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
1 February
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) – Rollover/Change process opens.
2025 Assessment (including Exams) Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess published on NZQA website.
3 February
2024 Assessment Reports, Schedules and Cut-Scores available.
11 February
2024 NZ Scholarship Results Release date.
2024 NZ Scholarship Examination scripts available to candidates.
19 February
Deadline for 2024 NCEA external assessment Reviews and Reconsiderations.
28 February
Provider access to late internally assessed results closes.
7 March
Deadline for 2024 NZ Scholarship Reviews and Reconsiderations.
24 March
Data file submission opens:
- Schools can upload entry and result data files to NZQA from this date.
Web Entries Schools’ access opens.
On this page
School Relationship Managers’ update
Our team at NZQA wish you all the very best for 2025. We look forward to working with you over the year ahead.
To those returning to the role of Principal’s Nominee (PN), welcome back.
To those taking on the role, it is great to have you on-board.
Latest circulars
A2024/17 - 2025 Examination timetable
A2025/1 - Updates to the suite of reo Māori unit standards
You can find NZQA publications including past circulars:
General administration and data
Annual school and kura pulse check
We are seeking some feedback from you about our quality assurance and support activities, and on our external assessments.
Start the survey (external link)
Feedback will support our ongoing planning and improvement activities.
The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
We really appreciate you taking the time to complete it.
Responses are due by midnight Tuesday 18 February.
Principals’ Nominee support
The Principal’s Nominee Handbook has been developed to support new and returning Principals’ Nominees.
Download the Principal's Nominee Handbook
Update contact information
Please ensure that your school’s key personnel details are updated including Principal's Nominee, Principal, SENCO etc.
This contact information is found on your Provider login at School’s Administration/Profile.
Assessment Rules published
The NZQA Assessment Rules for Schools, TEOs assessing against Achievement Standards and NCEA Co-requisite Standards, and Candidates 2025 are now available on the NZQA website.
Go to the 2025 Assessment Rules
Co-requisite Payment for 2024
Information about the co-requisite payment for administering co-requisite assessments in 2024 is available here.
We will distribute this payment in February on behalf of the Ministry of Education, along with the usual NZQA administration payment.
Guides to NCEA – for students and whānau
The Guide to NCEA – our booklet for students and whānau explaining how NCEA works – is available to read or download from our website.
The Guide to NCEA is available in the current range of languages: English, Te Reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, Cook Islands Māori, Fijian and Kiribati. Please note that physical copies of booklets are no longer available.
Workshops and seminars
Leading National Assessment (LNA) Seminar
Registrations are now open for the Leading National Assessment Seminars that run 18 February through 7 March from 8.45am to 12.30pm.
The purpose of the LNA seminar is to provide Principals’ Nominees and Senior Leaders with updated information on assessment for national qualifications and a forum for professional discussion and support.
We encourage you to bring another senior leader from your school or kura with you. You should have received an email with full details.
If you missed the invitation:
Make a booking request (external link)
Please contact your SRM (School Relationship Manager) if you require any further information.
Online workshops
All Principals’ Nominees are welcome to join our online seminars, using the links below.
For some sessions, you may want to share the meeting link with other key staff members.
New PN - kura
If you are working in a kura and new to the PN role, you are welcome to join this workshop run by our School Relationship Managers (Māori).
Tues 11 Feb, 3.30 – 4.15 pm (external link)
Term 1 PN priorities
All PNs are welcome to attend this workshop which will cover key areas of focus for term 1 such as markbooks, entries, courses, data, monitoring quality assurance, reports and self-review.
Weds 12 Feb, 3.30 – 4.15 pm (external link)
Thurs 13 Feb, 3.30 – 4.15 pm (external link)
Fri 14 Feb, 10 – 10.45 am (external link)
Data and entries Q&A
For PNs and/or data managers covering 2025 courses, entries, data files and tidying up 2024 issues.
Tues 18 Mar, 2 – 3 pm (external link)
Co-requisite management and entries (Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini, Te Reo Pāngarau)
This workshop is for PNs and those with co-requisite oversight responsibility to support in the preparation for the CAAs and TAPā.
Weds 2 April, 2 – 3pm (external link)
Thurs 3 April, 2 – 3pm (external link)
NCEA me te Whānau 2025
Register to host a NCEA me te Whānau workshop for 2025.
Reviews and Reconsiderations
Review and Reconsideration details for 2024 external examination and portfolio results
Information about reviews and reconsiderations for NCEA examinations and portfolios
- The deadline for 2024 NCEA review and reconsideration applications is 19 February 2025.
