Te whakaako

teaching & Learning at QCC

Course Planning

The following people can advise parents and students with overall course design:

Anna Colman & Campbell Hart -  Deputy Principal's 

James Bruce - Careers Advisor

Deans - Heads of house - Aramoana - Rangatira - Tamahine

Subject/Course Teachers and Heads of Learning areas (HoLs)

Whānau teachers

You need to know these factors, among others:

• Which subjects are compulsory and which are optional

• Any prerequisites or subject requirements for particular courses/occupations beyond school

• A sensible range of subjects that lead all the way through to Year 13 especially if you are thinking about going to Polytechnic or University.

Vocational Pathways

The Vocational Pathways provide new ways to achieve NCEA Level 2 – the foundation for success in further education and the world of work.  The pathways help students see how their learning and achievement is valued in the ‘real world’ by aligning the NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 standards including specific ‘sector-related’ standards with six industries: 

1. Primary Industries

2. Services Industries

3. Social & Community Services

4. Manufacturing & Technology

5. Construction and Infrastructure

6. Creative Industries.

For further information go to http://www.youthguarantee.net.nz/vocational-pathways/.

General information about courses for 2025

• Classes will be organised and timetabled to operate only if there are sufficient numbers of students interested and if staffing and resources are available.  There may be composite classes and the option of Te Kura Correspondence School courses if suitable.

• Some distance learning and polytechnic courses have significant course costs.  There may be part or full charges for students who wish to undertake these.

• Students will need to have demonstrated previous commitment to sound work habits before the school will allow them to do correspondence courses.

• Some courses will involve combinations of Level 2 and Level 3 assessments.

• You may select courses at a lower level if you want to improve earlier results by repeating the work, or if you need certain prerequisites, or feel that work at your new year level is too difficult.  Heads of Learning areas make the final recommendation on this.

• NCEA results are attained by a variety of methods involving: internal written assessment, portfolios, practical assessments and external examinations.

• Applications will also be considered for students to pursue a course of study at a higher level, e.g. a Year 11 student doing Year 12, or a Year 10 student doing NCEA work.

REMEMBER:  Ability + Interest + Occupation = Subject Choice

Choosing Courses

In today’s working environment there are few certainties.  Most people will change their jobs a number of times.  Courses at school will provide you with skills and knowledge for specific jobs and they will also teach you the lifelong attributes of how to learn and participate in society.

Because of the uncertainty of jobs, it is best to keep as broad a range of courses as possible for as long as possible.  Some courses (particularly in Year 11) are compulsory – you MUST do them.  For the others, you should consider doing courses that you are good at or enjoy, for you are more likely to have success.

For those thinking about going to University or Polytechnic from Year 13, you need to consider carefully what your Year 11 and 12 courses will be.  It is difficult to pick up a course at Year 13 level, and in some cases you must take them at lower levels.  For a number of courses you need to have done them in previous years and attained certain results (prerequisites). Finding out all this key information prior will support you in making the best decision for you. 

Many occupations and course entry requirements have a minimum standard for entry.  Just because you get the required minimum it will not guarantee entry, as there may be many more participants than positions.  Aim for the best results across as many courses as you can.

Assessment at Queen Charlotte College

National Qualifications

The courses and assessment at Queen Charlotte College contribute towards the National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA).  

Over the next few years, NCEA will transition from its current form into the new qualification. Here is what you need to know about transitioning to the new NCEA requirements. For more info link here.  

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the main national qualification for secondary school students/ākonga in New Zealand. It is made up of internally and externally assessed standards which have a credit value. External standards include exams and portfolios of work. NCEA is recognised by employers, and used for selection by universities and polytechnics, both in New Zealand and overseas. New Zealand Scholarship provides recognition and monetary reward to top students/ākonga in their last year of schooling, which contribute to the cost of tertiary study.

Generally speaking, students in Year 11 will be studying towards Level 1, students in Year 12 will be studying towards Level 2 and students in Year 13 will be studying towards Level 3.  Students may take longer than one year to gain a national qualification.  There is no specified time limit for completing any qualification.  For students and parents who desire more detailed knowledge about the NCEA and the NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) please visit the website at www.nzqa.govt.nz

Each subject at Queen Charlotte College has a range of assessments.  

