There are 3 levels of NCEA certificate, depending on the difficulty of the standards achieved.
You need 80 credits to achieve an NCEA certificate at each level: 60 credits at that level or above, plus 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits and 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits.
You only need to meet the 20-credit Literacy and Numeracy or Te Reo Matatini and Te Pāngarau requirement once. After you've met the requirement, it counts for every level of NCEA.
You can earn the credits you need for each level of NCEA over more than 1 year.
On this page
How to achieve NCEA
Level 1
- 60 credits at any Level (1, 2 or 3)
Plus
- 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits, and
- 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits
Level 2
- 60 credits at Level 2 or above
Plus
- 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits, and
- 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits.
Level 3
- 60 credits at Level 3 or above
Plus
- 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits, and
- 10 Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credits.
Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau
Literacy or te reo matatini is the ability to read, write and speak. Numeracy or pāngarau is the ability to use mathematics in daily life. They are important skills for almost everything we do in life.
You need to earn 10 Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credits and 10 Numeracy or Pāngarau credits to achieve NCEA.
Literacy or Te Reo Matatini credit options
- Literacy unit standards 32403 and 32405, or
- Te Reo Matatini unit standards 32413 (Te Reo Torohū) and 32415 (Te Reo Whakaputa), or
- assessment standards – specified achievement and unit standards available through a range of subjects.
Numeracy or Te Pāngarau credit options
- Numeracy unit standard 32406, or
- Te Pāngarau unit standard 32412, or
- assessment standards – specified achievement and unit standards available through a range of subjects.
Your school can explain the Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau standards it's using.
More information
Find the full list of standards that can contribute to Literacy and Numeracy and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau requirements:
List of specified assessment standards (external link)- NCEA.education website
Download the Guide to NCEA
The Guide to NCEA tells you how NCEA works. It also contains helpful information about gaining Scholarships, endorsements, and University Entrance
Get the GuideCredits
The credits you gain at one level can count towards more than one qualification.
For example, Mel achieves credits by studying Generic Computing unit standards. Mel can use these credits towards a Level 2 NCEA certificate, and a New Zealand Certificate in Computing (User Fundamentals) (Level 2).
Multi-level study
You can study standards at different levels at the same time.
For example, Rawiri is mostly studying subjects at Level 2. He's also taking Level 1 Art History (because it's his first time studying Art History) and Level 3 Calculus (because he's great at Maths).
Courses may also contain standards from different levels.
For example, a Year 11 English course might contain both Level 1 and Level 2 standards.
Recognising achievement
Certificates can be 'endorsed' to reflect achievement in a significant number of standards. You can also get course endorsements. These show you have performed well in an individual course.