Key dates and information
Please refer to the online version of the Key Dates to ensure you have access to the most up to date information.
Key dates for secondary assessment
| 22 July | Nominate the day(s) your school will hold the Literacy, Numeracy and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau assessments for Event 2 |
| 24 July |
Submission instructions published on the NZQA website for submissions due 30 October Check 1 August file contains all external entries for SAC candidates and DCAT and translated papers |
| 1 August |
Data file Submission due |
Latest circulars
A2024/10 - 2025 and 2026 examination timetable date ranges and intra-year assessment timetables
PN termly Top Up
School Relationship Managers are leading four online sessions to go over the ‘What's on top’ for this term. These were formally known as ‘New to PN’ing’.
No need to register, just attend a meeting by selecting a session below.
Wednesday 24 July -3.30pm (external link)
Friday 26 July-10am (external link)
Friday 26 July - 1pm (external link)
Tuesday 30 July - 3.30pm (external link)
Results release
Literacy and Numeracy | Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau
Results for Literacy-Reading will be released on 23 July 2024, which is earlier than the original planned date.
Results for the Literacy-Writing and Numeracy Assessment Event 1, and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau Assessment Event 1 2024 will be released on Monday 5 August 2024.
Students will be able to see their results in their student portal.
For Literacy-Writing, Literacy-Reading and Numeracy, students who did not achieve will also be able to see their individual feedback reports in their student portal, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
Teachers will be able to download a consolidated feedback report for students who did not achieve from the teacher portal.
On this page
Co-requisite Assessment Event 2 (9-20 September 2024)
Student entries
- Enter students who have not yet been assessed this year in your 1 August 2024 data file. Students should not be re-entered for Assessment Event 2 before Assessment Event 1 results are received.
- All further entries should be submitted in your 26 August data file.
We can accept late entries for students who did not achieve in the first event up until one week before the date the school has scheduled assessment event 2.
We cannot guarantee entries received after this will be processed in time.
Nominating your selected day
We do require schools to provide information on what day students are likely to be logging into the platform.
- Nominate the day(s) you will hold the Common Assessment Activities (CAAs).
- Date nominations can be found through Key Indicators in your NZQA Schools’ Provider Login.
- Complete the nominations before 30 August 2024.
If you need to change the assessment date after 30 August 2024, please send a request to assessment.service.centre@nzqa.govt.nz.
Detailed instructions are available in the:
Administrative and submission instructions for Literacy and Numeracy
Co-requisite preparation webinar
Principals’ Nominees are invited to a webinar in Week 5 to help you prepare to administer the Literacy and Numeracy | Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau assessment event being held between 9 – 20 September.
To sign-up, please complete this Co-requisites webinar form by 5pm Wed 14 August:
Go to the Co-requisites webinar form (external link)
Use of translators
Use of translators are not permitted in these assessments.
Level 1 submitted external standards and Kete Manarua
Planning support
It is imperative that all teachers refer to the Assessment Specifications and the Digital Submission resources on the website relevant to their subject area:
The Teacher Instructions give guidance for teachers managing assessment events for the Level 1 standards assessed through submission:
Teacher instructions for the management of Level 1 submitted assessments [PDF, 97 KB]
There is also a handy list of instructions to candidates to read out at the start of the assessment.
We are supporting Principals’ Nominees in their oversight role through two more Q&A sessions.
Week 1: Thursday July 25 at 11.30 am -12.15 pm
Join the meeting now (external link)
Week 2: Wednesday, July 31 at 3.30-4.30 pm
Join the meeting now (external link)
Please utilise the School Relationship Manager developed support document '2024 Level One kete manarua and submitted external standards – advice for Principal’s Nominees' that was sent last term.
Note this should not replace checking specific details through the Assessment Specifications.
You can find information on authenticity requirements for submitted external assessments on NZQA’s website:
Administrative and submission instructions
Instructions will be available this week on the relevant subject pages to outline how each subject/standard is to be submitted.
Digital submissions
For assessments due 30 October, digital submissions can be made anytime from 29 July via the Provider login.
Instructions on how to submit are available on:
Authenticity declaration forms
The Authenticity Declaration forms for the following external assessments have been updated and are available on the subject pages on the NZQA website.
Please ensure you use these updated forms.
Te Reo translated entries update
We are asking all schools to please check your requests for translations after an SMS error was found resulting in many more requests for Te Reo translations of external papers in 2024.
Whilst the SMS error has been addressed, there are some actions schools need to take so we have a correct number of translated papers.
You may receive an email requesting you check your requests for translations.
Checking your Te Reo translation requests can be found under:
General Security Features > Key Indicators > External Assessments > Te Reo Translated Paper requests / Answer in Te Reo Applications.
The deadline to request and amend translation or marking in Te Reo Māori for external entries is 1 August.
External moderation submission reminder
For standards that have been selected for external moderation, please submit your materials as soon as the assessment and internal moderation processes have been completed.
We are seeing results entered with no materials submitted for external moderation and materials submitted for external moderation without any results reported.
Your School Relationship Manager will follow up with an email as appropriate.
Pacific Languages digital exams webinar
In Week 3 we will be providing a webinar on how to prepare your school and students to do Pacific Language end-of-year exams digitally.
To sign-up, please complete the Pacific Languages form by 5pm Wednesday 31 July:
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with outside providers
A selection of 20 schools will receive an invitation to take part in a trial of the new application process for submitting MOUs with outside providers to NZQA.
This trial is working towards our aim to have all MOUs held by NZQA and submitted through the portal in 2025.
Exam Centre Manager (ECM) nominations
If you have not told us the name of your Exam Centre Manager, this is now overdue.