An assessment could be a project, an in-class test, a speech, an observation by the teacher or an end-of-year test or examination.  Each assessment is worth a certain number of credits.  These usually range from two to six credits.  Most courses at Queen Charlotte College have a total credit availability of between 18 and 24 credits.  More details about the course available can be found in the subject specific pages of this handbook.

NCEA is New Zealand’s national qualification.  It is recognised by universities and other tertiary providers in New Zealand.  This means that the NCEA will be recognised overseas.  NCEA is one of many qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

From 2024 updates 

• The new NCEA Level 1 achievement standards will be fully implemented.

• NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 will each become 60-credit qualifications

• The te reo matatini, pāngarau, literacy, and numeracy co-requisite, which sits outside of the new NCEA qualification, will become mandatory

• Learners will only be awarded an NCEA qualification once they have met the 20-credit co-requisite

• Learners need to complete the co-requisite once only.

• From 2024, to be awarded any level of NCEA, learners will need to achieve the new 20-credit co-requisite, our current Year 11 students (2023) if they don't gain their full 10 Literacy and 10 Numeracy by the end of 2023 they will need to start again with the new standards. These don't roll over if you only gain 7/10 required. Importance of gaining this year is strongly encouraged. 

• If learners meet the NCEA literacy and numeracy requirements before the new Level 1 achievement standards are phased through (i.e., prior to 2024), this achievement will be recognised towards the new co-requisite.

• Credits used towards the co-requisite cannot be used towards the 60-credit NCEA. Essentially, the number of credits required to gain each level of NCEA remains the same, with the literacy and numeracy requirements separated out into a ‘one-off’ co-requisite.

• All NCEA subjects and wāhanga ako are being re-developed with four achievement standards – 2 internally assessed, 2 externally assessed – worth 20 credits in total.

• During 2024 and 2025, learners will be able to meet the 20-credit co-requisite through achieving either the new standards in Literacy-Writing, Literacy-Reading, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini, and Pāngarau or gaining 20 credits from a small list of literacy and numeracy-rich standards.

There are two categories of assessments in NCEA:  Unit Standards and Achievement Standards.

Unit Standards

Are always given as school-based or internal assessments.  There are no end-of-year examinations for unit standards.  A unit standard is an accepted standard of achievement for a particular skill.  You can either Achieve or Not Achieve a unit standard, a few also have Merit and Excellence.  You can have a maximum of one “reassessment”.  These standards are usually available for vocational study or subjects not controlled by the New Zealand Curriculum.

Achievement Standards

Can be school based assessments or they may be assessed through an end-of-year national examination.  There are four results available for any achievement standard:  Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit and Excellence.  “Reassessments” are available for some achievement standards but not for all.

For a student to be awarded NCEA Level 1 for 2023 they must successfully complete 60 credits.  These credits can come from any Level and they may come from unit standards, achievement standards or a combination of both.  Literacy and Numeracy assessments (new 2024)  -  be 10 credits designated as “literacy” credits and 10 credits designated as “numeracy” credits tagged to some subject areas (updates to come) OR students will gain by doing the online Literacy and Numeracy assessments. 

For a student to be awarded NCEA Level 2 in 2024 they must achieve 60 credits, from anywhere on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).  You must pass the Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements for this qualification.

For a student to be awarded NCEA Level 3 they must achieve 60 credits, of which a minimum of 60 credits are at Level 3 or above and 20 level 2 or above.  The Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements must also be met.

Multi-level study

Many schools allow students to study a mix of standards at different levels, depending on their ability. For example, in Year 12, a student may study most subjects at level 2, but add a new subject at level 1 and another advanced subject at level 3. In addition, students may study multi-level courses with standards assessed at more than one level, e.g. an English course at Year 11 may contain both level 1 and level 2 standards.

