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Enquiries National Team | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education | MC education.govt.nz
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga

-----Original Message-----
From: Lewis T <[FOI #32052 email]>
Sent: Monday, 18 August 2025 6:00 pm
To: Enquiries National <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - The ncea project

[You don't often get email from [FOI #32052 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

Dear Ministry of Education,
Please provide the following:

1. Regarding the Integrity of Internal Assessment:

a. All internal reviews, reports, and communications since 2018 that discuss the issues of grade inflation, inconsistent moderation, and the "undue assessment burden" associated with NCEA's heavy reliance on internal assessment.
b. Any longitudinal analysis comparing the long-term outcomes (including university completion rates and post-study income) of students who achieve NCEA qualifications primarily through internal assessment versus those who achieve primarily through external, examination-based standards.
c. All documents and communications related to the decision to remove external examinations for a significant number of NCEA Level 1 subjects as part of the NCEA "refresh."

2. Regarding "Flexibility" and the Dilution of Standards:

a. All internal analyses, including the full, unredacted versions of NZQA's "University Entrance insights papers," that discuss how NCEA's "flexibility" has led to students, particularly in low-EQI schools, being guided into combinations of standards that result in a "Level 2" or "Level 3" qualification that is functionally inadequate for university-level study.

b. Longitudinal data from 2005-2024 showing the national decline in student enrolment and pass rates for traditional, academically rigorous subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Calculus, broken down by ethnicity and school EQI band.
c. All internal advice and reports that model the impact of making Literacy and Numeracy a separate, pass/fail co-requisite on the academic rigor and foundational knowledge of students entering tertiary education and the workforce.

3. Regarding the Fundamental Value of NCEA:

a. Any and all cost-benefit analyses ever conducted by the Ministry of Education, the Treasury, or NZQA that compares the NCEA system to:
i. The qualification systems it replaced (e.g., School Certificate, Bursary).
ii. International alternatives (e.g., Cambridge International Examinations, International Baccalaureate).
This analysis should include metrics on cost, student outcomes, international recognition, and preparedness for university.
b. All advice provided to Ministers since 2018 that justifies the continued use of NCEA as the single national qualification, in the face of the declining PISA scores and widening "excellence gaps" documented in the Ministry's own public reports.

Yours faithfully,

Lewis T

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