In 2024 there are two assessment windows for the NCEA co-requisite. The first in Term 2 and the second in Term 3. Specific dates can be found in the table below.
Assessment activities are held during a one/two-week time period. Schools, kura, and other NCEA providers choose when during each assessment window they would like to deliver the Common Assessment Activity. This gives schools and kura flexibility when planning for the assessments. The portfolio, which is the other assessment option for te reo matatini me te pāngarau, must be submitted by 30th October 2024.
In 2024 there are two assessment windows for the NCEA co-requisite. The first in Term 2 and the second in Term 3. Specific dates can be found in the table below.
Assessment activities are held during a one/two-week time period. Schools, kura, and other NCEA providers choose when during each assessment window they would like to deliver the Common Assessment Activity. This gives schools and kura flexibility when planning for the assessments. The portfolio, which is the other assessment option for te reo matatini me te pāngarau, must be submitted by 30th October 2024.
Assessment Dates
The 2024 Common Assessment Activity and Kete Manarua dates are:
Pāngarau
| Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 - 21 June | Common Assessment Activities | 9 - 20 September | Common Assessment Activities | by 30 October | Kete manarua | |
Te Reo Matatini
| Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 - 21 June | Common Assessment Activities | 9 - 20 September | Common Assessment Activities | by 30 October | Kete manarua |
Literacy Reading, Literacy Writing, and Numeracy
| Term 2 | Term 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 - 31 May | Common Assessment Activities | 9 - 20 September | Common Assessment Activities |
Ākonga can sit assessments more than once in one year if they do not achieve at their first attempt.
A new entry is required with NZQA to attempt the assessment again.
Make a head start on your planning by taking a look at the resources we have available. Under each section, you will find the standards, learning matrices, as well as teaching and learning support materials.
The 2024 Common Assessment Activity and Kete Manarua dates are:
Pāngarau
| Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 - 21 June | Common Assessment Activities | 9 - 20 September | Common Assessment Activities | by 30 October | Kete manarua | |
Te Reo Matatini
| Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 - 21 June | Common Assessment Activities | 9 - 20 September | Common Assessment Activities | by 30 October | Kete manarua |
Literacy Reading, Literacy Writing, and Numeracy
| Term 2 | Term 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 - 31 May | Common Assessment Activities | 9 - 20 September | Common Assessment Activities |
Ākonga can sit assessments more than once in one year if they do not achieve at their first attempt.
A new entry is required with NZQA to attempt the assessment again.
Make a head start on your planning by taking a look at the resources we have available. Under each section, you will find the standards, learning matrices, as well as teaching and learning support materials.
Are your learners ready to be assessed?
It is important that ākonga only sit the Common Assessment Activities when they are working at the curriculum level that indicates ready to do so. This will provide ākonga with the best opportunity to be successful and have a positive assessment experience.
Read more about how to know if your learners are ready to be assessed here.
It is important that ākonga only sit the Common Assessment Activities when they are working at the curriculum level that indicates ready to do so. This will provide ākonga with the best opportunity to be successful and have a positive assessment experience.
Read more about how to know if your learners are ready to be assessed here.
Accessibility
Making NCEA more accessible is part of our multi-year change programme underway to strengthen our national secondary school qualification. Consistent with this, the Common Assessment Activities (CAAs) have been designed to enable schools, kura and other NCEA providers to meet the accessibility needs of their learners more easily.
For example, there is no time limit for the CAAs, so long as each can be completed within a single session.
Schools, kura, and other NCEA providers also decide:
- whether learners are eligible for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)
- who supervises the CAAs
- what day(s) CAAs are held on during the assessment week
- whether their whole cohort of learners undertakes the reading, numeracy, te reo matatini and/or pāngarau assessments at the same time, at different times on the same day, or across multiple days within the specified week
- the room configuration for the assessments.
NZQA asks that the writing CAAs are held on the same day for the whole cohort. Knowledge of the stimulus material provided for these assessments could advantage students who sit the assessment later in the week. It is however still possible for a school, kura, or other provider to stagger the writing CAAs throughout the same day – e.g., to conduct the writing assessment at three different times on the same day.
