2026 NCEA and NZ Scholarship assessment specifications

Find next year's assessment specifications by subject and level

This page contains NCEA and Scholarship assessment specifications for the 2026 academic year.

We’ll move these specifications to the standards and assessment search in early 2026.

These assessment specifications may change. Make sure you download the latest version before you plan any courses or assessments.

2026 tautuhinga aromatawai (assessment specifications) for all Te Marautanga o Aotearoa wāhanga ako, Te Reo Māori, Te Ao Haka, and Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau will be available from late October. 

2025 Assessment specifications

Find assessment specifications for this year's external assessments on the subject pages:

NCEA subjects

NZ Scholarship subjects

2026 Assessment specifications by subject and level

Accounting

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 406 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 410 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 403 KB]

Agricultural and Horticultural Science

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 404 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 399 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 402 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 149 KB]

Art History

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 452 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 491 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 148 KB]

Biology

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 402 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 409 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 152 KB]

Business Studies

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 153 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 159 KB]

Calculus

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 193 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 167 KB]

Chemistry

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 421 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 445 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 157 KB]

Chemistry and Biology 

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 412 KB]

Chinese (Mandarin)

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 404 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 405 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 406 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 181 KB]

Classical Studies

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 422 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 414 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 181 KB]

Commerce

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 402 KB]

Cook Islands Māori

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 426 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 407 KB]

Dance

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 441 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 437 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 437 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 198 KB]

Design and Visual Communication

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 421 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 412 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 409 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 189 KB]

Digital Technologies

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 183 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 171 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 155 KB]

Drama

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 481 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 422 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 466 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 228 KB]

Earth and Space Science

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 413 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 403 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 148 KB]

Economics

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 401 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 426 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 159 KB]

Education for Sustainability

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 407 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 416 KB]

English

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 403 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 423 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 405 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 152 KB]

French

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 387 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 405 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 406 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 181 KB]

Gagana Sāmoa

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 423 KB]

Gagana Tokelau 

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 460 KB]

Geography

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 387 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 404 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 424 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 154 KB]

German

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 402 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 178 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 180 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 183 KB]

Health

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 179 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 404 KB]

Health and Physical Education

Scholarship [PDF, 206 KB]

Health Studies

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 183 KB]

History

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 403 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 408 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 408 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 167 KB]

Home Economics

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 408 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 402 KB]

Japanese

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 148 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 150 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 135 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 184 KB]

Korean

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 404 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 406 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 408 KB]

Latin

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 410 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 428 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 185 KB]

Lea Faka-Tonga

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 404 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 406 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 408 KB]

Literacy and Numeracy

Literacy Reading [PDF, 216 KB]

Literacy Writing [PDF, 216 KB]

Numeracy [PDF, 199 KB]

Materials and Processing Technology

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 420 KB]

Mathematics and Statistics

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 411 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 410 KB]

Media Studies

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 177 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 181 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 150 KB]

Music

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 459 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 410 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 457 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 249 KB]

New Zealand Sign Language

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 401 KB]

Physical Education

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 442 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 206 KB]

Physics

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 407 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 406 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 174 KB]

Physics, Earth and Space Science

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 402 KB]

Psychology

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 403 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 157 KB]

Religious Studies

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 423 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 148 KB]

Samoan

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 423 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 406 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 426 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 181 KB]

Science

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 403 KB]

Social Studies

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 175 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 186 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 182 KB]

Spanish

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 403 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 405 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 407 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 181 KB]

Statistics

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 190 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 149 KB]

Technology

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 430 KB]

NCEA Level 2 (Digital Technologies) [PDF, 171 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 175 KB]

NCEA Level 3 (Digital Technologies) [PDF, 155 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 162 KB]

Scholarship (Digital Technologies) [PDF, 172 KB]

Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Airani

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 390 KB]

Vagahau Niue

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 404 KB]

Visual Arts

NCEA Level 1 [PDF, 433 KB]

NCEA Level 2 [PDF, 429 KB]

NCEA Level 3 [PDF, 458 KB]

Scholarship [PDF, 270 KB]

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