Most marking for Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau standards is different from marking for end-of-year examinations. This is because a fast turnaround of results is important for schools to provide additional support where it is needed.
Available grades
Students can receive an Achieved or Not Achieved grade for each Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau standard. Merit and Excellence grades are not available.
Because there are no Merit or Excellence grades available for these assessments, NZQA does not use Grade Score Marking.
As these standards are designed to be achieved by students at different points in their NCEA journey, they are not counted towards certificate endorsement or University Entrance.
Find out more about literacy and numeracy requirements for University Entrance
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How Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau assessments are marked
From May 2025, NZQA is using a combination of automated machine marking, automated text scoring and human marking to reduce the time it takes to mark assessments and return results.
Automated machine marking
Automated machine marking has been used for Reading assessments since 2021. Automated machine marking can mark multiple-choice questions or questions where there is a limited response, such as a number.
In addition to the Reading assessments, automated machine marking will be used for parts of the Writing, Numeracy and Te Reo Torohū assessments from May 2025.
Automated text scoring
Automated text scoring uses computers to learn what makes a piece of writing meet the standard or not and then uses that knowledge to grade other similar pieces of writing.
NZQA conducted a small-scale trial of automated text scoring on Writing assessment responses from the May 2024 assessment event, and a large-scale trial using 35,000 Writing assessment responses from September 2024. These allowed us to compare the results with scores provided by our regular markers and showed that automated text scoring would be suitably reliable and accurate.
From May 2025, automated text scoring will be used on all digitally submitted Writing assessments.
While the trials have provided us with confidence in the accuracy of automated text scoring, to continue to quality assure for consistency and accuracy we are also using a human check-marking process. Human marking will be done where the student is on the boundary of achieving or not achieving the Writing standard, which will amount to approximately 40% of assessments.
The human marked result will override the automated text scoring mark if there is a difference.
Human marking
In addition to the human check-marking process, NZQA contracts panels of external markers for sections of the Numeracy and Te Reo Torohū assessments, as well as Te Reo Whakaputa and te Pāngarau assessments, Kete Manarua and all assessments completed on paper. This process is similar to the marking undertaken for end-of-year exams.
How grades are calculated
Each of the of Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau standards contains a small number of Outcomes.
To receive an Achieved grade for a standard, students need to meet a minimum overall score (cut score) which demonstrates that they have met each of the Outcomes across the standard.
When setting the minimum there is very thorough analysis at the item level of how items perform. Cut scores are then determined and reviewed, ensuring the performance criteria for the outcomes have been met. This is done to set minimums and cut scores for each different assessment each year.
If a student meets the requirements of the standard, the student will achieve. There is no predetermined achievement rate. Theoretically every student could pass. NZQA does not grade any of its assessments ‘on a curve’ as this would would involve scaling, which is not a process used in determining student results for standards.
Return of assessed scripts
Unlike external examinations, but following international practice for this style of assessment, students’ assessed scripts are not returned following the assessment.
As with other external assessments, markers do not provide feedback or guidance on student scripts
Support for teachers and students
Feedback reports
Once results are released, students who do not achieve a standard can download a personalised feedback report showing how they performed against each outcome of that standard.
Schools can download an aggregated version of this report for their students from their provider login.
These reports are designed to be read alongside the standard and guide where teaching and learning could focus ahead of students attempting the assessment again.
Exemplars, assessment reports and assessment schedules
NZQA provides exemplars for each standard, using actual responses provided by students during previous assessment events. These are designed to help students become familiar with the style of assessment questions, and the levels of evidence they should provide to achieve each standard.
Teachers are able to review an interim assessment report for each standard following the first assessment event for a year, and an assessment report following the second assessment event. These include areas of strength, areas requiring improvement and a commentary, based on national attainment results.
Following each assessment event, an assessment schedule for each standard shows how each question mapped against the Outcomes for the standard, and what kind of evidence needed to be provided to meet the basic requirements of that question.
Exemplars, assessment reports and assessment schedules are available below:
Digital assessment practise activities
NZQA also has online tools for students to check their device and browser, explore the digital assessment platform and undertake a digital assessment practise activity.
These are designed to help students become more familiar and confident with the digital assessment platform.