Polly/Assistive Technology
Polly (text-to-speech tool) will be available to all students sitting the 2024 English Literacy Writing (32405) and English Numeracy (32406) digital assessments.
Polly converts text into audio so they can listen to text in the assessment being read aloud. Polly also reads students’ responses back to them.
Polly is not available for the Reading (32403) standard.
For more information can be found here or through your School or Tertiary Institute Provider log in on the NZQA website. (Information can be found in the Assessment Material folder)t
Students can practice using Polly with past writing and numeracy assessments.
Making NCEA more accessible is part of our multi-year change programme underway to strengthen our national secondary school qualification. Consistent with this, the Common Assessment Activities (CAAs) have been designed to enable schools, kura and other NCEA providers to meet the accessibility needs of their learners more easily.
For example, there is no time limit for the CAAs, so long as each can be completed within a single session.
Schools, kura, and other NCEA providers also decide:
- whether learners are eligible for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)
- who supervises the CAAs
- what day(s) CAAs are held on during the assessment week
- whether their whole cohort of learners undertakes the reading, numeracy, te reo matatini and/or pāngarau assessments at the same time, at different times on the same day, or across multiple days within the specified week
- the room configuration for the assessments.
NZQA asks that the writing CAAs are held on the same day for the whole cohort. Knowledge of the stimulus material provided for these assessments could advantage students who sit the assessment later in the week. It is however still possible for a school, kura, or other provider to stagger the writing CAAs throughout the same day – e.g., to conduct the writing assessment at three different times on the same day.
Polly/Assistive Technology
Polly (text-to-speech tool) will be available to all students sitting the 2024 English Literacy Writing (32405) and English Numeracy (32406) digital assessments.
Polly converts text into audio so they can listen to text in the assessment being read aloud. Polly also reads students’ responses back to them.
Polly is not available for the Reading (32403) standard.
For more information can be found here or through your School or Tertiary Institute Provider log in on the NZQA website. (Information can be found in the Assessment Material folder)t
Students can practice using Polly with past writing and numeracy assessments.
Special Assessment Conditions
Key information:
- An application for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) is not required for students who are completing assessments for the NCEA co-requisite.
- Schools, kura and tertiary organisations determine the type and level of support that ākonga may require based on ākonga needs and the professional judgement of the teacher.
- If a student has a SAC entitlement for other assessments, this must also be made available to them for the co-requisite assessments. The student must not be disadvantaged. All SAC provisions currently available to students are applicable for the assessment of the co-requisite.
- All SACs are available for all Common Assessment Activities. This means that all learners who are eligible for a reader and/or writer have access to this support across all assessments, including those where Polly is not available (reading, te reo matatini, and pāngarau). >
| Reading (Literacy) | Writing (Literacy) | Numeracy | Te Reo Matatini | Pāngarau | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All learners | Text-to-speech, including ('Polly') | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Learners with SAC entitlements | All SACs, including Readers and Writers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
PDF access
Information on how to access a PDF version of the assessment contact the NZQA SAC team at sac@nzqa.govt.nz.
Before downloading a PDF of the assessment, please note:
- Students who answer on Assessment Master, can use the full range of digital tools such as spell check and text-to-speech, where available, as well as text editing tools including cut and paste.
- PDFs should (where possible) be used by the reader/writer to support the student, but responses should be entered in Assessment Master.
- PDFs will be available from 3:30pm on the Friday prior to assessment week. The password to open the PDF will be emailed directly to the PN.
- We recommend that PDFs should not be used in place of Assessment Master due to concerns about digital infrastructure or connectivity.
- PDFs must be destroyed after use - copying and/or sharing of assessment materials is a breach of copyright.
- The Literacy Reading assessment is multiple choice and recommend that it should not be completed on paper.
When you have accessed a PDF download, NZQA will contact you with instructions for submitting completed work.
