Guide to Co-Requisites

There have been some recent changes to NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement). As part of these changes, compulsory Literacy and Numeracy assessments have been introduced.

From 2024 onwards, in order for students to gain an NCEA qualification (NCEA Level 1, 2, or 3), they will need to pass two Literacy assessments (Reading and Writing) and one Numeracy assessment.

These changes are designed to ensure that high school students graduate with strong foundations in literacy and numeracy.

The co-requisites are assessed DIGITALLY, in an exam-type format called a Common Assessment Activity (CAA).

  • There are 3 separate CAAs: Numeracy, Reading, Writing
  • These are sat in school during the year, but are marked externally by NZQA
  • Each test will each take about an hour, but the assessments have no time limits.

The new assessments are:

  • US32403: Demonstrate understanding of ideas and information in written texts
  • US32405: Write texts to communicate ideas and information.
  • US32406: Use mathematics and statistics to meet the numeracy demands of a range of situations

The Literacy standard covers foundational literacy. This is approximately Level 4/5 of the New Zealand Curriculum.

Literacy is being able to read, write and understand language. The Literacy standards (Reading and Writing) require students to demonstrate the following skills:

  • Make sense of written texts
  • Read critically
  • Read for different purposes
  • Write meaningful texts for different purposes and audiences
  • Write with technical accuracy, without intrusive errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation

There is more detailed information about what is required to “pass” the tests below.

The Numeracy standard requires students to master the mathematics and statistics content ideas at Level 4 of the New Zealand Curriculum AND interweave these content ideas with mathematical and statistical process ideas.

The Numeracy standard requires students to:

  • Formulate mathematical and/or statistical approaches to solving problems in a range of meaningful situations
  • Use mathematics and statistics to meet the numeracy demands of a range of meaningful situations
  • Explain the reasonableness of mathematical and statistical responses to situations

There is more detailed information about what is required to “pass” the tests below.

There are two ‘windows’ during the year, determined by NZQA, for students to sit the tests. At Wellington College, Year 10 students will sit the Numeracy and Reading tests, and Year 11 students will sit the Writing test. Usually the opportunities are in May and September, but specific dates will be on the school calendar.

Tests are completed on NZQA’s digital platform. Students can access past digital exams from their student login on NZQA under the ‘Find past digital exams’ page in the left-hand navigation bar.

If parents/whānau would like to look at the tests, they will need the information below.

NOTE – you will NOT be able to access past digital exams during the assessment window.

Whānau and public access to past exams

Past digital exams can also be found on the NZQA public website on the Find past digital exams page. You will need the following information:

NSN: View2024

Verification code: Tw3nty/24

The access code is 0000

  • These are formal tests sat in exam conditions. Students will not be able to communicate with each other during the test.
  • These are online tests so it is essential that laptops are fully charged and functional, clear of VPNs and pop-ups, and have Chrome loaded as a browser. You can check that your device meets the specifications here.
  • Student need to be able to login to NZQA. They will need their NSN (National Student Number) which is available on the portal.
  • All students can use text-to-speech for the writing and numeracy tests.
  • If you wish to utilise the text-to-speech function, you will need headphones.
  • Students can use calculators in the numeracy test. Paper and pens are available for any note taking or working.
  • Each test takes about an hour, but there is no time limit.
  • Special Assessment Conditions (SACs) are available as needed. This includes reading and writing assistance for students who qualify, for all tests.

The only grades are Achieved and Not Achieved.

  • US32403: Read written texts to understand ideas and information = 5 credits
  • US32405: Write texts to communicate ideas and information = 5 credits
  • US32406: Use mathematics and statistics to meet the numeracy demands of a range of situations = 10 credits

The co-requisite credits cannot be used towards the 60 credits required for NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3. They are stand-alone credits.

If your child is working at curriculum level 5 or above, or PAT stanine 4 or above, initial data indicates that they will be ready to participate in the corequisite assessments. You can ask your young person’s teachers for their PAT results.

You can see more information about our junior assessment framework here https://www.wellington-college.school.nz/junior-assessment/. Your young person’s overall progress reports are also a useful indicator. You can view assessment results and reports in the parent portal, and there is information about reports here https://www.wellington-college.school.nz/reporting/.

