Dual Qualifications Pathway

Students entering Form 3 at Auckland Grammar School must realise that for the majority this year is the start of a five-year programme which will lead to University Entrance and further study at tertiary level.

Some students will leave at the end of Form 5 or Form 6 for a variety of courses and reasons, but essentially the Senior School Programme at Auckland Grammar School should be viewed as a three-year commitment.

The success of Auckland Grammar School students in external academic examinations is well known and we regard it as our first priority to ensure all students achieve the best examination results of which they are capable.

Students must be prepared to work hard and tackle the requirements of the rigorous, advanced courses on offer; in return the School will give students at all levels the very best in teaching, guidance and support to ensure all students achieve to the best of their abilities.

Dual Qualifications Pathway

In 2019 NCEA and Cambridge qualifications will be available for students in Forms 6 and 7. They offer students two pathways to tertiary entrance:

NCEA Pathway:

• Pre-Q/Limited NCEA Level 1 (Form 5)
• NCEA Level 2 (Form 6)
• NCEA Level 3 (Form 7)

Cambridge Pathway:

• Pre-Q (Form 5)
• Cambridge AS (Form 6)
• Cambridge AS and A2 (Form 7)

In Form 5 the majority of students will study a Pre-Q-based course. Students from 5J5P will study a limited number of NCEA Level 1 English and Mathematics Achievement Standards. Students may also select from a limited range of other NCEA Level 1 courses that are not available as Pre-Q subjects. Selected students (primarily from 4O and 4P in 2018) will study a full NCEA Level 1 course tailored to their specific learning needs.

Students commencing Form 6 study must decide which qualification pathway they will pursue, the Cambridge Pathway or the NCEA Pathway. Forms 6 and 7 should be regarded as a two-year programme.

Students commencing Form 7 study will, in most cases, remain on their selected Cambridge or NCEA pathway. However, a number of students who, due to very poor performance at AS Level in Form 6, will not have the opportunity to pass A Levels in Form 7 and will be required to change to the NCEA Level 3 pathway in Form 7.

The course planning section that follows provides important information and guidance for students selecting courses for 2019.

The Dual Qualification Pathway in 2019

• 4A-4B: Pre-Q Mathematics.
• 5A-5B: AS Mathematics. Pre-Q in all other subjects except Latin and Te Reo Maori.
• 5C-5I: Pre-Q in all subjects except NCEA Level 1 Latin and Te Reo Maori.
• 5J-5N: Pre-Q in all subjects except NCEA Level 1 Latin and Te Reo Maori. Students will also do a number of NCEA Level 1 English and Mathematics Achievement Standards.
• 5O-5P: This selected cohort will study a tailored full NCEA Level 1 course.
• 6A-6B: Cambridge A2 Mathematics (optional); Cambridge AS in all other subjects except NCEA Level 2 Japanese, Latin and Te Reo Maori.
• 6C-6J: Cambridge AS in all subjects except NCEA Level 2 Japanese, Latin and Te Reo Maori. NCEA Level 2 ESOL if necessary).
• 6C1-6I1: NCEA Level 2 in all subjects.
• 7A-7I: Cambridge AS and A Levels in all subjects except Latin (and NCEA Level 3 ESOL if necessary).
• 7C1-7F1: NCEA Level 3 in all subjects.

Note: Highly able Form 5 and 6 students may be invited to also enter NZQA Scholarship examinations.

Auckland Grammar School Pre-Qualifications Programme (Pre-Q):

Pre-Q is a pre-qualification curriculum and assessment programme, which aims to prepare students rigorously for study in the Senior School (Form 6 and 7) and for high levels of academic achievement in Cambridge AS & A Level and NCEA Level 2 & Level 3 qualifications.

The School is introducing Pre-Q for Form 5 students at the beginning of 2019. Cambridge IGCSE will no longer be offered and the majority of Form 5 students will study Pre-Q subject courses.

Identified students will study a number of NCEA Level 1 Achievement Standards and a selected group of students (predominantly from 2018's 4O and 4P) will study a full NCEA Level 1 course tailored to their particular learning needs.