Key resources to support with SAC:
Key information:
- An application for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) is not required for students who are completing assessments for the NCEA co-requisite.
- Schools, kura and tertiary organisations determine the type and level of support that ākonga may require based on ākonga needs and the professional judgement of the teacher.
- If a student has a SAC entitlement for other assessments, this must also be made available to them for the co-requisite assessments. The student must not be disadvantaged. All SAC provisions currently available to students are applicable for the assessment of the co-requisite.
- All SACs are available for all Common Assessment Activities. This means that all learners who are eligible for a reader and/or writer have access to this support across all assessments, including those where Polly is not available (reading, te reo matatini, and pāngarau). >
| Reading (Literacy) | Writing (Literacy) | Numeracy | Te Reo Matatini | Pāngarau | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All learners | Text-to-speech, including ('Polly') | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Learners with SAC entitlements | All SACs, including Readers and Writers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
PDF access
Information on how to access a PDF version of the assessment contact the NZQA SAC team at sac@nzqa.govt.nz.
Before downloading a PDF of the assessment, please note:
- Students who answer on Assessment Master, can use the full range of digital tools such as spell check and text-to-speech, where available, as well as text editing tools including cut and paste.
- PDFs should (where possible) be used by the reader/writer to support the student, but responses should be entered in Assessment Master.
- PDFs will be available from 3:30pm on the Friday prior to assessment week. The password to open the PDF will be emailed directly to the PN.
- We recommend that PDFs should not be used in place of Assessment Master due to concerns about digital infrastructure or connectivity.
- PDFs must be destroyed after use - copying and/or sharing of assessment materials is a breach of copyright.
- The Literacy Reading assessment is multiple choice and recommend that it should not be completed on paper.
When you have accessed a PDF download, NZQA will contact you with instructions for submitting completed work.
Key resources to support with SAC:
[ File Resource ]
- Title: Special Assessment Conditions
- Description: Key information for 2024
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2024-03/SAC%20Notification%20Update%201.pdf?VersionId=AKipJNJEYG7a5qZSQ2CpsLCQnczQFQgu
- File Extension: pdf
- File Size: 776KB
- Special Assessment Conditions.pdf
- Description: Key information for 2024
- Special Assessment Conditions (NZQA)
- Special Assessment Conditions for Teachers, Students and Whānau (MOE)
- Literacy and Numeracy SAC provisions (NZQA)
- Promote equity of access to supports including Special Assessment Conditions | Inclusive Education (tki.org.nz)
- Prepare for externally assessed standards | Inclusive Education (tki.org.nz)
- Learn more about how to be an effective assessment assistant when administering Special Assessments Conditions.
If you have questions, contact your NZQA School Relationship Manager. Alternatively, email: litnum@nzqa.govt.nz
- Special Assessment Conditions (NZQA)
- Special Assessment Conditions for Teachers, Students and Whānau (MOE)
- Literacy and Numeracy SAC provisions (NZQA)
- Promote equity of access to supports including Special Assessment Conditions | Inclusive Education (tki.org.nz)
- Prepare for externally assessed standards | Inclusive Education (tki.org.nz)
- Learn more about how to be an effective assessment assistant when administering Special Assessments Conditions.
If you have questions, contact your NZQA School Relationship Manager. Alternatively, email: litnum@nzqa.govt.nz
Assessment Delivery
Each standard will be assessed as a Common Assessment Activity (CAA) and will be digital first, meaning that, in the first instance, assessments will be delivered in an online format. If you have reasons this isn’t possible, NZQA will work with you on different options.
For schools, kura or organisations who have not previously engaged with digital assessment, you can find information on the NZQA website on preparing your school and students for digital assessment.
Timing of the Assessment
Literacy-Writing / Literacy-Reading / Numeracy / Pāngarau - There is no time limit for the CAA so long as each assessment is completed in a single session. Each assessment has been designed to be completed in 60 minutes by most learners, but schools should allow as much time as necessary for candidates to complete the assessment in one session.