Being in class is your child’s best chance at success as literacy and numeracy is covered schoolwide. There is a particular focus on preparing for these tests in Maths and English lessons.

It is essential that it is ‘business as usual’. Students do not need time off from school to prepare for these tests.

At home, you can:

  • Access past papers for practice, aiding familiarity with exam structure, question styles and text types. See above for details about how to access the past papers.
  • Create a supportive environment: Establish a study space and celebrate progress and achievements.
  • Manage test anxiety: Equip your child with coping mechanisms to alleviate stress and enhance performance.
  • Check whether your child can login to NZQA – this needs to be well in advance of the day of the exam. They will need their NSN (National Student Number) which is available on the portal. (Note this is NOT the same as the 5-digit WC ID number).
  • Support with typing practice, if needed.

For the Reading and Writing Test:

  • Encourage Daily Reading: Provide diverse reading materials and engage in discussions to improve comprehension. This will support your child to build reading fluency and comprehension.
  • Model Effective Strategies: Demonstrate good reading habits, like annotating texts, reading aloud to your child, pausing to reflect on the meaning of the text or asking questions about unfamiliar words
  • Build Vocabulary: Introduce new words in everyday conversations and employ word games for enrichment
  • Practise Active Reading: use previewing techniques by skimming headings, subheadings, and the first sentences of paragraphs to get an overview before reading in depth. Encourage questioning for deeper engagement.
  • Consider author’s purpose. Read a text together and ask:
    • What do you think is the main point of this article?
    • After reading this article, what do you think the reader wants us to think? Why do you think that?
    • Do you agree with the author’s perspective here? Why / Why not?
    • Is this article a reliable source? Why or why not
  • Encourage accurate writing. Support students to correct spelling and punctuation errors.

For the Numeracy Test:

  • Encourage Problem Solving & Explaining thinking: by asking questions such as, ‘so what made you come to that conclusion?’, ‘show me how you worked that out?’
  • Model Effective Strategies: Math problems are not always solved through knowing what to calculate. Model other strategies such as drawing diagrams, pictures, or using series of lines/dots.
  • Build Vocabulary: Use math language where possible. There are many common math concepts that with repeated exposure will commonplace in the mind of your student: area, volume and perimeter, probability, right-angle, east direction, discount, G.S.T, scale, commission, parallel, perpendicular, net, rotate, enlarge, deposit, withdrawal…

There is no maximum number of times a student can sit the Common Assessment Activities. If a student does not pass one or more of the assessments, they will be able to resit these at the next available opportunity. They will only need to resit the tests they did not pass.

At Wellington College there are a range of interventions to support students who did not pass their first attempt, and we will be in touch directly about the arrangements for your young person.

Yes. In 2024 and 2025 only, there are a small number of standards that students can use. Note that credits used for the co-requisite cannot count towards the 60 for an NCEA qualification.

After 2026, the dedicated tests will be the only way to meet the co-requisite requirements.

Students who are fluent in Te Reo Māori may like to consider Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau, equivalent assessments in Te Reo Māori.

No, we do not. We do not get any test papers returned to us, we only see a brief summary of the feedback given to students on their NZQA Login page.

Like with other NZQA externals, students need to login to NZQA to see the results. Students who do not pass will receive brief feedback indicating their strengths and weaknesses.

NZQA feedback indicated that students whose reading was clearly at or above the standard demonstrated strengths in:

  • careful and considered close reading of both the texts and the questions
  • identifying the writer’s purpose (i.e., why did they write this text?)
  • identifying the writer’s audience (i.e., who did they write this text for?)
  • recognising the strategies and language choices the writer used to achieve their purpose
  • using language comprehension skills to help make sense of unfamiliar texts (e.g., inferring unknown vocabulary from the context
  • using their knowledge of language patterns and word families
  • understanding how to determine the relevance, reliability, and trustworthiness of information.

Students whose reading was below the standard demonstrated that they had difficulty in:

  • using close reading strategies to understand the texts and/or questions
  • understanding the writer’s purpose
  • understanding the writer’s intended audience
  • understanding the reason why the writer made certain language choices
  • selecting and using reading strategies to help them make sense of texts (e.g., unfamiliar vocabulary)
  • making decisions about the relevance or reliability of information.

