Key dates and information
From 21 June
Candidate NSN cards sent to schools with information on accessing entries on the web
30 June
Term 2 ends.
1 July
Data file submission
17 July
Term 3 begins
28 July
- Special Assessment Conditions: include as many exam entries for SAC candidates as possible and continue to keep it up to date.
- Check all external entries requiring translation or marking in Te Reo Māori are correct
- Check all digital external entries are correct.
1 August
- Data file submission: should contain all external entries (including NZ Scholarship)
- this is used to calculate the quantity of papers and materials for external exams
- confirm dates for DCAT and MCAT – this can be done once candidates are entered
- Visual Arts bag order due
4 August
Deadline for requesting Braille papers for external exams
On this page
Reminders from previous Emailinks
Digital practice exam entries
Digital practice exam entries should be submitted to NZQA in your data file as soon as possible; entries are open until 1 August. These exams are on Assessment Master, which will be available to schools for 3 weeks between 4 and 22 September.
NZQA digital practice exams 2023 (external link)
Ringa toi
If you are interested in submitting student work to be considered for this year’s Ringa Toi Student Exhibition, please complete and submit the registration of interest form by Friday 28 July. Schools who register their interest will be sent more information about how to submit artworks for consideration.
Assessor practice tool
Our latest pilot of the Assessor Practice Tool is still available for assessors to practice making judgements on specific standards. The site will now be available until Friday 7 July to allow as many users as possible to try the tool and provide feedback on the following subjects: Business Studies, Chemistry, DVC, English, Home Economics, Media Studies, Physical Education, Statistics, Technology and Visual Arts.
Outlier reports
We recently rectified an error in our system which was preventing all Derived Grade outlier reports from being visible. Please be aware that some schools may have additional derived grade outlier reports on MyNZQA. If the 2022 outlier page (under Reports) still has the message ‘No comparison report available to download’, it means your 2022 data did not identify any outlier subjects. We apologise for any confusion that this may have caused.
Further information about the significance of Outlier Reports can be found n our Assessment Matters newsletter:
NCEA change programme
Remember to keep checking the NCEA website as it contains important information about the NCEA change programme. There are continuous updates happening on this site. Make sure to check out specific subject|wāhanga ako pages regularly.
Recent updates include:
- clarification about requirements for NCEA Level 1, 2, and 3
- supporting ākonga through the new NCEA Level 1 materials in 2024 and on to the existing Level 2 and 3 courses in 2025 and 2026
- clarifying that the number of credits required for course and certificate endorsements will not be changing.
Understanding How NCEA Requirements Are Changing (external link) - NCEA website
Digital assessments
Providing personalised papers (exam booklets) for Level 1 digital entries in 2023
For 2023 we will continue providing personalised papers (exam booklets) as back-ups for students|ākonga with digital entries for NCEA Level 1 non-pilot standards. This is a change to the advice given in the Leading National Assessment seminars in early 2023.
In 2024, NCEA Level 1 will follow the 'digital first' pilot approach with the expectation that students|ākonga will complete digital external assessments, with no personalised back-ups. Paper or PDF copies of the assessments will be available if requested.
Assessment security
An important reminder that the password protected PDFs of the Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau external assessment items provided by NZQA must be kept secure.
Blank copies of the PDFs need to be destroyed and not distributed either physically or electronically.
Assessment feedback
Your school/kura may have recently undertaken some form of digital external assessment. For example, for the new Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau co-requisite standards and other standards, like Te Ao Haka.
As we near the end of Term 2, we would like to give you an opportunity to share your experiences with digital external assessment through a short survey.
Simply click on the link below, fill in your school provider code and name and answer the two questions.
Visual Arts Level 1 and 2 bag order
If you are a school new to teaching Visual Arts at either or both Levels 1 and/or 2, or have lost your blue or red bags to submit your verification samples, please complete the online order form by 1 August.
Level 1 and 2 Visual Arts verification bag order Form (external link)
SAC update
Attachment of SAC entitlements to external standards
This facility for 2023 examinations opens on 1 July. Note that external entries must be submitted to NZQA before SAC can be attached to exam sessions. Please prioritise these entries in your next datafile. You can find a video explaining the process at the bottom of the main SAC page on the NZQA website.
Special Assessment Conditions (external link)
Braille papers
If any of your SAC students require Braille papers for exams, please ensure that their entries for external standards are submitted in the next data file. SAC needs to be attached to the exam sessions as soon as possible and must be completed by Friday 4 August. No SAC applications for Braille papers will be able to be approved after this date as there is considerable time required to create them.
Te Ao Haka - Assessment opportunities
Information about assessment opportunities for Te Ao Haka can be found on the Te Ao Haka subject page under ‘External Assessment’.
Please note, there are no alternative assessment dates for TAPA so derived grades are available for students who are absent from or whose performance was hampered in their TAPA.
Detailed information about derived grades, including eligibility and application forms can be found on the NZQA website. Please contact your School Relationship Manager or the Derived Grades team at derivedgrades@nzqa.govt.nz for more information.
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and NZC Te reo Māori pilot
Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau implementation 2023
NZQA will be seeking feedback from all pilot schools and kura who were entered into TAPA-CAA 1 assessments in June for TMoA, NZC Te Reo Māori and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau.
We will be in touch before the end of Term 2 to request your feedback.
End of an era: Kay Wilson retires
Kay Wilson has made a significant contribution to developing new and enhanced processes to support schools and kura during her tenure with NZQA over the last 21 years. She has been a strong advocate for the streamlining of NZQA systems and processes, not only to reduce the burden on schools, but also to drive greater efficiency and effectiveness.
After working part time in NZQA’s NCEA Implementation Team from 2000, Kay joined NCEA Schools Liaison Monitoring and Reporting team in 2002 as one of the School Relationship Managers. She carried out this role for five years before assuming the role of Team Leader. Kay really enjoyed her time in schools working with and supporting Principal’s Nominees, several of whom she managed to recruit as School Relationship Managers.
After nine years as Team Leader, Kay was appointed Manager of the School Quality Assurance and Liaison Team, a role she has carried out for the last seven years. Of the many things Kay has achieved as Manager, shaping NZQA’s response to the Canterbury earthquakes, the leadership of enhancements made to the Managing National Assessment Review process will be long remembered, and establishment of additional SRM Māori positions to better address the needs of kura will be long remembered.
As an integral part of NZQA for over 21 years, Kay finishes on Friday 30 June and will be greatly missed as a leader, colleague and friend to those she has worked with over that time. We wish her well as she embarks on life beyond NZQA.