The aims of the Pre-Q programme are:

• To help students to acquire the fundamental knowledge of specific subjects.
• To promote deep understanding of subject content with a depth and a rigour appropriate to progression to, and success in, Senior School external qualifications.
• To reduce the gap in content and rigour that existed between previously prescribed Form 5 course requirements and the significant demands of Cambridge AS and NCEA Level 2 courses.
• To increase the amount of teaching and learning time for Form 5 students by rescheduling examinations later in Term 4.

Pre-Q Programme Structure and Syllabus/Course Design:

While the majority of Form 5 courses remain the same in terms of broad subject areas, courses have been re-designed so that they are more suited to the whole student ability range in terms of accessibility and level of challenge.

Departments have been able to remove content from courses which did not assist in preparing students for Cambridge AS and NCEA Level 2 courses, and add additional content which will enable students to begin Form 6 courses with a stronger foundation of knowledge and skills.

Courses are differentiated so that they are more accessible to students who might have previously struggled as they began NCEA Level 2 in Form 6 or Cambridge AS, while also including more capacity to stretch and challenge the most able so that they are ready to perform strongly at Cambridge AS.

Form 4 courses are also being re-designed as Stage 1 of a two-year Pre-Q course (Form 5 courses being Stage 2), to provide a smoother progression for students in terms of course content from Form 4 to Form 7.

A number of Pre-Q subjects have Advancing and Core courses to cater for students of different abilities.

There are no changes to the options or timetable structures for Form 5 students for 2019, and students will study six subjects, comprised of compulsory English (or ESOL) and Mathematics and four option subjects which they will select.

National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA)

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) provides three senior secondary qualifications: (NCEA Level 1, NCEA Level 2 and NCEA Level 3) and the NZQA Scholarship award which are generally studied at the following form levels:

• NCEA Level 1 - Form 5
• NCEA Level 2 - Form 6
• NCEA Level 3 - Form 7
• NZ Scholarship - Form 6 and Form 7

Important features of NCEA:

Each year-long course of study of an NCEA subject at Auckland Grammar School is assessed against five to nine Achievement Standards.

All assessment is standards-based and:

• Standards describe what a student knows and can do.
• Standards describe the level of work that students need to produce.
• Assessment criteria establish the level of performance required for the award of Achieved, Merit or Excellence grades.
• Achievement Standards generally have between 1 and 4 assessment criteria.

Each Achievement Standard is assessed either internally or externally:

• Internal assessment generally involves common tests or assignments during the School year.
• External assessment usually takes place during three hour, end-of-year examinations.

Students may successfully meet the Achievement Standards at one of three levels: Achieved, Achieved with Merit, Achieved with Excellence or no marks are allocated.

Each Achievement Standard has a credit value. In most cases each subject will provide the opportunity for students to gain a maximum of 24 credits. Typically, a student studying five subjects will be able to gain a maximum of 120 credits.

NZQA maintains a Record of Achievement for each student throughout their time at secondary school which records the credits that they gain by passing Achievement Standards. Students can download their Record of Achievement from the NZQA website.

Students who achieve 80 credits at a level are awarded a National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Note the following: -

• To be awarded an NCEA Level 1 Certificate students must have in their 80 credits at least 10 credits in Numeracy and 10 credits in Literacy. Numeracy credits are gained from Mathematics standards and specified standards in a range of other subjects. Literacy credits are gained from English standards and specified standards in a range of other subjects.
• A maximum of 20 credits from another level can be combined with 60 credits to earn an NCEA certificate. 20 credits gained at Level 1 can be added to 60 credits gained at Level 2 to earn a Level 2 Certificate and 20 credits gained at Level 2 can be added to 60 credits gained at Level 3 to gain a Level 3 Certificate.
• Students must achieve the Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy requirement to be awarded a Level 2 or Level 3 Certificate.
• These certificates show that students have achieved a general level of educational achievement. It is the Record of Achievement that shows exactly which Achievement Standards students have achieved in detail.
• Course Endorsement enables students with strong performances in individual courses (in most cases this means subjects) to gain Excellence or Merit endorsements in those courses. Students will receive an Excellence endorsement for a course if they gain 14 credits at Excellence level, while students gaining 14 credits at Merit level or above (Merit and Excellence) will gain a Merit endorsement. At least three of the 14 credits must be from internally-assessed standards, and three from externally-assessed standards.
• Certificates can also be achieved with Merit or Excellence endorsements: for a certificate to be endorsed with Merit, 50 credits at Merit or Excellence is required; for a certificate to be endorsed with Excellence, 50 credits at Excellence is required.

