Students entering Year 12

All students in Year 12 will select 6 courses.

English is compulsory. This is to make sure students gain Level 2 University Entrance Literacy. 

Mathematics in Year 12 is strongly recommended.  

For some subjects at NCEA Level 2 there may be prerequisites. This means students need to have studied a designated Level 1 subject and gained a specified number of credits or achieved certain standards.

Many employers see NCEA Level 2 or above as the basic requirement for a job or apprenticeship. Students interested in a trade or practical vocation can often work towards this and earn NCEA credits at Level 2 while they are at school.  Their options can include a Vocational Pathways course at a tertiary education provider.

Students who select Automotive Engineering Vocational Pathways or Building and Construction Vocational Pathways will automatically be selected for Unitec.

Students who select English Vocational Pathway, Maths Vocational Pathway or Science Vocational Pathway will select one more option of their choice.

Before selecting courses, students should explore their options by:

• Comparing the information on tertiary options on the NZ Careers website: www.careers.govt.nz
• Talking to students who are in tertiary study or training now or who have just finished
• Talking to family/whānau, teachers, their Kaimanaaki Tangata and/or the Careers Team about your ideas
• Using the Jobs database to find out what you need to get into a job of interest
• Use the Course searcher tool to look up what and where you can study
• Students aiming to do a degree at a tertiary institution should take great care that their selected courses are also available as a Level 3 course. It is a good idea to choose Year 13 courses first and then work backwards to the Year 12 courses that will support these.
• Volunteering in your community

Other Information

• Most courses consist of 16-20 credits.
• Achievement Standards and Unit Standards can provide credits for Tertiary entrance or qualifications - see the most up to date University Entrance requirements which can be found in the careers centre.
• To obtain Level 2 National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), a candidate needs to get at least 60 credits at Level 2 or above plus 10 Literacy credits and 10 Numeracy credits.

N.B. Course availability is dependent on numbers and staffing, and course entry will be confirmed at the beginning of 2025. Students will be required to select additional back-up courses as part of this process.