Senior high school students will now face a compulsory exam in every subject, be marked from A+ to E and need to pass at least three subjects each year to get their graduation certificates under the Government’s NCEA replacement.

The details of NCEA replacements the New Zealand Certificate of Education for Year 12 and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education for Year 13, were unveiled today. The Prime Minister and the Education Minister are set to speak about the details.

In announcing the revamped secondary school exam framework, Erica Stanford outlined how students will be expected to pass, the grading scale and compulsory subjects.

Students would need to take at least five subjects each year in Years 12 and 13 with a pass mark per subject being C or higher, the minister said.

They should expect around three-to-four assessments each year in every subject.

Students in Year 11 would also have science as a compulsory subject alongside Maths and English-Te Reo Rangatira.

They would also have to pass a literacy and numeracy Foundational Award.

Stanford said she wanted students leaving school with “with qualifications that are clear, rigorous and widely understood by parents, employers, [and] tertiary providers”.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Stanford said the aim was to make the new qualification aspirational and achievable, saying that’s why the number of subjects required to pass was lowered to three subjects down from four.

That meant the “floor” was achievable but students wanting to work hard could do more subjects and achieve better results.

There are two components to the Foundational Award, Stanford said, meaning students would have to pass numeracy and literacy but there would be other options, including doing maths and English in later years.

The new curriculum would give deeper learning and more clarity, she said. Gone were the days of picking and choosing from a wide range of subjects, in terms of getting qualifications into university.

Stanford said all students would have to study five subjects. That meant that if students only focused on three subjects in order to achieve their results, future employers or a university would still be able to see the results of the two other subjects.

Hence students could be judged on their overall performance, Stanford said.

Luxon said New Zealand didn’t want its students falling behind countries such as Singapore, Canada and Ireland.

The new qualifications and curriculum were at international standards and gave local students the best chance to gain the skills needed to compete in a global economy.

The Government is pushing through the biggest education revamp in decades as it replaces the former NCEA with a new curriculum.

Some schools have been vocal supporters, saying they want more rigorous education and marking standards.

Others - including 88 industry heads and the NZ Principals’ Federation - as recently as last month urged a pause, calling the changes rushed, “frantic” and poorly thought-out.

New Year 9-10 curriculums have already been unveiled, while Year 11-13 would be available from next year, the Government said.

Current Year 9s would be the first cohort required to use the curriculum.

That means 2029 - when current Year 9s reach Year 12 - would be the first time all public schools would be required to teach according to the NZCE.

The following year, schools would then be required to teach Year 13 according to NZACE.

The Government today said the certificates would show how many subjects a student has passed, along with the grade achieved in each subject.

Students who achieved excellent results across all five subjects would be eligible for endorsement awards for academic and trades or vocational performance.

Every subject would include internal assessments and an examination, with the exam’s weighting depending on the type of subject.

Exams are set to be compulsory in every Year 12 and 13 subject under a Government education revamp. Photo / File 

Considered reforms or rushed revamp? 

The Government announced its intentions to reform senior education amid criticism from some quarters that literacy, numeracy and academic results have been faltering under NCEA and that students are not being challenged to excel. 

Schools supporting the changes have said a more standardised, rigorous qualification would allow every student to be judged to the same standards. 

But other schools have called for greater planning before change, saying rushing could create a system overly tailored to students wanting to get into university. 

It could also create rigid teaching that didn’t get the best from individual students, especially those with different needs or backgrounds, they argued. 

A letter last month signed by 88 heads of education unions, federations and associations called for a pause, saying the changes were a “departure from evidence-based learning”. 

“Educators are being told to implement a total curriculum overhaul at a breakneck pace and with minimal support, which is a recipe for failure,” NZ Educational Institute Te Riu Roa president Ripeka Lessels said. 

New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa president Ripeka Lessels wants the Government to hit pause on curriculum changes. Photo / NZEI 

At the time Stanford told the Herald she was committed to providing a “world-leading education system” and was listening to feedback. 

She was committed to providing the best opportunities for our children to learn, saying that included providing them with a “world-leading education system”.