New Zealand High School

New Zealand High School Qualifications for International Students

High School in New Zealand is compulsory for students under 16 years of age. For those wishing to complete High School by sitting the senior years, these include Year 11, 12 and 13 which count towards your NCEA score. NCEA is the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, high grades in a students NCEA years will help them gain entry into University.

There are three levels of NCEA, one for each senior year. A student will complete level 1 in Year 11, Level 2 in Year 12 and Level 3 in Year 13. Marks are determined by a students work throughout each year, including grades in assignments, class work and participation. Each semester there are subject exams, the marks a student achieves in their exams will make the greatest influence on their final NCEA mark.

A student is given an amount of credits in each subject successfully completed. There are minimum credit requirements for students to gain University entry. There are required subjects also, each NCEA level has different requirements. In level 1 a student must achieve 14 credits in a Maths subject. In level 2 a student must achieve 4 credits in both an approved Writing and Reading course. Level 3 being the final year requires a student to have a total of 42 credits. This must consist of 3 approved subjects of the students choice and will require 14 credits from each subject.

There are also English Language courses available for International High School students prior to commencing further higher education. Many institutions and colleges offer language courses, leading to IELTS testing. A IELTS score of 5.0 or higher will help the student gain entrance into many courses in the future.

New Zealand offers world class education, a National Certificate of Educational Achievement proves the student has successfully completed high school. Having a NCEA Award will help a student obtain a place in a University, College or further education Institution. It will also help with any further job prospects.