficiency.
| Country | English level and grade |
| Denmark | Studentereksamen English A grade 7 Studentereksamen English B grade 10 |
| Finland | Ylioppilastutkinoto or Studentexamen, English Language grade 5 (0-7 grading scale) Upper Secondary School Certificate English A or English A Language grade 8 (4-10 grading scale) |
| Germany | Abitur English Language grade 3 (1-6 grading scale) or grade 10 (1-15 grading scale) DAAD test B2 in all three sections |
| Netherlands | Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO) (Gymnasium A/B and Athenuem A/B) Diplomas (university preparatory education) English Language grade 9 (0-10 grading scale) |
| Norway | Vitnemal English Language grade 4 (1-6 grading scale) |
| Sweden | Hogskoleforberedande examen English 7 grade C |
This recognises the level of English that is taught at secondary school in these countries is sufficient for student to undertake higher education in an English medium.
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Reducing barriers for Pacific students
Rule 22.3 sets out what prior education can be used as evidence of English proficiency. This is all primary education and at least three years of secondary education, or five years of secondary education, or a bachelor’s degree or higher, with English as the language of instruction, in one of the following countries:
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Canada
- the Republic of Ireland
- South Africa
- the United Kingdom, or
- the United States.
We propose adding Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu to this list.
The purpose of this change is to reduce the barriers for learners from these countries to access tertiary education in New Zealand. This aligns with our commitments under PACER Plus.
This change is less about language proficiency and more about access and equity for Pacific learners. Some learners may need additional support.
Verifying results
We also propose including a requirement for all tests to be verified by enrolling institutions through the test provider.
Every test provider offers a free online verification service to ensure the test is authentic.
We will include this requirement as it has become increasingly clear that a document, whether scanned or hard copy, is no longer reliable evidence on its own.
Changes to the Table
We propose including the new LanguageCert Academic test to the table, with the following scores.
This is in addition to the LanguageCert International ESOL test which will be phased out over time.
- Level 3: LanguageCert Academic with a minimum score of 55 overall and no skill below 55
- Levels 4 and 5: LanguageCert Academic with a minimum score of 60 overall and no skill below 55
- Levels 6 and 7: LanguageCert Academic with a minimum score of 65 overall and no skill below 60
- Levels 8, 9 and 10: LanguageCert Academic with a minimum score of 70 overall and no skill below 65
We will include the new New Zealand Certificate in English Language Level 3 (Academic) alongside the existing New Zealand Certificate in English Language Level 3 (Applied).
We will update the Table to reflect current names and terminology used.
We will also update the test-specific criteria to clarify that tests must be taken in an approved or otherwise recognised test centre of the Test provider and results must be from a single sitting except where indicated otherwise.
Test-specific criteria
- The Cambridge English Qualifications must be taken at an authorised exam centre, school or external venue. All test scores must be from a single Statement of Results.
- The IELTS test must be taken at an official IELTS test centre. The scores must be from a single Test Report Form.
- The IELTS One Skill Retake can be accepted.
- The LanguageCert test must be taken at a LanguageCert approved test centre. All test scores must be from a single Test Report. International ESOL tests taken before August 2024 may be provided in a single Statement of Results for Written (LRW) and a separate statement of results for Spoken (S).
- The OET test must be taken at an OET venue. All test scores must be from a single Statement of Results.
- The Pearson Test of English (PTE) test must be taken at a PTE test centre. All test scores must be from a single Score Report.
- The TOEFL Internet-based test (iBT) must be taken at an authorised TOEFL iBT test center. The iBT paper edition cannot be accepted. All test scores must be from a single Score Report. The ‘My Best Scores’ option cannot be accepted.
- The Trinity ISE test must be taken at a Trinity registered exam centre. All test scores must be from a single Certificate.