Suggested next steps for students:

  • developing ‘close reading’ skills (as distinct from ‘skim and scan’)
  • using context ‘clues’ and language strategies to help them understand unfamiliar texts or parts of texts
  • recognising the writer’s purpose (to persuade – influence action/ behaviour/thinking, to instruct, inform, explain, narrate, describe etc.)
  • using the provided text(s) to answer the questions
  • understanding what makes a text ‘trustworthy’ (how to determine the reliability of a source).

In the Writing test, students are assessed on their ability to write for a specific purpose. They are also assessed on their accuracy, and must use correct spelling and punctuation.

NZQA feedback indicated that students whose writing was clearly at or above the standard demonstrated strengths in:

  • making sure their writing directly addressed the purpose and audience as required by the task
  • adding appropriate details to develop and support their ideas
  • adopting an appropriate and convincing writer ‘position’
  • structuring their writing clearly and appropriately
  • selecting and using language that showed a clear understanding of the intended reader
  • using writing conventions accurately.

Students whose writing was below the standard demonstrated that they had difficulty in:

  • responding to the task(s) (e.g., some students went ‘off topic’, or did not follow the instructions
  • selecting appropriate ideas
  • choosing relevant / appropriate details to support their idea(s)
  • structuring their writing clearly for reader understanding
  • making appropriate language choices (e.g., sentence structures; tone, register and word choices) for the purpose and audience
  • using writing conventions accurately
  • editing and proofreading their writing.

Suggested next steps:

  • understanding the requirements for different text forms and types
  • planning and structuring writing
  • developing relevant, appropriate details to support ideas
  • making appropriate language choices (e.g., sentence structures; tone, register and word choices) for a specified purpose and audience
  • developing knowledge of text conventions in order to communicate clearly and accurately
  • understanding the importance of editing and proofreading writing.

To successfully show numeracy, learners must demonstrate competency in Three Outcomes through assessment tasks that sample the Seven Content Ideas.

Three Outcomes

  1. Select an appropriate operation, representation, variable, and/or method to solve the problem(s).
  2. Apply mathematical and statistical procedures correctly in the situations.
  3. Use evidence to explain the selection of the method and/or calculation.

Seven content ideas:

  • Fluently and flexibly solve problems that require operations on numbers, understanding the relative size of those numbers, and making sense of the answer in context.
  • Recognise and work with mathematical relationships.
  • Understand and use the spatial properties and representations of objects.
  • Understand and use systems for location and navigation.
  • Use numbers and units to measure and express attributes of objects and events as quantities with a degree of precision appropriate to the context.
  • Understand and reason with statistics and data.
  • Use probability to interpret situations that involve elements of chance.

Feedback from NZQA indicated that students whose numeracy was clearly at or above the standard demonstrated strengths in:

  • applying a simple pay rate directly
  • interpreting bar graphs
  • recognising angles by subdividing 360⁰
  • calculating a simple probability
  • recognising the need for division
  • recognising a reduction as a percentage
  • interpreting a simple time series graph
  • applying multiplication to an array
  • dividing perimeter to find the length of one side
  • calculating an average amount
  • calculating cost per unit
  • interpreting an array to calculate side lengths of a rectangle
  • recognising the correct viewpoint that matched a photograph.

Students whose numeracy was below the standard demonstrated that they had difficulty in:

  • applying an inverse rate
  • using fractions in a measurement situation involving capacity and cost
  • solving problems with area, capacity, and volume with metric units
  • interpreting a times series graph that showed percentages
  • identifying the multiplier between two amounts
  • applying the scale on a map or picture
  • coordinating plan views to develop a top view
  • calculating the interior angle of an octagon
  • reducing or increasing a price by a simple percentage
  • explaining how an area calculation was made
  • applying a ratio.

Possible next steps for students::

  • understanding proportional reasoning, such as application of fractions, rates, scale, and percentages as operators and discounts
  • understanding metric units of measure, especially those involving area, capacity, and volume, and applying measurement in practical situations
  • interpreting viewpoints, which is an important life skill
  • identify multiplicative operators between amounts, which is critical for competence for working with rates and ratios
  • experience with a wide range of realistic contexts from everyday life, and connecting the mathematics and statistics used across a range of contexts
  • explaining the reasonableness of mathematical and statistical responses to situation (outcome 3): making a statement of a position in response to a claim and using the information available from the situation to justify that position.