Unit Standards may also contribute credits towards NCEA. At Auckland Grammar School Unit Standard assessment is currently limited to Career Studies courses, some Technology courses and Form 6 and Form 7 ESOL courses. There are only two grades available under Unit Standard assessment, Achieved or Not Achieved.

Further information on NZQA and NCEA can be found on the NZQA website.

International Qualifications - Cambridge:

Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE and referred to in this handbook as Cambridge) examinations are administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). UCLES is one of the world's leading examining bodies.

Established in 1863, it provides examination services in over 160 countries around the world. Each year over one million students in over 10,000 schools sit Cambridge examinations. Although Cambridge is based in the United Kingdom, and the structure of the Cambridge awards is similar to the UK awards, its courses are designed for the international community.

Cambridge offers three general secondary qualifications:

• International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) - not offered at Auckland Grammar School from 2019.
• Advanced Subsidiary Level (AS) - usually taken in Form 6.
• Advanced Level (A Level) - usually taken in Form 7.

Cambridge courses are generally assessed through external examinations, although a small number of subjects have a coursework component. The different course components of each subject are assessed by separate examination papers, including practical work in the Sciences, Physical Education, Music, Technology and Art subjects. Students receive grades and percentage marks for each subject.

Examinations are held twice a year in May/June and in October/November. Students at Auckland Grammar School will generally sit their examinations in the October/November examination series. In a small number of courses, students will sit their examinations in the May/June series, and students who are currently studying an A Level subject will have the opportunity to re-sit the AS components of their A Level in the May/June series for a limited number of subjects.

Cambridge qualifications are recognised both nationally and internationally. They can be used as University Entrance qualifications in New Zealand (see pages 13-14) and overseas.

Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Levels:

• These are the first half of a full A Level (the second half is known as A2) and are generally studied in Form 6. Some AS Levels (such as AS Japanese) developed by New Zealand schools in conjunction with Cambridge, are only available as Form 7 courses.
• These cover the core, foundation aspects of a subject at an advanced level.
• They are worthwhile, stand-alone qualifications that can be used for tertiary entrance (the minimum New Zealand general University Entrance requirement is three D grades at Cambridge AS level).
• Five pass grades are awarded: A, B, C, D, E. Marks below these are ungraded (U).

A Levels (A2):

• An AS Level can be carried through to a full A Level by completing the second half of the syllabus known as A2 (there is no such thing as a separate, stand-alone A2 qualification).
• A2 courses are available as Form 7 courses and only to students who have already completed the AS syllabus components the previous year.
• A Level syllabuses offer challenging assessments to stretch the most able students, and a number of restricted entry university courses in New Zealand and overseas will require students to have completed subjects at A Level.
• Students who have completed their AS course the previous year have the option of resitting the AS examination in their A2 year in order to improve their overall A Level grade in a limited number of subjects.
• Six pass grades are awarded: A*, A, B, C, D, E. Marks below these are ungraded (U).

Further information can be found at the Cambridge website.

Pre-Q Assessment, Reporting and Passing Form 5:

In previous years, Form 5 students had their final set of School Examinations at the end of Term 3, prior to going on external examination Study Leave early in Term 4. With the introduction of Pre-Q in 2019, Form 5 students will gain significantly more teaching time before their third and final set of examinations for the year, which will be in Week 4 of Term 4.