Te Reo Matatini – (CAA option) – The assessment has been designed to be completed in 2 hours by most students, but schools may allow as much time as necessary for them to complete the assessment in two sessions.
For more information, visit the NZQA website.
Each standard will be assessed as a Common Assessment Activity (CAA) and will be digital first, meaning that, in the first instance, assessments will be delivered in an online format. If you have reasons this isn’t possible, NZQA will work with you on different options.
For schools, kura or organisations who have not previously engaged with digital assessment, you can find information on the NZQA website on preparing your school and students for digital assessment.
Timing of the Assessment
Literacy-Writing / Literacy-Reading / Numeracy / Pāngarau - There is no time limit for the CAA so long as each assessment is completed in a single session. Each assessment has been designed to be completed in 60 minutes by most learners, but schools should allow as much time as necessary for candidates to complete the assessment in one session.
Te Reo Matatini – (CAA option) – The assessment has been designed to be completed in 2 hours by most students, but schools may allow as much time as necessary for them to complete the assessment in two sessions.
For more information, visit the NZQA website.
Begin Assessment Preparation
Assessment Specifications and Assessment Reports from previous assessment events are available on:
Assessment Reports provide a high-level snapshot of areas of strength and weaknesses nationally for each assessment event. This information can support kaiako to understand key skills to incorporate their teaching.
In advance of the assessment, get prepared by using digital assessment guidance on NZQA’s website:
- Preparing for digital assessment as a student
- Ask students to familiarise themselves with the format and delivery of the assessment using these past examples
- Check your devices to ensure they are compatible with the assessment platform
- Digital external assessment
- Check your school's technology
Make an assessment plan including:
- who will supervise?
- which rooms will be used?
- which day you will assess on?
- what technology will you use?
- do you have enough devices?
- have students practised using this technology?
Equipment required and tips
Ensure you/your students have enough compatible devices to carry out the assessment.
Ākonga who will be using the text-to-speech functionality (on the Literacy Writing and Numeracy standards only) will require headphones.
No headphones will be required to complete the Literacy Reading, Literacy Writing and Numeracy assessment, otherwise.
Assessment Specifications and Assessment Reports from previous assessment events are available on:
Assessment Reports provide a high-level snapshot of areas of strength and weaknesses nationally for each assessment event. This information can support kaiako to understand key skills to incorporate their teaching.
In advance of the assessment, get prepared by using digital assessment guidance on NZQA’s website:
- Preparing for digital assessment as a student
- Ask students to familiarise themselves with the format and delivery of the assessment using these past examples
- Check your devices to ensure they are compatible with the assessment platform
- Digital external assessment
- Check your school's technology
Make an assessment plan including:
- who will supervise?
- which rooms will be used?
- which day you will assess on?
- what technology will you use?
- do you have enough devices?
- have students practised using this technology?
Equipment required and tips
Ensure you/your students have enough compatible devices to carry out the assessment.
Ākonga who will be using the text-to-speech functionality (on the Literacy Writing and Numeracy standards only) will require headphones.
No headphones will be required to complete the Literacy Reading, Literacy Writing and Numeracy assessment, otherwise.
Sharing information about the NCEA Co-requisite with whānau
Ākonga and whānau guidance for 2024-2025 is available in English and te reo Māori
Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau in NCEA for Ākonga and Whānau
Literacy and Numeracy in NCEA 2024-2025 for Ākonga and Whānau
Ākonga and whānau guidance for 2024-2025 is available in English and te reo Māori
Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau in NCEA for Ākonga and Whānau
Literacy and Numeracy in NCEA 2024-2025 for Ākonga and Whānau
How do I participate in the next assessment event?
Consent to assess allows education organisations to assess unit or achievement standards and award credit for them. More information can be found on NZQA’s website at Consent to Assess.
