Curriculum Overview
Course Structure
Whanganui High School offers the following course structure:
- Entry Level (Level E) Year 9
- Pre-NCEA (Level 0) Year 10
- NCEA Level 1 Year 11
- NCEA Level 2 Year 12
- NCEA Level 3 Year 13
Subject Names
All subjects have been named with reference to NCEA. Year 9 and 10 courses are labelled Entry and Pre-NCEA.
(Using Drama as an example)
- Entry Level DRAE
- Pre-NCEA DRA0
- NCEA Level 1 DRA1
- NCEA Level 2 DRA2
- NCEA Level 3 DRA3
Multilevel Courses
Students in Year 10 – 13 may study any subject at any level, as long as they meet the course entry requirements, and have gained approval from the Associate Principal. The timetable has been designed so that students are able to choose their subjects from any NCEA Level. It is expected that students choose courses, which reflect their level of achievement rather than their age.
Example: A Year 11 student may take MAO2, while a Year 13 student might decide to take ACC1.
Course Pathways
Course pathways have been designed so that students can develop their interests right up to Year 13.
Example: A student who is interested in Art could plan the following course pathway:
Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13
ARTE ART0 ART1 ARP2 + ARD2 ARP3 + ARD3
In 2019, students may take a Year 11 semester course as part of their pathway.
Course Specialisation
In general, students are encouraged to take a broad course in Year 9, 10 and 11, but may specialise more in Year 12 and 13.
Example: A student might be very interested in Science. They might choose the following science pathway:
Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13
SCIE SCI0 SCG1 BIO2 BIO3
SCE1 CHE2 CHE3
SCI1 PHY2 PHY3
ELE2 ELE3
Curriculum Levels
To cater for different student abilities, Whanganui High School offers courses of different curriculum levels, within subjects.
-
Entry Level
Entry Level courses may have up to 3 different curriculum levels. These are labelled as follows:
(Using Mathematics as an example)
Mathematics Introductory NZ Curriculum Level 3 MAIE
Mathematics Middle Band NZ Curriculum Level 4 MATE
Mathematics Extension NZ Curriculum Level 5 MAEE
-
Pre-NCEA Courses
Pre-NCEA courses may also have up to 3 different curriculum levels. These are labelled as follows:
(Using English as an example)
Pre-NCEA English NZ Curriculum Level 4 ENI0
Pre-NCEA English NZ Curriculum Level 5 ENG0
Pre-NCEA English NZ Curriculum Level 6 ENE0
-
NCEA Level 1 Courses
NCEA Level 1 courses are assessed at Level 6 of the NZ Curriculum. Courses are either fully internally assessed or a mixture of internal and external assessment.
(Using Science as an example)
NCEA Level 1 Science Internal SCI1
NCEA Level 1 Science General SCG1
NCEA Level 1 Science Extension SCE1
In 2019, students may take a Year 11 semester course as part of their pathway.
-
NCEA Level 2 Courses
NCEA Level 2 Courses are assessed at Level 7 of the NZ Curriculum. Courses are either fully internally assessed or a mixture of internal and external assessment.
(Using English as an example)
NCEA Level 2 English Extension ENE2
NCEA Level 2 English Internally ENI2
NCEA Level 2 English General* ENG2
(*a combination of internal and external assessments)
Vocational Pathways
Vocational Pathways provide new ways to achieve NCEA Level 2 – the foundation for success in further education and the world of work. The pathways help students see how their learning and achievement is valued in the ‘real world’ by aligning the NCEA Level 2 Assessment Standards including specific ‘sector-related’ standards with six industries:
• Primary Industries
• Services Industries
• Social & Community Services
• Manufacturing & Technology
• Construction & Infrastructure
• Creative Industries
These six pathways represent ways to structure and achieve NCEA Level 2 by providing a more coherent framework for foundational vocational education; students can develop their own individual education plans, are better informed and able to make better choices to meet their goals.
Government agencies, the industry training sector, secondary and tertiary representatives and industry and employer representatives worked together to develop the six Vocational Pathways for NCEA Level 2 as the foundation of the journey to employment. These groups are now in the process of developing pathways through qualifications achieved in NCEA Level 3 and beyond
For the Profile Builder tool refer to the Vocational Pathways website.
- NCEA Level 3 Courses
NCEA Level 3 Courses are offered at Level 8 of the NZ Curriculum. However, Whanganui High School offers a range of subjects in Year 13 some of which have a mix of NCEA Level 2 and 3 and/or a mix of Achievement and Unit Standard credits.
- NCEA Scholarship
Whanganui High School offers NCEA Level 3 students the opportunity to sit the NCEA Scholarships examination in subjects taught at Level 3.
Example: The NCEA Scholarship Chemistry examination is offered as part of Level 3 Chemistry.
- University Entrance Approval Courses
Whanganui High School Level 3 courses are UE approved unless the words ' Not UE approved' appear on the course description. For more information regarding University Entrance Standards refer to the NZQA website.