Special Assessment Conditions If you have sensory, physical, medical or learning difficulties, you may be able to get help during the year for assessments. This help is called Special Assessment Conditions. Your school/kura needs to apply to NZQA on your behalf to approve this help. If help has been approved, your school/kura will explain what this means for you. There is no cost to you for this help. For more information regarding Special Assessment Conditions, please refer to the following link: www.nzqa.govt.nz/sac

Endorsement

2025 

• Course and certificate endorsement requirements remain the same. Students will be required to gain 14 or more credits in a course at Achieved, Merit or Excellence (including at least 3 external and 3 internal credits) to gain a course endorsement. Certificate endorsement continues to require 50 or more credits at Merit or Excellence level.

Certificate Endorsement

NCEA certificates can have an endorsement with Merit or Excellence (Certificate endorsement).  For a Merit endorsement you must obtain 50 Merit credits or better at the level of the award.  For Excellence endorsement you must obtain 50 Excellence credits or better at the level of the award.  Merits and Excellences are usually from achievement standards.  We expect many of our students to aim for these endorsements.

Course Endorsement 

Course endorsement provides recognition of student achievement in an individual course. 

Students will gain an endorsement for a course if, in a single school year, they achieve:

• 14 or more credits at Achieved or Merit or Excellence

• at least 3 of these credits from externally assessed standards and 3 credits from internally assessed standards. Note, this does not apply to Physical Education, Religious Studies and level 3 Visual Arts.

A course endorsement is not a qualification. A course endorsement can be awarded even if a qualification for that level is not achieved. For example, a student may achieve a Merit endorsement for their Level 2 Mathematics course regardless of whether they achieve NCEA Level 2. Scenarios may assist with further understanding.

• For more information how course endorsement works, see the Course Endorsement Guide.

• For the Rules on course endorsement, see Section 8.5 Rules and Procedures.

• Learn how to monitor your progress towards course endorsements.

• For more information go to  https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-ncea/how-ncea-works/endorsements/

University Entrance Requirements

NCEA Level 3

How do I gain entrance to a New Zealand university? University Entrance (UE) is the minimum requirement for getting into a New Zealand university. Many universities and other tertiary providers have further programme-specific entry requirements for entry. You’ll need to talk to them to find out the exact requirements for individual programmes of study, including limited entry programmes. 

To gain University Entrance you will need:  

• NCEA Level 3 

• 14 credits in each of three UE approved subjects 

• UE Literacy - 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of: • 5 credits in reading • 5 credits in writing 

• UE Numeracy - 10 credits at Level 1 or above. 

Go to www.nzqa.govt.nz/ue or ask your teachers/kaiako for further information. 

New Zealand Scholarship

Scholarship is designed to extend the best secondary students and enable top scholars to be identified and acknowledged.  It is expected that scholarship students enter one or more scholarship standard assessment as well as their Level 3 assessments.  The aim is to assess a student’s ability to synthesise and integrate concepts – to apply higher-level thinking based on in-school and independent learning.

The content assessed for Scholarship is the same as that covered for Level 3 achievement standards.  It is expected that Scholarship candidates will have completed a full year of Level 3 studies at a secondary school.

Scholarships can be awarded in each subject, and across a number of subjects.  More information is on NZQA website. Discuss with your teachers asap if this is a goal you are working towards, it is good to preparation in year 12.

How do I become a candidate for NCEA or NZ Scholarship? When your school or kura first sends your entries to NZQA in March, you automatically become a candidate for NCEA. If you are interested in entering for NZ Scholarship, your school/kura can help you enrol in this as well. Results of every standard you achieve will be recorded on your New Zealand Record of Achievement. If you are doing any other study, for example at Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu or another provider, you will need to tell your school/kura. Find more information at: www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/ncea-results/

The Record of Achievement

All credits you gain will go on your New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZROA) it is an official transcript of all the New Zealand qualifications and standards that a person has achieved as reported by NZQA-accredited education organisations and Universities..  This is a qualifications database for each student.  Credits gained at school, polytechnic and on-site training for registered courses will be recorded on your Record of Achievement. The NZROA is available in both electronic and hard copy formats.