Further Changes to NCEA for Auckland Schools

These additional changes to NCEA for students in Auckland are to recognise the 13 days of classroom time lost during the recent Alert Level 3 lockdown. These changes will help ensure all students have a fair opportunity to achieve NCEA this year.

Extra Learning Recognition credits

Learning Recognition (LR) credits were introduced this year to recognise the classroom time lost during the nationwide lockdown earlier this year. Extra LR credits are now available to students in Auckland because of the additional COVID-19 disruption in August.

NCEA LEVEL 1
LR Credit maximum: Up to 16 LR credits
LR credit earning rate: 1 for 4 credits achieved
Total number of credits required from assessment: 64

NCEA LEVEL 2
LR Credit maximum: Up to 12 LR credits
LR credit earning rate: 1 for 4 credits achieved
Total number of credits required from assessment: 68 (48 + 20 from another level)

NCEA LEVEL 3
LR Credit maximum: Up to 12 LR credits
LR credit earning rate: 1 for 4 credits achieved
Total number of credits required from assessment: 68 (48 + 20 from level 2 or higher)

These changes apply to all the credits achieved in 2020, including credits earned before the recent lockdown, and cover internal assessment, exams and portfolios.

Changes to certificate endorsements
Instead of 46 credits, students will now need 44 credits to earn Merit or Excellence Certificate Endorsements.

Preparing students for success

If another COVID-19 disruption prevents students from sitting end-of-year examinations, there are steps in place to ensure they can still receive a grade. Teachers have been gathering assessment evidence from the course work students have been doing that shows whether they have met the requirements of the standard.

Changes to University Entrance (UE) were announced in June, meaning students need to achieve 12 credits, rather than 14 credits, in each of 3 University Entrance Approved Subjects. There are no extra changes to UE, but universities and other tertiary education providers are also taking the unique circumstances of 2020 into account in their discretionary entry requirements for 2021.

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