Information about New Zealand Scholarship reviews and reconsiderations
- The deadline for 2024 Scholarship review and reconsideration applications is 7 March 2025.
Reconsideration application fee waiver
NZQA will waive the fee for students who meet the income criteria and apply for a reconsideration of a NCEA or New Zealand Scholarship result.
Cut scores and assessment schedules and reports
Find cut scores for all subjects
Assessment schedules and assessment reports are found on individual subject pages.
These may help students in their decision about whether to request a Review or Reconsideration.
2024 NCEA statistics
Principal’s Report
The Principal’s Report is available through the High Security Features/Principal’s Report link.
Please also refer to the 16 January email sent to Principals and Principals’ Nominees outlining further information about Level 1 attainment.
Statistical data is available via the Statistics link. Data is not dynamic and will be refreshed as follows:
February
- Data cut - 3 February
- Update Release - 19 February
March
- Data cut - 3 March
- Update Release - 19 March
The March release will be the final release for 2024 statistics. There will not be an April release.
NCEA results for students
Reminder for students - accessing NCEA and NZ Scholarship end of year exams and portfolios
Students who sat a NCEA or NZ Scholarship exam can view their assessed exam scripts online using their MyNZQA learner account until the end of June.
External standards that were digitally submitted are visible via the MyNZQA learner account, External assessments, Digital submissions/Kete manarua.
Digital submissions made via the previous system (Google drive in the old portal) will not be available to the students via their MyNZQA learner account.
Further information for students accessing their marked exams online
Reporting 2024 internally assessed results amendments and additions
You can amend or add 2024 internally assessed results until 28 February 2025. Find instructions on how to do this in a Word document at the bottom of your Provider Login page.
You can also assign any new entry to a course (new feature).
If you need to add a result for a standard for which you do not already have entries, please contact your NZQA Learner Records Advisor (schools@nzqa.govt.nz) or your School Relationship Manager.
Once your file has one entry for a standard, you will be able to report further results.
New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZRoA)
The NZRoA updated with 2024 results is available in electronic format, or it can be ordered in hard copy, through the Student Login.
New Zealand Record of Achievement
Students are entitled to one hard copy free of charge, with further copies costing $15.30 each.
Subcontracting – Third Party Consent
Schools and kura should regularly review any sub-contracting arrangements they have in place with another provider.
Third Party Consent with an unconsented third party
This is an arrangement between a school/kura and an unconsented provider which is approved for a three-year period. It allows unconsented providers to assess approved standards under the consent, assessment and moderation processes of the school.
If you have this arrangement in place please ensure that any level 1 standards are current.
If they are not or you would like to discuss your sub-contract, please email wikitoria.osborne@nzqa.govt.nz.
Third Party Consent with a consented third party
If you wish to enter into an agreement with a consented third party in 2025, please ensure you have both signed an appropriate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
NZQA will shortly provide you with details on how to upload these MoUs to our website.
These will be referenced against results reported under another provider code.
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)
2025 applications
New applications can be submitted for 2025. The first deadline for applications is the end of Term 1.
Any request to change SACs can be made during the rollover process, even if these have previously been declined.
The link to process rollovers of 2024 applications can be found through your school’s MyNZQA portal from 1 February.
The optional Notifications Gateway for new Level 1 SAC applications continues as a trial for 2025.
Find out more about the Notifications Gateway
Help with the online applications process can be found in the:
SAC Online Tool Guide [PDF, 1.9 MB]
Transferring SAC students to or from your school
If a 2024 SAC student has left your school and you know the name of their new school, please email the SAC team (sac@nzqa.govt.nz) with the details so we can transfer their SAC application.
If you become aware that a newly enrolled student had SAC support at their previous school, please email the SAC team and provide their name, NSN and name of previous school, and we will transfer the application to your list.
If the SAC application was a notification (including computer only notification), the application will be transferred to your Draft SAC list.
This enables you to determine the appropriateness of the SAC provided and to resubmit the application accordingly.
If the SAC application had been assessed and approved by NZQA, then the application with be transferred to your Submitted SAC list.
Students requiring braille papers for the dedicated co-requisite assessment
If you have a student requiring a Braille Paper for the first dedicated co-requisite assessment in May, we will need to be informed by 1 April in order to have sufficient time to prepare the translation into braille.
Further details will be provided in the first SAC Update of 2025.
