NCEA Level 1 — Achievement Standards & Resources
NCEA Level 1 is the first of the three National Certificate of Educational Achievement qualifications, typically sat in Year 11. It introduces students to standards-based assessment and sets the foundation literacy and numeracy that the rest of NCEA builds on. Each subject is split into individual achievement standards, assessed either internally by your school throughout the year or externally in NZQA-set November exams.
Last verified against NZQA on 20 May 2026. NZQA Level 1
To gain the NCEA Level 1 certificate, students accumulate credits at Level 1 (or higher) and meet NZQA's separate literacy and numeracy requirements. Both the credit total and the literacy and numeracy thresholds have been adjusted under the NCEA Change Programme — for the authoritative current figures, see NZQA directly.
For the full 2026 exam window and per-subject schedule, see our NCEA exam timetable. For context on how Level 1 fits with Levels 2 and 3, see the NCEA hub.
Plan a Level 1 programme in Kuraplan
Generate Level 1 lesson plans and assessments aligned to specific achievement standards — free to try.