Term 1
Kohitātea January
Huitānguru February
Special Assessment Conditions - Rollover/Change opens for entitled candidates
2025 Assessment (including Exams) Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess published on NZQA website
Deadline for 2024 NCEA External Assessment Reviews and Reconsiderations
Poutūterangi March
Candidate Information Sheets (for candidates entering externals) sent to schools
Data file submission opens (schools can upload entry and result data files to NZQA from this date)
Paengawhāwhā April
First data file submission due (include as many candidate enrolments, courses and entries as possible)
Data file submissions for entries into event 1 of Literacy and Numeracy assessment and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau due
Special Assessment Conditions - First deadline for first time applications for approval, rollover and changes
Term 2
Paengawhāwhā April
Haratua May
Data file submission due. Include any additional or updated candidate enrolment and entry information
Pipiri June
NZQA advertises for external NCEA and NZ Scholarship markers. Online applications open
Term 3
Hōngongoi July
Translated papers - Check all external entries requiring translation or marking in Te Reo Maori are correctly flagged for 1 August data file
Check 1 August file contains all external entries (including NZ Scholarship) for SAC candidates and DCAT
Submission instructions published on NZQA website for Kete Manarua, NCEA and NZ Scholarship portfolios with a submission date of 29 October
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) - include as many exam entries for SAC candidates as possible and continue to attach SAC entitlements to exams
Hereturikōkā August
Data file submission due -used to calculate the quantity of exam papers and materials for external exams
Translated papers - deadline to request translation or marking in Te Reo Maori for external entries in your data file
Check accuracy of externally assessed entries in preparation for 1 September data file submission including international candidate entries in NCEA & NZ Scholarship. Fees for international candidates are based on entries in the 1 September file
Data file submission deadline for entries into event 2 of Literacy/Numeracy and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau assessment
Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau (assessment event 2) 25 August - 5 September
Mahuru September
Data file submission due - deadline to submit entries for externally assessed standards including NZ Scholarship for candidates to receive personalised exam materials
Final date for withdrawals from externally assessed standards including NZ Scholarship
Check timetable clashes and confirm with candidates how two-way clashes will be resolved. Three-way clash letters will be sent to PNs by end of Term 3
Term 4
Whiringa-ā-nuku October
Visual Arts Level 1 submissions due. All provisional results must be entered
Portal deadline for all Kete Manarua submissions - refer to the 2025 Assessment Timetable
Visual Arts Level 2 submissions for verification collected from schools. All provisional results must be entered.
Final date for school payment of NCEA & NZ Scholarship fees for international fee-paying candidates
Whiringa-ā-rangi November
Data file submission due - include all derived grades for Unexpected Events and send any additional candidate information in this file
Visual Arts L3 and NZ Scholarship - schools to submit portfolios for external standards
Hakihea December
Final data file submission for 2025 - include all final verified internally assessed results and derived grades at scale for an Unexpected Event. This file is the last opportunity to correct any remaining errors and warnings.
Data file submission links close at midnight (entry and result file processing ends). No further 2025 data files can be uploaded to NZQA after 11.59pm
Key business dates
Submitting data files
Data files should be submitted by the 1st of each month from April to December.
Data files can be submitted more than once a month.