Academic grading in New Zealand
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Various methods of academic grading in New Zealand are shown below.
Contents
Secondary schools
NCEA
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement, the current national secondary school qualifications, uses standard-based assessment. Assessment for Achievement Standards uses a four-grade system, the lowest being a failing grade, while Unit Standards use a simple achieved/not achieved (pass/fail) grade system.
| Official Name | Common Name | Abbreviation | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement with Excellence | Excellence | E | The candidate has demonstrated comprehensive understanding of the material tested |
| Achievement with Merit | Merit | M | The candidate has met the criteria of the standard which demonstrates in-depth understanding of the material tested |
| Achievement | Achieved | A | The candidate met the criteria of the standard to a level which demonstrates understanding of the material tested |
| Not Achieved | Not Achieved | N / NA | The candidate has not met the criteria required of the standard in order to pass |
| Standard Not Attempted | Not Attempted | SNA / V | The candidate has been entered for the standard but has not attempted/sat it. |
Several schools in New Zealand, predominantly in Auckland, also offer the CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) Program and IB (International Baccalaureate) in addition to NCEA.
School Certificate
Until 2002 the predecessor to NCEA Level 1, School Certificate used a norm-based five-grade system.
| Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 80% - 100% |
| B | 65% - 79% |
| C | 50% - 64% |
| D | 30% - 49% |
| E | 0% - 29% |
Universities
New Zealand universities generally award letter grades (i.e. A to D) to students, with +/- variations. These letter grades correspond to percentage mark bands, though these vary between universities (common cut-offs for A+ include 90% and 85%, and even within a university, an A+ from one department may vary from an A+ from another, with the actual cut-off subject to discretion). D grade is a failing grade, corresponding to work receiving less than 50%. However, for Honours degrees, the letter grades also correspond to degree classes, with A+/A/A- grades corresponding to a first, B+/high B corresponding to 2:1, etc.