SAC online Q&A sessions
We are planning several online question and answer sessions aimed at new PNs and SENCOs with a focus on an introduction to SAC processes. You can join one of the following Teams sessions:
Tues 25 Feb, 11 am – 12 pm (external link)
Tues 25 Feb, 3 – 4 pm (external link)
Thurs 27 Feb, 11 am – 12 pm (external link)
Thurs 27 Feb, 3 – 4pm (external link)
Support
Please email sac@nzqa.govt.nz if you have any questions or need support on SAC processes.
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) | NZC kaupapa ako Māori, Te Ao Haka | Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau
2025 Ngā Tautuhinga Aromatawai | Assessment Specifications (Provisional)
Provisional assessment specifications for 2025 for Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, Te Reo Māori, Te Ao Haka and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau are available now on the subject pages.
The final versions of the assessment specifications will be published on 3 March 2025.
Upcoming publishing dates – Aromatawai ā Waho | Aromatawai ā-Roto
Monday 3 February
- Kete Manarua for Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau
- 2024 Pūrongo Aromatawai | Assessment Reports
- Mahere Aromatawai | Assessment Schedules
Monday 3 March
- 2025 Tautuhinga Aromatawai | Assessment Specifications (Final versions)
- Kete Manarua (all Te Marautanga o Aotearoa wāhanga ako, Te Reo Māori and Te Ao Haka)
Monday 31 March
- Tauaromahi | Exemplars
Examination papers
The 2024 past examinations for Te Reo Māori and Te Reo Rangatira Levels 1–3 and Scholarship will be published on 28 February 2025.
You can find these on:
- the Te Reo Māori exemplars page for Te Reo Māori, or
- the Te Reo Rangatira exemplars page for Te Reo Rangatira.
Support for assessors in 2025
We will run a series of online workshops and drop-in sessions to support kura and kaiako assessing the Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) and New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) kaupapa Māori Level 1 achievement standards and field Māori unit standards.
These workshops will cover both internal and external assessment.
For more information and to register for a workshop, please visit:
Sample assessment materials
Following the Ministry of Education’s announcement about the discontinuation of a submitted report as an external assessment method from 2025, and changes to the mode of assessment for standards in two subjects, sample assessment material for Level 1 standards with changes are available on the NZQA website:
These resources are designed to give teachers an indication of how the requirements of an achievement standard may be applied in an examination.
Vocabulary lists for Languages
The NCEA Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Vocabulary Lists are valuable resources designed to help teachers and students understand the language expectations for each level, as outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum.
The Vocabulary Lists support teachers to understand the language appropriate at different Curriculum Levels for language learners.
The sections of the Vocabulary Lists that contain the language candidates are expected to recognise for NCEA external assessments are:
- Target Language to English
- English to Target Language
- Categories
- Grammar and Structures; and
- the Kanji List in Japanese.
Where to find the lists
NCEA.education.govt.nz
Resources at the bottom of each Subject page at nzqa.govt.nz
Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, and European Languages
Here is how the vocabulary lists will apply to learners undertaking external assessments for these languages in 2025:
NCEA Level 1
Use the refreshed Level 1 Vocabulary List for 2025.
NCEA Level 2
Use the new Level 2 Vocabulary List and the Level 1 list introduced in 2024.
NCEA Level 3
Use the new Level 3 Vocabulary List alongside the old Level 1 and Level 2 lists, used in previous years.
Pacific Languages and Korean
NCEA Level 1
Use the refreshed Level 1 Vocabulary List for 2025.
NCEA Level 2
Use the new Level 2 Vocabulary List and the Level 1 list introduced in 2024.
NCEA Level 3
Use the new Level 3 Vocabulary List with reference to the content of new Level 1 and Level 2 lists.
PN Checklist – Nga māhi
The following checklist provides a quick reference of the actions associated with information in this email link.
Action items for Principal’s Nominee by calendar month
2024 results
- Enter any amendments or additions to 2024 internal results online by 28 February.
- Use File Downloads from your Provider login to update your Student Management System with the latest Results and Consent files.
Contact information
- Update your school’s contact information in your Provider login
- Review ESL access for teachers.
- Remove access for staff who have left your school.
Seminars
- Share seminar information with relevant staff.
- Diarise relevant seminars.
Vocabulary lists
- Share information with relevant teachers.
SAC
- Prepare and submit new 2025 SAC applications.
- Begin the rollover process for 2024 applications.
- Email sac@nzqa.govt.nz about SAC students to transfer.
- Update SAC contacts in school profile.