Specific Information For
Year 12 and 13 in 2025
Making Subject Choice Decisions
Level Two, Guaranteed Entry and Scholarships
How do NZQA Scholarship Exams at Level 3 work?
Which subjects are compulsory?
How do I qualify for a subject?
How many subjects do I have to take?
Can I choose any new subject at Level 2 or 3?
Can I take subjects at Level 3 in Year 12?
What about taking subjects at a lower level?
What if I still don’t know what to choose?
What are the benchmarks for 2025?
At Senior level the subjects you choose can have implications for your future pathways.
Where can you get help?
Finally we recommend you print off and complete the sheet available here:
These work best if you right click and open in a new tab. You should discuss these with your parents and teachers.
Whatever your decision, please remember that employers are often looking for people with skills that reflect that you are a hard worker, you are reliable, adaptable, use initiative and have good communication skills. These skills can be demonstrated in any subject area. You can read more about these “employability skills” in recent research from Victoria University HERE
Year 12 and 13 students have the opportunity to build skills for employment and working in a real workplace. They will try out potential careers and build links to industry, apprenticeships and employment opportunities. This requires up to 10 days in the workplace. This is usually undertaken one school day a week for 10 weeks. There is no cost to the student and any work equipment and transport costs are met by the Gateway programme. Entry is by application and interview. Application form is available HERE
Trades Academies deliver a range of programmes for senior secondary school students (Years 11-13). They are designed for students who are enrolled in secondary school and provide a transition between school and tertiary education.
Trades Academy options on offer in 2025 (based on 2024 offerings and subject to confirmation from the Providers):
Level 2
Course | Level/Credits | Location | Provider | Model |
L2 21 cr | Kāpiti | Primary ITO | One day | |
L2/L3 40 cr | Petone | Weltec | Two day | |
L2 27 cr | Palmerston North | UCOL | One day | |
Barista Cafe Services | L2 44cr | Wellington | Whitireia | Two day |
L2 25 cr | Ōtaki | UCOL | One day | |
L2 43cr | Wellington | Whitireia - Te Auaha | Two days | |
L2 24 cr | Otaki | UCOL | One day | |
L2 43 cr | Porirua | Whitireia | Two day | |
L2 22 cr | Palmerston North | UCOL | One day | |
L2 20 cr | Porirua | Whitireia | One day | |
L2 22cr | Palmerston North | UCOL | One day | |
Mixed Trades (construction, plumbing, electrical and painting) | L2 51 cr | Porirua | Whitireia | Two day |
L2 43 cr | Porirua | Whitireia | Two day | |
L2/L3 25 cr | Porirua | Whitireia | One day |
Level 3
Course | Level/Credits | Location | Provider | Model |
L3 22 cr | Kāpiti | Primary ITO | One day | |
L2/L3 40 cr | Petone | Weltec | Two day | |
L3 43 cr | Porirua | Whitireia | Two day | |
L3 24 credits | Palmerston North | UCOL | One day | |
L3 55 cr | Palmerston North | UCOL | Two day | |
L3 22 cr | Ōtaki | UCOL | One day | |
L3 60 cr | Wellington | Weltec | Two day | |
L3 21 cr | Porirua | NZMA | One day | |
L3 21 credits | Palmerston North | UCOL | One day | |
L3 34 credits | Palmerston North | UCOL | One day | |
Health Science (Anatomy and Physiology) | L3/4 21 cr | Porirua | Whitireia | One day |
L3 60 credits | Palmerston North | UCOL | Two day | |
L3 20 cr | Porirua | Papa Taiao | One day |
Many universities are now operating a guaranteed entry score. You need to check criteria for all the universities you are considering as they are different. GES is not necessary to get into University, but it guarantees you a place. You need to take four UE subjects at Level 3 to be easily able to gain a high GES. NB: your 20 ‘carry- over’ from Level 2 credits DO NOT count for GES.
Victoria University - the GES is currently 150 points for all undergraduate degrees, except the Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Bachelor of Building Science which require a GES of 180.
How to calculate your NCEA score:
Your score will be calculated by awarding points as follows:
Excellence | 4 points |
Merit | 3 points |
Achieved | 2 points |
An example of a score for a student studying for NCEA:
Approved Subject (best 24 credits per subject) | Excellence Credits | Merit Credits | Achieved Credits |
English | 8 | 4 | 6 |
History | - | 6 | 10 |
Statistics and Modelling | 4 | 4 | 16 |
Geography | - | 10 | 10 |
French | - | - | 24 |
SUB-TOTAL | 12 | 24 | 66 |
Best 80 Credits | 12 | 24 | 44 |
Calculate Points | 48 pts | 72 pts | 88 pts |
|
| Score | 208 points |
Many universities also offer guaranteed entry if you have an Excellence or Merit endorsement at Level 2, provided that you also get University Entrance. Some will offer scholarships to students with Level 2 Endorsements. For example, Victoria offers $5000 scholarships to many students with Excellence endorsements.
NZQA Scholarship Exams aim to extend the most academically able students. You can enter one or more scholarship standard assessments as well as your Level 3 assessments. These assess your ability to apply higher level thinking based on in-school and independent learning.
The content assessed for Scholarship will be the same as that covered for Level 3 Achievement Standards, though examined in more depth. If you are achieving a high standard in appropriate Level 3 courses, you may be asked during the year whether you wish to sit the separate Scholarship exams at the end of the year. It does require extra work.
All assessments are external. For each standard, two levels of achievement can be gained: Scholarship or Outstanding Performance. All successful students have their success recorded on their Record of Learning and can receive a monetary award, with top scholars nationally receiving $10,000 per year during their tertiary studies.
It is economically worth six times as much if you pass three Scholarship subjects and you can retain the scholarship for all three years of University. So, you should seriously consider whether you have three potential Scholarship subjects.
An English course is compulsory at Year 12 (unless exempted).
There are no compulsory requirements for Year 13.
Your performance in Level 1 or Level 2 will be the major factor in approval of your subject choices for 2025. Entry criteria are laid out in the details on each subject later in this booklet. Generally, this is a minimum of 14 credits in the previous year’s course. The subject matrix at the end of the booklet lets you see where a course leads in later years. Entry to subjects at senior level is done in consultation with the HOD or Teacher in Charge, with your final course confirmed by your Dean. The important question in approving courses is whether you have a reasonable chance of achieving academic success. Some subjects currently offered may not be available if too few opt to take them.
At Year 12, you must take 6 subjects. At Year 13, most are taking an academic course and will therefore choose 5 subjects, with one line of study. If you are aiming to gain UE, you must do a minimum of 3 UE subjects; 4 is safer.
Not necessarily. Success gained in one or more subjects this year may allow you to take a new subject. Carefully check the entry criteria for each subject you are considering.
This will apply to some of you who have already completed a Level 2 course. Taking subjects at a higher level is possible only with the agreement of the Head of Department and your Dean.
There is nothing to stop students in Year 13, for example, taking a subject they are interested in at Level 2 or even Level 1. Just ensure that you have considered the effect on your chances of achieving your Level 2 or 3 NCEA or University Entrance.
There are plenty of people who can advise you, including your Dean, Form teacher or Ms Berry. For details on courses at tertiary level (universities and polytechnics) see Ms Melanie Chaytor.
If in doubt, keep your choices broad enough to give you a range of options
the following year. Play to your strengths!
They are similar to 2024 in that you must attend a minimum of 85% of classes each term, behave respectfully and responsibly, and achieve a minimum of 75% of available internal credits at three specific dates during terms 1 - 3. Your parents will be informed. For Year 13 students, benchmarks are also related to graduation.