Key dates and information
1 June
Ensure all students entered for NZQA standards in 2023 are included in 1 June data file. Students need to be included in this file to receive a personalised Candidate NSN Card
5 June
King's birthday public holiday.
6-9 June
Te Pāngarau Common Assessment Activity TAPA (CAA).
12-16 June
Literacy and Numeracy CAA and Te Reo Matatini TAPA (CAA).
14 June
Deadline for submitting your Memorandum of Agreement to NZQA.
16 June
Applications close for the Exam Centre Manager through your Provider Login.
Deadline for notifying NZQA if you are not making any external entries in 2023.
30 June
Term 2 ends.
On this page
Reminders from Emailink #4
NZQA is seeking feedback from teachers on the latest pilot of our Assessor Practice Tool. The pilot will be open from 8 May to 16 June and can be accessed on the APT Pilot Site using the teacher’s Education Sector Logon.
Digital Practice Exam entries (external link) 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.
Digital Practice Exam entries (external link)
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.
Ringa Toi Student Exhibition (external link)
Ringa Toi Studen Exhibition 2023 Registration of interest form (external link)
Memorandum of Agreement
The Memorandum sets out how your school 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.
Please remember to read and digitally sign the 2023 memorandum by 14 June to ensure that you receive your Administration Payment during Term 1 of 2024. It can be found in MyNZQA, under School Administration > Memorandum of Agreement.
Clarification of upgrading a certificate endorsement
A student is awarded the highest NCEA Certificate Endorsement available, based on credits they have gained at the level of the certificate or above, at the time results are released in January each year (i.e. single, latest and greatest endorsement).
To change a previously endorsed certificate in a future year, the student must achieve additional credits at the level of the certificate. For example, to change a Level 2 NCEA Merit endorsed certificate to an Excellence endorsement, 50 Excellence credits are required at Level 2.
A student would need to contact NZQA to apply for a certificate endorsement to be amended in a subsequent year after results release in January.
For further details, talk to your School Relationship Manager or see our rules, Schedule 1, 2.1 a.-f.
NZQA Assessment Rules for Schools, TEOs assessing against Achievement Standards, and Candidates 2023
Recording of Learning Recognition credits for transferring students
When you upload NZQA results for a student enrolling at your school, Learning Recognition Credits awarded in 2020-2022 will be easily recognisable by their 5-digit format where the first digit is 7, the second digit refers to the calendar year achieved, the third digit refers to the NZQA Level and the last 2 digits refer to the number of credits.
Insights into NZ Scholarship
NZQA has released an Insights paper looking into factors that impact on equitable participation of Māori and Pacific students in New Zealand Scholarship.
Based on two years of research, the paper finds that entries for ākonga Māori and Pacific students for NZ Scholarship are at disproportionately low rates, and typically in fewer NZ Scholarship subjects. Amongst the paper’s recommendations, it notes that achievement of 14 or more Excellence credits at NCEA Level 2 in a subject can be used as one of the signposts that a student has the potential of achieving NZ Scholarship in that subject.
We hope this paper will be helpful as you consider the students you enter for NZ Scholarship in 2023.
Supporting Equity for Māori and Pacific students in New Zealand Scholarship [PDF, 1.1 MB]
Review of Unit Standards
Over time, skill standards will replace unit standards as Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) and NZQA review existing qualifications and develop new ones. Where a unit standard is replaced, there will be a transition period to allow tertiary providers and schools to update their courses and assessments, and for learners to complete what they have started. This transition period is usually at least two years.
Each WDC’s website has information regarding unit standard reviews, development plans and newsletters. Schools using these unit standards should keep in contact with the relevant WDC to support school planning processes.
Further information about the process for NZQA-led standards review is here.
Changes to unit standards (external link)
NZQA-led standards reviews and developments (external link)
Workforce Development Councils (external link) — ohumahi.nz
Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau | Literacy and Numeracy Corequisite
Please check your inbox for an email sent on 29 May from Schools Liaison with useful information to help with managing the delivery of the co-requisite assessments.
The submission deadline for Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau – Kete Manarua has moved from 15 September to 25 October 2023. This involves standards 32412 and 32414. Please visit the Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau subject page for the latest updates. If you have any pātai, email trmp@nzqa.govt.nz.
Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau subject page
Literacy and Numeracy assessment information (external link) — ncea.education.govt.nz
Online Developments
Homepage and About Us section now live on NZQA's new website
We are continuing the rebuild of the NZQA website to deliver a more accessible, equitable, and user-friendly experience. This complete refresh of NZQA’s website includes a new design, updated and new content, and new functionalities to help people access the information they need. Most recently we have released the Homepage & the About Us section.
The new homepage will make a significant improvement to user experience, better representing our students and whānau, and making the content easier to understand for students and international audiences.
Digital Assessments
Student/ākonga preparation and access to external digital assessments
The fastest and easiest way for students to access external digital assessments is through NZQA’s home page.
Students new to NCEA need to create an account on the Login page. This should be done well before sitting an assessment and is especially important for Year 10 students doing Literacy & Numeracy | Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau digital assessments in June 2023.
If students already have an account, they need to know their username and password. They should log in and check everything is correct.
Resources are available to support you and your students in preparing for digital assessments:
- Get your school ready for digital exams (external link)
- Digital exam preparation for students (external link) – covers past exams, device check, familiarisation activities and video showing how the Assessment Master platform works.
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu – end of year exams
Te Kura ākonga, who are not enrolled at another secondary school, sit their end of year exams at a school in their community. This is because Te Kura is not an exam centre. If a Te Kura ākonga requests to sit their end of year exams at your school, Te Kura will email you the ākonga details, end of year external standards they intend to sit, and the online link for you to approve or decline their request. Te Kura ākonga are expected to contact the Principal’s Nominee to discuss whether their request can be accommodated.
Te Kura is a RAS pilot school for Level 1 Chemistry and Biology, English, and Health Studies so you may receive some requests that include these subjects. RAS pilot end of year exam standards are sat digitally and timetabled in the same exam sessions as Chemistry, English and Health. If you are happy to approve a request that includes a RAS pilot standard, NZQA will contact your Exam Centre Manager in Term 3 to ensure they are supported in managing the exam digitally.
Te Kura appreciates the support of schools in enabling their ākonga to sit end of year exams.
For more information, please contact Te Kura’s Qualifications Advisor on 0800 65 99 88 option 3 or ncea.registration@tekura.school.nz.