NCEA Information

Year 11 to 13 Assessment

Te Kura Tuarua o Te Kauaeranga, Thames High School delivers The National Certificate of Education (NCEA) Levels 1, 2 and 3. These are national qualifications for secondary school students and are for everyone, whether they want to go to university, do an apprenticeship, or be ready to get a job when they leave school.

NCEA provide students with a clear and flexible pathway to success. With a wide range of subjects and a supportive learning environment, we empower taiohi (young people) to achieve their goals and prepare for their future. Our dedicated staff work closely with students to help them reach their full potential through NCEA.

To find out about Thames High School’s broad curriculum, please click this LINK

More about NCEA

You can read about NCEA at this link: About NCEA (NZQA website)

This site includes a video called How it works (05:37 mins)
Resources and brochures (NZQA)
NCEA me te Whānau (NZQA)
NCEA guides in different languages are available
- Guide to NCEA – te reo Māori [PDF, 5.3 MB]
- Guide to NCEA – English [PDF, 5.9 MB]
- Other languages, please go to the NZQA site, or look at the bottom of this webpage.

Assessment Procedures

We take the responsibility of delivering fair and valid assessment seriously. Senior students need to understand Thames High School’s assessment policy and procedures as they navigate the NCEA years. The FAQs below will clarify some of the most important aspects of the assessment policy for them to understand.

The full details are in the NCEA Student Handbook below.

Thames High School’s NCEA Handbook

2025 NCEA Student Handbook

– Updated February 2025

FAQs

What happens if I breach the rules of an assessment?

All work submitted for assessment purposes must be your own work.
For long-term assessments, working drafts may need to be submitted. Where evidence indicates that work presented for internal assessment is not your own work, a Not Achieved grade will be awarded.
Breaches of the rules include plagiarism, impersonation, false declarations of authenticity, cheating, and all forms of collusion in tests and exams.
Should a possible breach of the rules occur, the subject HoD will consult with Principal’s Nominee, Mrs Sawyer and the Deputy Principal Mr Wright, who will investigate and make a final decision about the appropriate outcome.

Can I use Gen-AI (Generative Artificial Intelligence) in my assessments?

All content you submit for assessment must be your own work, reflecting your independent learning, skills and understanding. Using Gen-AI tools (including, but not limited to, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Co-Pilot) without acknowledgement is plagiarism and is a breach of the rules.

Note that the use of Gen-AI in many assessments is expressly prohibited.

It is your responsibility to ensure that:

You check if any use of Gen-AI is allowed for any particular assessment, and if there is use allowed, then what use. For instance it may be allowed to find sources, or to help summarise sources, but not to write your final assessment. Check with your teacher or the HoD.
The final work submitted is your work, reflecting your own understanding, learning, skills and/or performance
Any use of any sources, including Gen-AI, needs to be correctly acknowledged.

What if I want my grade(s) reconsidered?

You have the right to a reconsideration of any assessment-related decisions, including breaches of the rules, missed and late assessments, as well as grades awarded for assessments.
Reconsiderations are to be made within five school days from the time of the event, or once assessed work is returned and gone over by the teacher.

What is the process for reconsideration?

For all reconsiderations, a Reconsideration Application Form is to be completed by the student. The HoD receives this form, and will notify you of the outcome.
If the matter remains unresolved with the HoD, the Principal’s Nominee, Mrs Sawyer and/or the Deputy Principal Mr Wright, may be involved in the decision. Students will need to complete the Unresolved Reconsideration Application Form and the decision made on the reconsideration will be final.

What happens if I am absent or miss a deadline for an assessment?

Missing a deadline or absence from an assessment will result in no credit being awarded for that standard.
If you have already been given an adequate opportunity to achieve the standard, a Not Achieved grade will be awarded.
Any extension to a due date or consideration of another opportunity for assessment must be applied for in writing.
Circumstances causing lateness/absence can be discussed with the appropriate HoD, and if they are deemed legitimate, according to the Assessment Rules, then
- Absences must be supported by a doctor’s certificate in the case of illness.
- Other circumstances, outside the control of students, e.g. bereavement leave, may be considered.

The following outcomes may be considered:
- The HoD may provide a specified time extension to submit work for assessment (e.g. an assignment
- schedule the assessment at another agreed time
- provide a further assessment opportunity
- use relevant standard-specific evidence already gathered to award a grade (‘derived grade’)
- no credit awarded.
A family holiday or event is not a valid reason for extension for assessments. Work must be handed in ahead of the due date.

What if I have to apply for an extension

To apply for an extension, you must complete the Extension Application Form. The HoD will consider your request and will inform you of the outcome in writing.
Unless there are extenuating circumstances, you must apply for extensions before the due date.
Please note that a family holiday or event is not a valid reason for an extension.

What do I need to do to withdraw from a standard?

In general. students are expected to complete the learning an assessment outlined in the course information. This includes all assessments.

In certain circumstances, some students might request being entered in a reduced number of standards within a course.

When withdrawals do occur, these are to be made in consultation with the student and parents / caregiver(s)
For externals, any final withdrawals must occur before 1 September, and for internals, prior to 1 December.
To withdraw from a standard, you must complete the Request to Withdraw from a Standard Form and give it to the HoD, for consideration by the Deputy Principal.

Please note – If you have already been given an adequate opportunity to achieve the standard, a Not Achieved grade will be awarded and no withdrawal can take place.

How many chances do I get to attempt a standard?

Generally, there is one assessment opportunity for each internal standard in a course.
Any standards with one further assessment opportunity must be outlined in the course outline.
Also, specific aspects of a completed assessment can be reviewed, called ‘Resubmission’.
- If it is available, only one resubmission opportunity is given per assessment per year.
- Please note: A student has access to an Achieved grade only from a resubmission.

A resubmission:

can be offered to individually identified students to correct a minor error and gain the grade of Achieved.
does not allow students to gain Merit or Excellence grades.

Full details relating to the standards being assessed, including whether further assessment opportunities and resubmission are available for standards, will be provided by departments in student course information at the start of the year

What do I need to do if I need to have special assessment conditions?

We are here to help. If you have a permanent or long-term sensory, physical, medical or learning difficulty that directly impacts on your access to fair assessment then you may be eligible for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC). These are available for timed internal and external assessments (examinations). For more information please contact the Learning Support Department – SENCO, Ms Tupper.

What if I am unable to sit an external assessment (examination)

If you are unable to sit an external assessment in the end-of-year (NCEA) examinations, you can apply for a Derived Grade. A Derived Grade is based on the result you gained in a school assessment, under equivalent conditions (e.g. the school end-of-year examinations).

Derived grades are decided by NZQA and based on evidence. The school assessment will use authentic evidence that is completed under exam conditions. Usually this will come from Derived Grade Exams in Term 3.
You can apply for a Derived Grade if you are unavoidably absent from an examination or your performance is impaired in the examination because of one of the following reasons:
- medical
- accident
- bereavement
- representing New Zealand in an activity that meets NZQA’s criteria

Holiday travel or other discretionary reasons are not valid reasons for a Derived Grade.

The application form is on the NZQA website

You can contact the Principal’s Nominee, Mrs Sawyer (donnasawyer@thameshigh.school.nz) for advice and help. The completed application form, along with appropriate documentation, should be returned to Mrs Sawyer.