Pre-Q assessments will replicate the internal and external assessment modes currently in use by external examination providers at Form 6 and 7 level, in order to prepare students for the format of Cambridge and NCEA examinations and assessments.

End-of-year examinations will be a major part of the Pre-Q's assessment system. For most courses, the Pre-Q mark will be 100% derived from the Term 4 examination, although a number of Pre-Q courses will also have a coursework component (particularly in subjects which have a coursework or practical assessment component at Cambridge AS and A Level and NCEA Level 2 and Level 3).

As is currently the case for all form levels, Form 5 students will sit School Examinations in three examination sessions during the year and receive an aggregate mark (15% for the Term 1 exam, 35% for the Term 2 examination and 50% for the Term 4 examination).

This aggregate will be reported upon and used for Form 6 class placement and will be used, in conjunction with Pre-Q marks, to determine whether a student can progress to Form 6.

However, whether a student is able to gain automatic entry to the Cambridge or NCEA stream, or whether he is able to gain automatic entry to restricted Form 6 courses will be wholly determined by his Pre-Q results (in most subjects this is 100% derived from the Term 4 examinations, as above). These above criteria are consistent with the Form 6 general and specific pathway and course entry criteria set in previous years.

Students will receive a Pre-Q Results Certificate with a single percentage mark for each subject.

Passing Form 5 and Form 6:

In New Zealand there is no official criterion for 'passing' Form 5 and Form 6. In fact, schools determine their own entry criteria to Form 6 and Form 7 courses. Grammar has never practised social promotion in the Senior School. Instead it has set entrance criteria based on student performance in national qualifications, which have generally been awarded on the basis of external examinations, and in School Examinations.

To earn automatic entry to Form 6 in 2019 students must gain either 280 in six subjects or 250 in five subjects. In order to study a Cambridge course (AS), students must gain a minimum mark of 65 in each of 4 subjects in IGCSE (an aggregrate mark of 65% or higher in School examinations will be deemed the equivalent for NCEA subjects). Note also that this is general entry to the Cambridge AS pathway and a number of AS courses have specific entry requirements. Students who have studied a full NCEA course must gain a minimum of 60 credits at NCEA Level l.

The criteria for automatic entry to Form 7 for 2019 are:

• 6A-6I: a weighted, best four-subject aggregate of 200 or better in the School examinations and/or AS examinations. In order to continue on the Cambridge pathway in Form 7, students must gain a minimum of three D grades in their AS examinations. Note also that this is general entry to the Cambridge AS pathway and a number of AS courses have specific entry requirements.
• 6C1-6I1: a weighted, best four-subject aggregate of 200 or better in the School examinations and at least 60 credits at NCEA Level 2.

The weighted aggregate is generated by performance in the three School examinations held during the year. The weighting is as follows:

• Term 1 examination result = 15% of total
• Term 2 examination result = 35% of total
• Term 3 (for Form 6) or Term 4 (for Form 5) examination result = 50% of total

Form 6 and 7 class placement will be based on weighted aggregate marks of all subjects.

University Entrance:

To qualify for University Entrance at a New Zealand university, students must meet a Numeracy standard, a Literacy standard and a general subject standard. These requirements can be met through either NCEA or Cambridge qualifications (but usually not through a combination of both for the general subject standard).

While students are advised to pursue one qualification pathway or the other, in practice students will be able to qualify for tertiary entrance with a mix of the standards listed above.

In general students are expected to enter university after they have completed Form 7. Universities have entrance procedures in place to admit students who have only completed Form 6, however, these usually require higher grades. Neither the School nor the universities encourage students to seek provisional entrance. Most students cope better with university life and gain higher grades when they have completed a Form 7 course and five years of secondary education.

The University Entrance Standard

Students in Form 6 and 7 in 2018 will gain entrance to university under the standard below:

* With the exception of Career Studies, ESOL and Trades and Construction all Level 3 and Cambridge AS/A2 subjects are on the approved list.

** NZ Cambridge University Entrance Tariff (NZ CUET) = System which converts AS and A Level grades into points for entry purposes - see below: