NCEA Literacy and Numeracy requirements
From 2024, to gain 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.
Students achieve these credits by sitting external Common Assessment Activities (CAAs).
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)
Find more information on the subject pages
On this page
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.
Using unit standards 26622 to 26627 for the co-requisite
A limited number of providers can use the internally assessed unit standards 26622 to 26627 for the Literacy and Numeracy co-requistie.
These providers are:
- Tertiary education organisations (TEOs)
- alternative education providers
- activity centres
- specialist schools
- teen-parent units.
Resources for unit standards 26622 to 26627
Important information about using these standards (external link) - NCEA.education
Literacy and Numeracy assessments
External Literacy and Numeracy CAAs are digital-first, which means students complete the assessments on a computer.
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.
Schools manage the delivery of Literacy and Numeracy CAAs. They decide when to deliver an assessment, but it must be during the 2-week assessment period we set.
You can find this year's Literacy and Numeracy assessment periods on the key dates page.
More information
Key dates for secondary assessment
Literacy and Numeracy assessment information
Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) for Literacy and Numeracy
What's allowed in a Literacy or Numeracy assessment?
Allowed
- rulers
- headphones
- power banks
- blank paper provided by the school, for workings
- standard (non-scientific or non-graphing) calculators or approved calculators.
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.