Using your results: Advice for school leavers

How will my results be recognised when I leave school?

NCEA and other national certificates are recognised by employers, and used as the benchmark for selection by universities and polytechnics. NCEA level 2 has the foundation skills required for employment. Independent research has shown that performance in NCEA is a good indicator of success at first-year university. Internal assessment throughout the year mirrors tertiary study and workplace deadlines.

National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Result Notices are posted to candidates late in January and made available online at the same time. Your Result Notice shows all the standards you entered (internal and external assessment) and those achieved and not achieved. In April/May you'll receive certificates for any NCEAs completed in the previous year.

When you leave school, you'll receive a School Results Summary (SRS), listing all the standards that you have attempted and the results listed by subject and level, including Not Achieved results.

You can also request a copy of your Record of Achievement (ROA) from NZQA or access it online. This differs from the SRS in what is shown and how it is grouped. The ROA is intended to be a life-long record of your achievement and will grow as you gain new standards through tertiary study and industry training.

These documents detail your achievements in a way that should be readily understood by employers and tertiary education providers.

You can create a summary of your results by logging in (using your National Student Number to log in). When looking at your own Record of Achievement, you can choose to view a selection of items. When you have made a selection, you can copy and paste the information into your CV document, or just print it out.

As well as showing all your qualifications, you should include any specialist national certificates you have gained, or even partially completed. You could also summarise the subject and skill areas you have covered during your school studies.

Support for Tertiary studies

If you’re thinking about tertiary study in 2010, you'll want to know about the financial support you can get. StudyLink is responsible for administrating and paying Student Allowances and Student Loans and other forms of support.

You can find out what kind of assistance you may be eligible for and apply online today. You don't even need to know what courses you are taking - as long as you know where you are going to study, you can apply right now at StudyLink.

Will NCEA be useful if I go overseas?

The NCEAs are New Zealand's national school-leaver qualifications. They are readily accepted overseas, including universities.

New Zealand has qualification recognition agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) and our qualifications are accepted for most purposes in the United States. NCEA level 3 is broadly equivalent to the United Kingdom's General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-level and in Australia, the relevant state or territory Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.

NCEA level 3 results are used in the Australian Interstate Tertiary Index used for entrance to all Australian universities. If you give permission, NZQA will electronically send your results to Australian authorities early in January.

If you are an international student studying in New Zealand, you should discuss your tertiary education plans with your teachers. They will help you plan the appropriate study at school.

More Information

Page updated: 18 August 2009