NCEA

NCEA Practice Exams (derived grade)

16-23 September 2026

Senior students (Year 11-13) are on exam leave from 15th -23rd September. Students are to study at home and only come to school when they have an exam. Students in exams or tutorials must be in full school uniform.

All students are required to report to the room shown on the timetable. Students with Special Assessment Conditions are to report to the hall and will be taken to their relevant areas.

Morning exams start at 8.35am
Afternoon exams start at 12.15pm
Please arrive 20 minutes before your exam.

Make sure you check the timetable carefully, prepare for your exam well, report on time and bring the required stationery (ie. pen, pencil, calculator, ruler and chromebook – if digital exam).

NCEA End of Year Exams

10 November-4 December 2026

Senior students (Year 11-13) are on exam leave from 5 November 2026. Students are to study at home and only come to school when they have an exam or a tutorial, in full school uniform.

All students are required to report to the hall for their exams. Students with Special Assessment Conditions will be taken to their relevant areas from the hall.

Morning exams start at 9.30am
Afternoon exams start at 2pm
Please arrive 20 minutes before your exam.

Make sure you check the timetable carefully, prepare for your exam well, report on time and bring the required stationery (ie. pen, pencil, calculator, ruler and chromebook – if digital exam).

NCEA is very flexible. In Year 11, students usually work towards Level 1, and progress to Level 2 in Year 12 and Level 3 in Year 13. It’s not unusual to be working at a mix of different levels, depending on your learning programme. For example, you might be doing mostly Level 2 courses, but start something new at Level 1 or study a course at Level 3 because you are good at it. You don’t have to finish one level of the NCEA qualification before starting to work towards the next one.

Standards describe different areas of knowledge and skills. You can also achieve standards through some activities away from the classroom, for example:

getting your driver’s licence
performing at a regional or national kapa haka competition or Polyfest
completing approved work or study programmes

Each standard is worth credits. When you achieve a standard, you earn the total number of credits that standard is worth, and it’s these credits that build towards NCEA.

Assessment

Assessment shows what you have learned. You might show this in different ways, such as by analysing a text, writing an essay or giving a speech. Your work may be assessed internally or externally.

Internal assessment

Internal assessment is when your work is marked by teachers at your school.

External assessment

External assessment is when your work is marked by teachers outside your school, organised by NZQA. This includes end-of-year exams (digital or on paper), Common Assessment Activities, and portfolios of work or Kete Manarua done at school. External assessment might happen during the year or in the end-of-year exam period.

Grades

There are three types of standards that contribute to achieving NCEA:

achievement standards
unit standards
skill standards

Achievement standards can be assessed internally or externally. Unit standards and skill standards are usually assessed internally.

There are four possible grades for achievement standards:

Not achieved (N) for not meeting the criteria of the standard
Achieved (A) for meeting the criteria of the standard
Merit (M) for meeting the criteria of the standard to a very good level
Excellence (E) for meeting the criteria of the standard to an extremely high level.

Some unit standards and skill standards may offer N, A, M and E grades, while for others, you may either achieve