This circular is published to provide information about Scholarship 2005.

Identification of first-language speakers for Scholarship for 2005

10 October 2005 - SC2005/011

This circular requests information regarding first-language speakers entered for Scholarship languages.

First-language speakers can enter for and be awarded Scholarship in their first language, and success will appear on their Record of Learning. However, they are not eligible to be awarded a Top Subject Scholar award in their first language and cannot receive the Single Subject Award in that subject.

A Scholarship awarded to a first-language speaker in their first-language does count as one of the three Scholarship subjects required for the Scholarship Award, Outstanding Scholar Award or Premier Award.

To ensure that all New Zealand Scholarship language candidates conform to this ruling, each must have their eligibility validated by the Principal. Failure to ensure eligibility may result in first-language speakers being awarded a Single Subject award or a Top Subject Scholar award for which they are ineligible. While not specifically gazetted in the Assessment and Certification Rules and Procedures for Secondary Schools 2005, any such occurrence may be seen to breach the requirements of 4.4 of the Rules and Procedures, and may ultimately result in loss of accreditation for the school.

Entries by first -language speakers in Scholarship language examinations

Attached is a list of all the candidates from your school entered in Scholarship Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. The list includes students studying through The Correspondence School. Please identify all first-language speakers and return the list to the Qualifications Authority by Friday 28 October 2005.

Definition and identification of first-language speakers for 2005

The Qualifications Authority has consulted with language teachers and agreed on the definitions to apply from 2004.

The definitions are:

• In the four Scholarship langu ages other than Chinese, candidates should be considered first-language speakers if they have spent six years or more of their formal education in a school system in which the language being examined in Scholarship was the medium of instruction.

• For Chinese, a first-lang uage speaker is someone who has had two or more years of formal education in a school system in which Chinese was the language of instruction. In this context ‘Chinese’ includes all dialects of Chinese.

Please tick any candidates on the attached list of candidates from your school who have entered in one or more of the five Scholarship language standards and who are defined as first-language speakers. If your school has no first-language speakers, write NIL at the top of the form.

The Principal’s Nominee, or Principal, is required to sign the form prior to its return. Please return the form, including nil returns, to the Qualifications Authority by Friday 28 October 2005. Nil returns are important because they will enable the Qualifications Authority to ensure that every first-language speaker has been identified. Your cooperation in obtaining and sending this information to the Qualifications Authority is appreciated.

Candidates will be required to complete a declaration, which confirms their status as a second language learner only if they are in contention for an award. Failure to complete this declaration will render them ineligible for the award.

Enquiries

A PDF copy of this Circular is available for download.

Previous Circulars are available through the menu to the right above.

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to your School Relationship Manager.

Any feedback or queries are welcome.

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Previous circulars

• 001 - 10 June 2005
• 002 - 27 June 2005 - Scholarship Awards
• 003 - 15 July 2005 - Scholarship Assessment Level
• 004 - 15 July 2005 - Membership of Scholarship Advisory Groups
• 005 - 8 August 2005 - Scholarship Eligibility
• 006 - 8 August 2005 - Entries into Scholarship Visual Arts
• 007 - 7 October 2005 - Scholarship marking and confirmation of final entries
• 008 - 10 October 2005 - Year 12 candidates and Scholarship monetary awards
• 009 - 10 October 2005 - Scholarship Visual Arts reminder
• 010 - 12 October 2005 - Scholarship Drama Examination 2005