Please refer to Examination management on how to recruit and select an ECM and how to re-nominate a previous ECM or nominate a new one.
If you have any questions, including how to become an exam centre if you are not already, please email examcentremanagement@nzqa.govt.nz.
Expression of interest - hosting Leading National Assessment (LNA) seminars 2025
Planning is underway for the 2025 Leading National Assessment Seminars.
We are seeking expressions of interest from schools/kura who are able to host a seminar for their region.
- The date range for the seminars is: 17 February 2025 – 7 March 2025.
- The dates for each location will be confirmed towards the end of the year.
The closing date to express your interest is 30 August 2024.
To register your expression of interest, please use this form:
2025 Leading National Assessment Seminar Expression of Interest form (external link)
Please note it is essential that parking is available.
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)
Accessing SAC updates
Previously published SAC Updates can now be accessed through the Communications link via your school’s MyNZQA portal.
Please consult the June SAC update for information on:
- Students requiring Braille papers
- Attaching SAC entitlements to exam sessions (general guidelines, digital exams, separate accommodation)
- Use of headphones.
Attaching SAC entitlements to exam sessions
Please aim to complete this as close to the submission of your last data file as possible.
Guidelines on how to complete this process can be found on page 38 of the:
SAC Online Tool Guide [PDF, 1.9 MB]
You can only complete this process once students’ external entries have been submitted to NZQA.
SAC for Level 1 externally assessed submitted standards and TAPā in Term 3
Guidelines for providing SAC for these assessments
Support
We will be offering further online Q&A sessions at the start of next term.
The focus of these sessions will be on attaching SAC to exams but we will also respond to any SAC questions. These are not presentations or seminars.
No registration is needed. Please use one of the links below to join the meeting at your preferred time.
Please note that we are not limiting the number of registrations per session.
Wednesday 24 July 11am to 12 noon (external link)
Wednesday 24 July 3 pm to 4 pm (external link)
Thursday 25 July 11am to 12 noon (external link)
Thursday 25 July 3 pm to 4 pm (external link)
We are also keen to receive questions before the meeting so that we can prepare and use the time efficiently. Please use the link below to register any questions. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions during the session.
NZQA SAC Q&A Session Questions (external link)
Please email sac@nzqa.govt.nz if you have any questions or need support on SAC processes.
Foreign fee-paying students
Schools are advised to check that the entry data they provide to NZQA accurately reflects the NCEA assessment programme for their international students. This includes reporting results for any internal assessment undertaken.
After 26 August, NZQA will invoice the school to cover the relevant fees for all international students entered in assessment standards, including New Zealand Scholarship.
Schools must pay the invoice by 31 October. The relevant fees are set out in the Fee Schedule.
Paying fees for fee-paying international candidates
A NCEA fee is payable to NZQA when an international student engages in any assessment against standards listed on the Directory of Assessment and Skills Standards and qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials framework.
This fee includes the use of standards and associated assessment activities within a teaching, learning and assessment programme that may be used to report to parents.
Withdrawing an enrolment - reminder
When a school withdraws a student’s NZQA enrolment, this will withdraw all their entries and results for the year and may prevent the award of any appropriate qualifications. Students do not have access to withdrawn results.
Do not withdraw a student’s NZQA enrolment during the year unless you have confirmation that the student has transferred to another secondary school.
If you are unsure on how to do this, please contact your SMS provider.
Confirming the NZQA and school/kura relationship
Schools and kura are required to annually read and sign a Memorandum of Agreement with NZQA. It can be found under High Security > School’s Administration > Memorandum of Agreement through your Provider Login.
The Memorandum sets out how your school or kura and NZQA work together to ensure timely and accurate management of candidate data, collection and submission of international fee-paying candidate fees and the smooth conduct of examinations for the benefit of the candidates.
It also agrees the Administration Payment paid by NZQA to schools and kura.
Assessor Practice Tool (APT) update
There are new samples available for standards across a range of subjects and Levels on the Assessor Practice Tool (APT).
Once all samples for a standard have been graded, users will now be able to ‘reset’ the standard and grade the samples again.
The APT is accessible using Education Sector Logon on Pūtake, NZQA’s online learning management system:
StudyIt website
We have been advised that the StudyIt website closed on 1 July 2024.
There are several other alternatives that students and teachers can use, including:
- NZQA past exams and exemplars for all subjects and standards at Levels 1, 2 and 3
- for new NCEA level 1 internally assessed achievement standards under each subject:
NCEA.education (external link) - for free teaching and learning resources to support STEM subjects:
STEMOnlineNZ (external link) - the Ministry of Education’s new website where you can search and filter by learning area to access support materials:
Tāhūrangi (external link)
Please feel free to contact ncea.review@education.govt.nz should you have any queries.
PN checklist - Nga māhi
Action items for Principal's Nominee by calendar month
PN termly Top Up
Attend an online reminder of Term 3 tasks.
Co-requisite
Select the days you will be completing the Literacy, Numeracy and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau.
Attend co-requisite preparation webinar.
Level 1 externally assessed submissions
Join an online Q&A event.
Translated papers
Check the number of papers requiring Te Reo translation.
Pacific Languages
Sign up to the webinar in preparation for the digital Pacific Language end-of-year exams.
ECM
Ensure you have nominated your Exam Centre Manager.
LNA seminar
Express your interest in hosting an LNA seminar in 2025:
Complete the form (external link)
SAC
Attach SAC entitlements to exam sessions.
SENCO to attend Q&A support session.
Memorandum of Agreement
Read and digitally sign this memorandum through High Security > School’s Administration > Memorandum of Agreement.
Visual Arts
Order art bags for Visual Arts Level 2 through the:
DCAT
Advise NZQA of DCAT assessment date by 1 August.