University Entrance is another major focus for many students in Year 13.

To achieve NCEA Level 3, a student needs 80 credits 

• 60 credits at Level 3 or above
• 20 credits at Level 2 or above 
• the Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements must also be met

NB many students get their 20 credits at Level 2 or above and Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements prior to entering Year 13. All of these credits may have already counted towards other levels of NCEA.

To qualify for University Entrance (UE), students need

• NCEA Level 3
• 14 credits in each of three approved subjects at Level 3
• UE Literacy, consisting of 5 credits in reading and 5 credits in writing at Level 2 or above. These credits (particularly the writing credits) are only available in a limited number of standards and may have been gained before a student begins their Year 13 studies.

Credits are earned through standards. 

Standards are internal (school designed assessments during the year) or external (NZQA designed assessments at the end of the year).

Each school's internal standard assessments must comply with NZQA requirements. This includes check-marking where teachers check each other's marking to ensure consistency. Check-marking is one of the main reasons why students do not receive their grades quickly.

Students may receive a progress grade for a standard. These are most commonly used to show student attainment for a practice external standard. NZQA will request this grade if a student is unable to sit the external assessment and the student applies for a derived grade. A progress grade may also indicate how a student is going when an internal assessment is spread over a lengthy period.

Each subject has its own guidelines, describing what standards a student needs to attain before progressing in the subject to a higher level. These guidelines are set by Roncalli College staff and students should be mindful of them.

Students should consistently aim for Merit and Excellence grades to ease their progression to a higher level of study.

Further information about NCEA can be found on our website.