- Make sure you have consent to assess. Only schools, kura, and tertiary providers with consent to assess are able to deliver the assessments. If you have questions or concerns about consent to assess, talk your Principal's Nominee and School Relationship Managers
- Check out the standards, learning matrices and unpacking documents as well as all of the other resources available on the NCEA.Education website
- Plan for your teaching and learning to support learners’ readiness for the assessment
- Plan for the assessment. Start to think about how you might administer the CAA
- Enter ākonga who are ready into an assessment event.
NZQA and the Ministry of Education provide resources and guidance to support schools, kura, and tertiary providers to deliver the Common Assessment Activities.
Consent to assess allows education organisations to assess unit or achievement standards and award credit for them. More information can be found on NZQA’s website at Consent to Assess.
- Make sure you have consent to assess. Only schools, kura, and tertiary providers with consent to assess are able to deliver the assessments. If you have questions or concerns about consent to assess, talk your Principal's Nominee and School Relationship Managers
- Check out the standards, learning matrices and unpacking documents as well as all of the other resources available on the NCEA.Education website
- Plan for your teaching and learning to support learners’ readiness for the assessment
- Plan for the assessment. Start to think about how you might administer the CAA
- Enter ākonga who are ready into an assessment event.
NZQA and the Ministry of Education provide resources and guidance to support schools, kura, and tertiary providers to deliver the Common Assessment Activities.
What date do entries need to be registered by to sit the Common Assessment Activities?
Students must be entered by April 1st 2024 to participate in the first assessment event in 2024. For more information speak to you NZQA School Relationships Manager.
Students must be entered by April 1st 2024 to participate in the first assessment event in 2024. For more information speak to you NZQA School Relationships Manager.
How do I know if ākonga are ready for the assessment?
The standards reflect a foundational level of literacy/te reo matatini and numeracy/pāngarau. Ākonga who are ready for the Common Assessment Activities are working at approximately Level 4/5 of the Curriculum, where they have control of Level 4 and are ready to work at Level 5. There are many tools you can use as a kaiako to assess if ākonga are sitting at the right level.
There are other factors to consider also, such as: digital skills that will allow ākonga to sit a digital assessment, perspective of whānau and ākonga confidence. Ensuring ākonga are ready to sit the Common Assessment Activities will provide them with the best opportunity to be successful and have a positive assessment experience.
The standards reflect a foundational level of literacy/te reo matatini and numeracy/pāngarau. Ākonga who are ready for the Common Assessment Activities are working at approximately Level 4/5 of the Curriculum, where they have control of Level 4 and are ready to work at Level 5. There are many tools you can use as a kaiako to assess if ākonga are sitting at the right level.
There are other factors to consider also, such as: digital skills that will allow ākonga to sit a digital assessment, perspective of whānau and ākonga confidence. Ensuring ākonga are ready to sit the Common Assessment Activities will provide them with the best opportunity to be successful and have a positive assessment experience.
How do learners get access to Special Assessment Conditions for NCEA Co-requisite assessments?
A SAC application is not required (through either gateway) for students who are completing assessments for the NCEA co-requisite for Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau in 2024.
If a student has a SAC entitlement for other assessments, this must also be made available to them for the co-requisite assessments. The student must not be disadvantaged.
Schools, kura and tertiary organisations determine the type and level of support that ākonga may require based on ākonga needs and the professional judgement of the teacher. All SACs are available for all Common Assessment Activities. This means that all learners who are eligible for a reader and/or writer have access to this support across all assessments, including those where Polly is not available (reading, te reo matatini, and pāngarau).
Read more about SAC in the NCEA Co-requisite
A SAC application is not required (through either gateway) for students who are completing assessments for the NCEA co-requisite for Literacy, Numeracy, Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau in 2024.
If a student has a SAC entitlement for other assessments, this must also be made available to them for the co-requisite assessments. The student must not be disadvantaged.
Schools, kura and tertiary organisations determine the type and level of support that ākonga may require based on ākonga needs and the professional judgement of the teacher. All SACs are available for all Common Assessment Activities. This means that all learners who are eligible for a reader and/or writer have access to this support across all assessments, including those where Polly is not available (reading, te reo matatini, and pāngarau).
