What the New NCEA Changes Mean for Teachers in 2025

The New Zealand government just announced a sweeping proposal to overhaul NCEA, the country’s secondary school qualification system. The changes are far-reaching – essentially replacing NCEA with new certificates – and they have sparked both optimism and concern in the education community.

Teachers’ unions say they are cautiously optimistic that the overhaul will benefit students, provided it’s implemented with proper support and resources. As a teacher, here’s what you need to know about the proposed changes, when they’re happening, and how they might affect your classroom.

What’s Changing? An Overview of the NCEA Overhaul

Under the proposal, NCEA Level 1 will be eliminated and replaced by a new Foundational Skills literacy and numeracy test taken in Year 11. Meanwhile, NCEA Levels 2 and 3 will be scrapped in favor of two new qualifications: the New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) in Year 12, and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) in Year 13. In practice, this means a return to a more structured, subject-based program for seniors rather than the mix-and-match credit system of NCEA.

Key proposed changes include:

• No NCEA Level 1: Year 11 students must take English and Mathematics and will sit a Foundational Skills Award test in literacy and numeracy (te reo matatini and pāngarau can be taken as well). This test documents basic competency instead of a full Level 1 certificate.

• New Certificates for Years 12–13: In Year 12, students will work toward the New Zealand Certificate of Education, and in Year 13 toward the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education, replacing NCEA Levels 2 and 3. Students must take five subjects and pass at least four to earn each certificate.

• Letter Grades & Scores: The familiar Achieved-Merit-Excellence labels will be replaced by letter grades A–E, along with a score out of 100 for each subject. This aims to make results clearer for students, parents, and employers. (Importantly, this does not reintroduce an old-school “bell curve” – students will still be judged against standards, not against each other.)

• Vocational Pathways: New subject options and standards will be co-designed with industry to strengthen vocational pathways (e.g. in trades like construction, automotive, hospitality). The goal is to ensure students gain skills relevant to various career paths before they leave school.

• New National Curriculum: The qualifications overhaul goes hand-in-hand with a new national curriculum for Years 9–13. This curriculum will clearly outline what students should learn in each subject at each year level, providing more consistency across schools.

What About Internals and Externals?

Yes – the proposed new system will still include both internal and external assessments, much like the current NCEA system.

The new NZ Certificate of Education (Year 12) and NZ Advanced Certificate of Education (Year 13) will retain a standards-based approach – this means students will still be assessed against learning standards rather than ranked against their peers.

Those standards will likely be assessed partly through internal assessments (within school) and partly through external exams (set and marked externally), just like NCEA does now.

The main difference is in how results are reported: instead of Achieved/Merit/Excellence, students will get letter grades (A–E) and a numerical score out of 100 per subject. But the mix of internals and externals stays in place.

Will Teachers Still Mark Their Own Internal Assessments?

Yes.

Just like under NCEA, teachers will continue to assess internal standards in the new system.

Teachers will still mark their students’ internal work, with moderation processes to ensure consistency and fairness across schools.

There are no plans to centralise or externalise internal assessment marking — so the day-to-day process for internals is expected to stay the same.

Will All NCEA Assessments Be Replaced?

Yes – eventually.

The current NCEA standards (Level 1–3) will be phased out and replaced by a new set of standards aligned to the new curriculum and qualifications.

New standards will be written for each subject, with clearer descriptions and stronger alignment to subject content and learning outcomes.

Assessment tasks, marking criteria, and expectations will change, though the format (e.g. research assignments, projects, tests, portfolios) may be similar.

• Level 1 standards will be replaced first, starting with the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy test in Year 11 from 2028.
• Levels 2 and 3 will be replaced with new standards for the NZCE and NZACE in 2029 and 2030 respectively.

During the transition (2026–2030), schools will run both the current NCEA system and the new certificates in parallel, depending on year level. Teachers will need to juggle both sets of standards for a few years.

When Will These Changes Take Effect?

These changes won’t happen overnight. The government plans to phase in the new system over several years:

• 2025: Proposal and consultation phase. (Nothing changes immediately for current teachers and students.)
• Now – 15 Sep 2025: Consultation period – the government is seeking feedback on the proposed overhaul until 15 September 2025. After that, the plan may be refined, with final decisions going to Cabinet by the end of 2025.
• 2026: New curriculum begins. Schools are expected to start teaching the revamped Year 9–10 curriculum in 2026, gearing up for the new qualification system.
• 2028: First year of new Year 11 assessment. NCEA Level 1 will still run in 2026 and 2027, but from 2028 onward Year 11 students will do the new Foundational Skills literacy/numeracy test instead of NCEA Level 1.
• 2029: First year of new Year 12 Certificate (NZCE).
• 2030: First year of new Year 13 Certificate (NZACE).

During the transition period (2026–2030), different year levels will be under different systems. Notably, students who in 2025 are already in secondary school will continue with NCEA and won’t be forced into the new qualifications partway through. For a few years teachers will be managing two frameworks in parallel – some classes working toward NCEA, and younger cohorts working toward the new certificates.

Why Change NCEA? (The Rationale in Brief)

The government’s rationale is that NCEA’s flexibility went “too far,” leading to complexity and inconsistent outcomes. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argues the current system can be confusing and doesn’t always deliver the skills students need for work or further study.

Education Minister Erica Stanford has pointed out that “credit counting” and ad-hoc selection of standards have sometimes overshadowed real learning, with students chasing easy credits to get NCEA rather than building solid foundations.

There’s also concern that many students were struggling with basic literacy and numeracy – as evidenced by only about half of teens passing new NCEA literacy/numeracy tests on the first try last year.

In short, the proposed overhaul aims to restore clarity, rigor, and public confidence in secondary qualifications. It promises more structured learning, clearer signaling of achievement (through familiar grades and scores), and stronger alignment between what’s taught in class and what’s assessed in exams.

What It Means for Teachers

For teachers, this proposed shake-up brings both opportunities and challenges:

• Adapting to a New Curriculum: Expect updates to what you teach at each year level. Some teachers welcome the clarity, but others worry about workload – for example, English teachers have raised concerns about having to cover more texts and grammar in depth under draft curriculum plans.

• Assessment Changes: The removal of NCEA Level 1 means Year 11 may feel more like a preparation year. Meanwhile, Year 12–13 teachers will need to adjust to new assessment structures. It’s still standards-based, just within a more streamlined set of standards per subject.

• Workload and Training Needs: The government has been urged to provide extensive training, resources, and time for teachers to adjust. Look out for professional learning opportunities and advocate for what you need.

• Teaching Across Two Systems: During the transition, secondary schools will effectively run dual systems. You might be teaching Year 13s still on NCEA Level 3 in the same year that you teach Year 11s under the new framework.

• Subject Offerings and Student Engagement: Some principals have expressed concern that a more rigid five-subject model could narrow the curriculum. Engagement will be key – the new system must offer something for everyone.

How Can Teachers Have a Say?

The proposal is not set in stone yet. The government is seeking feedback until 15 September 2025. It’s crucial that classroom teachers voice their experiences and expertise.

You can participate by submitting feedback through the Ministry of Education’s consultation process or through your subject associations and unions.

Looking Ahead

If implemented well, the new qualification framework could bring a more coherent structure to secondary education. It’s intended to open doors for every young person – whether their future is university, trades, or straight into work – and to set higher, more consistent standards for achievement.

For teachers, it means adjustments in what and how we teach, but also a chance to address longstanding frustrations. With teacher input and prudent planning, this NCEA overhaul could ultimately strengthen our education system – and help us, as educators, better prepare our students for the future.