Literacy and Numeracy

About the NCEA Literacy and Numeracy co-requisite requirements, and links to helpful information

NCEA Literacy and Numeracy requirements

From 2024, to be awarded an NCEA qualification, students need to achieve a 20-credit co-requisite using:

  • the new Literacy and Numeracy standards
  • Te Reo Matatini and Pāngarau standards.

Some approved literacy and numeracy-rich standards can also be used to achieve the co-requisite.

Approved standards for Literacy and Numeracy

Find more information on NCEA.education (external link)

Students achieve these credits by sitting Common Assessment Activities (CAAs). Literacy and Numeracy assessments are digital-first, which means students complete the assessments on a computer.

More information

Literacy - Reading

Literacy - Writing

Numeracy

Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau

About Literacy and Numeracy

Literacy and numeracy are foundational skills. Other learning is based on literacy and numeracy, and we use these skills in our daily lives. They're also an important part of NCEA.

Literacy or te reo matatini is the ability to read, write and speak.

Numeracy or pāngarau is the ability to use mathematics in daily life.

Delivering Literacy and Numeracy assessments

Schools manage the delivery of Literacy and Numeracy CAAs. They can choose when to deliver a CAA, so long as it’s in the 2-week assessment period we set.

Students have a minimum of 60 minutes to complete each assessment. But they can take as long as they need provided the assessment is delivered in a single session.

Best practices

It's best practice for schools to assess students for a single co-requisite (Reading, Writing or Numeracy) on the same day. But schools can stagger these throughout the day to protect each assessment's integrity.

If schools can't assess all the students who are ready to be assessed in one single session, they can assess in multiple sessions during the 2-week assessment period.

Schools, kura and other NCEA providers decide: 

  • which school staff supervise CAAs
  • when CAAs are held during the 2-week assessment period
  • if students who are ready to be assessed complete the Reading, Writing and Numeracy assessments at the same time, different times on the same day, or across multiple days
  • how the room is set up for assessments
  • if learners require Special Assessment Conditions.

More information

About Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)

Literacy and Numeracy assessment information

Literacy and Numeracy assessment periods

You can find this year's Literacy and Numeracy assessment periods on the key dates page:

Key dates for secondary assessment

What's allowed in a Literacy or Numeracy assessment?

Allowed 

  • rulers and approved calculators can be used for the Numeracy assessment as the Assessment Master platform doesn't have a calculator function
  • headphones
  • power banks
  • blank paper provided by the school, for workings.

Not allowed

  • phones, notes and watches
  • internet access
  • leaving the Assessment Master platform
  • communicating with others.

Text-to-speech for co-requisite assessments

Students can use text-to-speech in the 32405 Literacy - Writing, and the 32406 Numeracy digital assessments in 2024.

Text-to-speech supports students with low vision, learning differences or reading difficulties.

Polly

Polly is a text-to-speech tool. It’s part of the online assessment platform students use for Literacy and Numeracy assessments.

Polly converts text into audio so students can listen to text in the assessment read aloud.

Polly is available for Literacy - Writing and Numeracy assessments. Polly is available to all students, but they will need headphones to use it. 

Students can practise using Polly by completing past digital assessments. Look for 2023’s Literacy – Writing and Numeracy assessments:

Go to the past digital assessments page (external link)

Other text-to-speech tools

Students who use text-to-speech tools in the classroom, such as Google Read & Write, can use these tools in 2024's Literacy - Writing and Numeracy assessments.

Only bring-your-own text-to-speech tools approved by NZQA can be used.

We’ll send more information about using Polly and other text-to-speech tools in 2024’s Literacy and Numeracy assessments to Principal’s Nominees and Special Education Needs Coordinators at schools soon.

Get more information or give us feedback