NZQA / NCEA Update: Term 3
Term 3 is an important time for students as they prepare for school examinations and prepare for the NCEA external examinations in Term 4.
School Examinations
The school examinations will run in Week 5 and 6 ( Monday 11th August - Tuesday 19th August) of term 3. The school examination timetable is available on the school website. Our normal procedures will apply to missed examinations due to illness as these exams are the main form of evidence used for derived grades if a student is unable to attend on the day of the examination. A medical certificate will be required for a student to sit the exam at a later time. Students should let their subject teachers know of their absence in the first instance.
The key pieces of information you need to be aware of are:
Derived Grade Applications for NCEA external examinations
A derived grade may be awarded to a student who:
Is unable to sit examinations or submit materials for external assessment, or
Who considers that their performance in an external assessment has been impaired by exceptional circumstances beyond their control.
This includes a natural disaster, the death of a family member or close acquaintance, and national representative duties which have prevented them from sitting examinations or otherwise presenting materials for external assessment.
Is taking part in a competition as a National Representative. These forms are available now and must be submitted to Miss Martin by Friday 24th October 2025 but preferably as soon as possible to ensure students meet the criteria. (Please be aware NZQA can still decline these applications so early submission is essential.)
A derived grade is NOT available for Scholarship examinations or the Level 1 external digital submission standards.
A grade awarded by the school, based on standard-specific evidence, is submitted to NZQA for processing.
Derived Grade applications must be made through the Principal's Nominee and candidates should contact the Principal's Nominee as soon as possible if an application is likely.
Candidates must collect or download an application form before consulting a medical practitioner. Candidates will need to take the application form with them to see the doctor as they need to complete a section in the application. Applications cannot be processed without the correct documentation and a normal medical certificate may not be sufficient, as it may not cover all requirements. Information regarding derived grades can be found on the NZQA website.
External Examination Derived Grade application forms must also be returned to the Principal's Nominee by no longer than 14 days after the last affected assessment date or the 3rd of December by noon (whichever is earlier).
NZQA Student Login
All students who are entered into a NCEA examination need to create a myNCEA account so that they can check their own entries, access online examinations, upload digital submissions for marking and check their examination results. Most students will do this in Year 10 so that they can access the Literacy and Numeracy co-requisite examinations in Term 3. Students need their National Student Number (NSN) to create their individual accounts. They will be given these by the school.
Admission Slips
By mid October, all students will be given their admission slips. These are extremelyimportant, as students will not be allowed to enter examinations without this slip. These need to be checked carefully and if a student thinks that there is an examination missing from this slip, they need to see Miss Martin ASAP to get this changed so that a late entry can be made.
As always, please feel free to contact me at school if you have any questions.
The External NCEA Examination Timetable for 2025 is available online:
https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/exam-timetable-and-key-assessment-dates/exam-timetable/
Laura Martin
Principal’s Nominee