NCEAs
 

Anyone understand these yet?
Credits seem all lumped together whatever subject or value?
Do they have any value elsewhere in the world.?
How do they compare with UK qualifications?

My son had a practice History exam this week. They have been studying The Russian Revolution and have just started Vietnam. So, for part of the exam they were given a passage on an aircrash in NZ and asked questions from the text. To me this is an English exam.

Re: NCEAs
 

The problems with the NCEA have been well known about for some years, as far back as 2000

This is probably one of the reasons why the present government is pressing through with its national curriculum standards scheme.

Re: NCEAs
 

Briefly:

NCEA level 1 = nothing in the UK!!
NCEA level 2 = GCSE
NCEA level 3 = A levels

As far as I am aware they are accepted as above worldwide. NCEA level 3 = UK university entrance.

Unis in NZ are beginning to give preference to endorsed NCEA achievement. I.e. students who have level 2 & 3 achieved with Merit or Excellance are more likely to get automatic acceptance/preferential entry into NZ uni. Those with Achieved will be eligible for competitve entry where their application will be judged on academic acheivement and 'other cirteria' (don't ask me what that is, but I'm guessing that it will include being able to provide evidence of experience in the field of chosen uni study). Uni entrance also requires a certain number of credits to have been achieved at level 2/3 or above.

However, only some NCEA subjects are deemed as being approved by NZQA for uni entrance. Have a look at this site to see which ones are approved: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificatio...rsity-entrance

Worth checking, as my daughter wasn't given enough guidance at the start of this year (NCEA level 2) when she started changing some of her subjects and ended up not doing enough approved subjects :eek: Thankfully I found out quickly enough to get her changed back into mostly approved subjects (no, the school hadn't asked for my approval when daughter changed her subjects!!). She and I are now starting interesting discussions over what subjects she will take at level 3................:sneaky:

NCEA (and NZ education in general) place more emphasis on learning skills that can be applied to different situations rather than specific information. Hence your son's history exam. They would have been looking to see if he could apply the skills learnt whilst studying the Russian Revolution to a completely different scenario. Yep, sounds totally crazy on the surface doesn't it?! But I have to say that, if the students are taught the skills adequately, and have the exam expectations made clear to them, it does give them a better chance of achieving, IMHO - I'm the sort of person who is hopeless at remembering facts, but much more able to interpret things using learnt techniques/skills, so I reckon NCEA would have suited me :rofl:

Re: NCEAs
 

What do you base this assesment on please?

NCEA level 1 is taken at the end of year 11 so timewise would be equivalent to GCSE's

NCEA level 2 is taken at the end of year 12 = AS levels (timewise)

NCEA level 3 ...end of year 13 = A Levels (timewise and the qualifiaction used for universtity enterance....along with Level 2 results i.e. a minimum of maths (for science courses) and/or english http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificatio...sity-entrance/)

Re: NCEAs
 

I used to work for a NZ tertiary institute assessing international student applications. My assessment is based on the resources used in that situation which are used by all NZ unis and polytechnics.

Mind you as a parent myself I'd already come to a similar conclusion anyway. What my eldest, in particular, learnt at year 10 and 11 at a NZ high school was of a lower level than what his friends were learning in the same years in the UK.

Within NZ there is a marked difference in the level/standard required for years 12 & 13 (NCEA level 2 & 3), to the standard required for year 11 (NCEA level 1), something that has been acknowledged to me by a number of high school teachers here.

Also, whilst you a right with the timewise equivalents, it is also worth noting that the cut-off birth dates for enrolment in a school year is different to that in the UK - IIRR its around May in NZ, but end of August/begining of September in UK. Therefore you will often find first year uni students in NZ who have only recently had their 17th birthday, whereas in the UK they would be at least 18. With hindsight (and if we had fully understood this when we move here) both my sons were put in a year lower than they could/should have been based on their birthdays. For example, my eldest was born in January, and he is over a year older than some of his friends who were in the same school year as him. When he signed up for junior club cricket when we first came out here he had to play in a team full of kids in the year above him at school!

Re: NCEAs
 

Victoria University (Wellington) have a lot of good info on their site relating to admissions with NCEA quals:
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/home/admis...sion/nzue.aspx

Re: NCEAs
 

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rd...6Education.pdf

Page 12 states -

Music to my ears as I need NCEA Level 2 physics as part of the entry requirement for what Im going for.................

Re: NCEAs
 

NCEA Level 1
This equates to Year 11. Comparable overseas qualifications include:
• the British 'O' Level (now available outside Britain only)
• the Canadian or United States Grade 10
• in different Australian states: Year 10 Awards, School
Certificate, Junior Certificate, Achievement Certificate.

NCEA Level 2 - This equates to Year 12. Comparable overseas qualifications
include:
• the British GCSE grades A to C
• Canadian or United States Grade 11
NCEA Level 3
This equates to Year 13. Comparable overseas qualifications are:
• GCE A Level
• Australian Year 12 Awards.
University entrance can be gained by meeting a standard established
by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.


...hmmm so this implies that GCSE's are a higher level than 'O' levels which is, as anyone who did 'O' levels and sees their children doing GCSE's, knows...RUBBISH

Re: NCEAs
 

what a load of rubbish!

gcse's are rubbish!! they are virtually all now modular- and mutliple guess!!

and level 1 is gcse- infact in science the stuff they learn is far higher than any gcse! and they are examined at the end of the year which means they have to learn more than 10weeks of work!! a far better way to get them used to univeristy etc.

and IMO the old O-levels were far harder in some respects than any A-level! put it this way - i found my brothers old O-level book and A-level students couldnt answer the questions! and hugh areas of subject material had been removed.

so anyone saying gcse and a-levels arent dumbed down is talking rubbish.

it takes awhile to get your head around ncea but they do learn a lot and in my science area they are well prepared for uni in any country!

level 1- is gcse
level 2 is AS-level
level 3 is A2-level

Re: NCEAs
 

My son completed his NCEA level 3 exams in NZ last year and gained a place
at a UK university studying english & journalism with out any problems.
They are accepted worldwide as equivelents to many countrys own national qualifications.
The NZ system takes a lot of stick from brit expats but being different doesnt make it a bad system

Re: NCEAs
 

Wanted to give you karma but need to spread the love first
Ditto to you anyway

Re: NCEAs
 

Thanks colandros - mucho karma! :thumbup:

The NZ system is different but imho the results speak for themselves. Kiwi's punch well above their weight globally in business, the arts and sciences.

Re: NCEAs
 

:rolleyes:



:rolleyes:

Im guessing you are 38+ then :rolleyes:

Re: NCEAs
 

Im guessing you are 38+ then

nope :D