Read more about SAC in the NCEA Co-requisite
Is there a time limit for the Common Assessment Activities?
There is no time limit to the Common Assessment Activities as long as each assessment is completed in a single session.
There is no time limit to the Common Assessment Activities as long as each assessment is completed in a single session.
How do I get support facilitating the Common Assessment Activities?
NZQA School Relationship Managers can provide hands on support to schools, kura and NCEA providers as they plan to facilitate the Common Assessment Activities.
NZQA School Relationship Managers can provide hands on support to schools, kura and NCEA providers as they plan to facilitate the Common Assessment Activities.
How have the Common Assessment Activities been designed to be inclusive of all learners?
Change 1 of the NCEA Change Programme is Make NCEA more accessible. The Common Assessment Activities (CAAs) are designed using an inclusive lens, which is applied across the assessment platform, and the assessment conditions. This means that items are designed to be relevant to young people, the assessment platform is user-friendly, and the delivery of the assessment is flexible.
Administration of the CAAs is also designed to enable schools, kura and other NCEA providers to meet the accessibility needs of their learners more easily. For example, there is no time limit for the CAAs, so long as each can be completed within a single session.
In addition, the process for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) for the NCEA Co-requisite has been designed to remove barriers. A SAC application is not required for the CAAs. Schools can determine the type and level of support that students may require, based on the student’s needs, discussion with whānau, and the professional judgment of the teacher.
Read about accessibility and SAC for the Common Assessment Activities here.
In relation to the cultural inclusivity of the assessment, creating inclusive assessments is a high priority and is something that continues to be a focus for both the Ministry and NZQA. Since pilots were completed, NZQA has strengthened work to ensure a range of critical perspectives are involved in the development of assessments. This helps to ensure they are accessible for all learners. This will work will continue.
As part of NZQA’s assessment development processes, new frameworks have been incorporated into the assessment design process in 2023 to ensure that assessments are designed to be culturally inclusive. Additional experts are being brought on to support the design process.
This means that contexts for questions in the assessments will be relevant to learners from a range of backgrounds, with a specific focus on Māori and Pacific cultural contexts. Questions are also designed so that even if a context is unfamiliar to a student, the underlying skill being assessed is clear. For example, there may be a small number of students for whom reading a bus timetable is an unfamiliar exercise. In this scenario, the underlying skill is reading a table.
Change 1 of the NCEA Change Programme is Make NCEA more accessible. The Common Assessment Activities (CAAs) are designed using an inclusive lens, which is applied across the assessment platform, and the assessment conditions. This means that items are designed to be relevant to young people, the assessment platform is user-friendly, and the delivery of the assessment is flexible.
Administration of the CAAs is also designed to enable schools, kura and other NCEA providers to meet the accessibility needs of their learners more easily. For example, there is no time limit for the CAAs, so long as each can be completed within a single session.
In addition, the process for Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) for the NCEA Co-requisite has been designed to remove barriers. A SAC application is not required for the CAAs. Schools can determine the type and level of support that students may require, based on the student’s needs, discussion with whānau, and the professional judgment of the teacher.
Read about accessibility and SAC for the Common Assessment Activities here.
In relation to the cultural inclusivity of the assessment, creating inclusive assessments is a high priority and is something that continues to be a focus for both the Ministry and NZQA. Since pilots were completed, NZQA has strengthened work to ensure a range of critical perspectives are involved in the development of assessments. This helps to ensure they are accessible for all learners. This will work will continue.
As part of NZQA’s assessment development processes, new frameworks have been incorporated into the assessment design process in 2023 to ensure that assessments are designed to be culturally inclusive. Additional experts are being brought on to support the design process.
This means that contexts for questions in the assessments will be relevant to learners from a range of backgrounds, with a specific focus on Māori and Pacific cultural contexts. Questions are also designed so that even if a context is unfamiliar to a student, the underlying skill being assessed is clear. For example, there may be a small number of students for whom reading a bus timetable is an unfamiliar exercise. In this scenario, the underlying skill is reading a table.