These changes are designed to align with the refreshed school curriculum, reduce complexity, strengthen vocational pathways, and improve the consistency of assessment. Here’s a summary of what’s being proposed:

Key Changes

Removing NCEA Level 1:

• Year 11 students would no longer work toward Level 1. Instead, they’ll focus on preparing for their main qualifications in Years 12 and 13.

Introducing a Foundational Skills Award at Year 11:

• This new award would focus on literacy and numeracy, helping students experience success early and stay engaged as they move into Year 12 and 13.

English and Mathematics to Become Compulsory in Year 11:

These two subjects would be required to support students’ foundational skills development.

• New Qualifications for Years 12 and 13:
  • Year 12: New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE)
  • Year 13: New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE)

These new certificates would replace NCEA Levels 2 and 3.

A New Approach to Assessment:

Instead of the current standards-based system, assessment would be subject-based. This means students will follow coherent programmes of learning guided by the national curriculum, rather than collecting individual standards.

How Achievement Will Be Measured:

Students will take at least five subjects in Years 12 and 13 and need to pass four of them to earn their qualification. Each subject will be graded on a 100-point scale, with clear letter grades (A to E). This aims to make achievement easier to understand and encourages students to do their best in both internal and external assessments.

Stronger Vocational Pathways:

New industry-aligned standards will be created in fields like construction, automotive engineering, and hospitality. These will be developed with input from industry experts and integrated into the qualification system.

Supporting Teachers and Schools

To help implement these changes smoothly:

• The Ministry plans to move toward fully externally marked assessments by 2029. This would reduce teacher workload and help ensure more consistent marking.
• Professional learning and development for teachers, along with detailed support resources, will be provided.
• Lessons learned from the recent NCEA Level 1 changes will inform how these proposed changes are rolled out, with a strong focus on giving schools time to prepare.

Timeline: Who Will Be Affected and When?

Current Year 9 Students

• Will continue under the existing NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3 framework.

Current Year 8 Students

• Will be the first to learn under the refreshed curriculum in 2026 and to transition to the new qualifications:
  • Year 11 in 2028: Foundational Skills Award
  • Year 12 in 2029: NZCE
  • Year 13 in 2030: NZACE

Have Your Say

The Ministry of Education is currently inviting feedback from parents, students, educators, and the wider community. Public consultation on the proposed changes is open until 15 September 2025.

To learn more and share your views, visit:

education.govt.nz | Consultation on proposal to replace NCEA
Parents, family, and students | Online survey on a proposal to replace NCEA

More Information

For parents and whānau – Summary of NCEA proposal

The phased rollout allows schools and teachers time to adapt and ensures that curriculum and assessment changes are closely aligned.

We’ll continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available. If these changes go ahead, they will represent a significant shift in how we support and assess our students’ learning at the senior secondary level.