NCEA INFORMATION

St Peter’s students achieve outstanding results in the National Certificate of Achievement.

General information about NCEA can be found on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority website.


NCEA is used by universities and polytechnics for selecting students, both in New Zealand and overseas - as well as by employers when selecting candidates for post secondary school employment.

NCEA Course Endorsement

Course endorsement recognises exceptional achievement in an individual course.

To gain a course endorsement:

  • Students must gain 14 or more credits at Merit and/or Excellence within a school course.

  • There must be a mix of internally and externally assessed credits - at least 3 credits from each (except in Physical Education, Religious Studies and Level 3 Visual Arts where there is no external assessment).

NCEA Certificate Endorsement

Certificate endorsements encourage students to achieve as many Merit and Excellence results as they can. Certificate endorsements can be gained at Levels 1, 2 and 3. There are two grades of endorsement:

  • NCEA with Excellence - a completed NCEA qualification that includes 50 credits at Excellence level.

  • NCEA with Merit - a completed NCEA qualification that includes 50 credits at Merit or better (can be a mix of Merit and Excellence).

Pathways Awards

The Pathways Award enables employers to assess whether potential employees’ skills align with their industry requirements more easily. To receive a Vocational Pathways Award, students must first gain NCEA Level 2, which is 60 credits from Level 2 and 20 credits from any other level; 80 credits in total. 10 of these 80 credits must satisfy the literacy requirements, and 10 of these 80 credits must satisfy the numeracy requirements. To get a Vocational Pathways Award, 60 of the Level 2 credits must be from the recommended standards in one or more pathways, including 20 Level 2 credits from sector related standards. For more information, visit the Youth Guarantee Website.