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With COVID-19 postponing everyone’s plans in 2020, you must be worried whether you can get your NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) or UE (University Entrance) in the foreseeable future. Fret not. There are other ways you can earn more NCEA credits.
How does NCEA work?
To begin, let’s talk in brief about how NCEA works and how one can get NCEA credits in NZ. Students can study a range of courses or subjects in which their skills and knowledge are assessed against a number of standards..
Schools across New Zealand use a range of assessments, both internal and external, when measuring if students meet such standards. Students then gain a number of credits when they achieve a standard. To get an NCEA certificate, they must achieve eighty credits at the level of the NCEA qualification.
Three Levels of NCEA Certificate
There are three levels of NCEA certificate. These three levels depend on the difficulty of the standards. In general, all students work through levels 1 to 3 in their eleventh to thirteenth years at school.
- Level 1 – For all levels, 80 credits are required, which includes 20 credits of literacy and numeracy.
- Level 2 – For level 2 or above, 60 credits are required and the 20 credits of literacy and numeracy.
- Level 3 – For level 3 or above, 80 credits are required, with at least 60 credits at level three and at least 20 credits at level 2.
If you do have not enough credits to enroll in your next course of learning and are wondering how to get more NCEA credits, you can either remain enrolled at school and engage in some short courses through tertiary providers, or enroll directly with a tertiary provider such as VSTET which can support you to achieve NCEA.
Check out these options you can try through VSTET:
Check out these options you can try through VSTET:
Summer School or Foundation Course
Many tertiary providers across New Zealand offer foundation level courses which enable students to build up credits, achieve NCEA, and meet the minimum entry requirements for higher level learning or employment.
Gateway Programmes
If you want to explore job options while studying towards NCEA, there are Gateway programmes for Year 11 to 13 learners where they can study for NCEA levels 1 to 3, learn and get assessed for specific work knowledge and skills, and also try out trades-related options.
Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource (STAR)
For those who want to earn NCEA credits in NZ while still at school, STAR programmes are also available. Private training establishments (PTEs), and many other tertiary education providers offer a range of short STAR courses.
NCEA Changes in 2021
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority announced changes to NCEA and UE this year. This is to give students a fair opportunity to achieve qualifications despite the pandemic.
- You can gain extra credits based on the number of credits you achieve during this school year.
- You can gain one additional credit for every 5 credits you achieve towards your NCEA either through internal or external assessment.
- Learners at level 1 are eligible for up to 8 additional credits.
- If you achieve 46 credits at Merit or Excellence level instead of the usual 50, you will be awarded a certificate endorsement. For those achieving 12 credits at Merit or Excellence instead of the usual 14 credits, a course endorsement will be awarded.
Vocational Training Programmes and Courses at VSTET
We hope you learned a bit on how to get more NCEA credits through this guide. If you want to enhance your skills and try out vocational training, a Dunedin vocational skills trade training centre like VSTET is ready to welcome you.