NCEA L1 Te Reo Māori

The subject is the study of listening, speaking, reading and writing in Māori. At Level 1 your course is made up of achievement standards, each covering a specific set of skills and knowledge and worth credits. Ask your kaiako which Level 1 standards your course uses, as the NZQA page lists standards by level rather than by topic.

Both. NZQA states the Te Reo Māori subject page supports internal and external assessment (exams). Internally assessed standards are marked during the year in school; externally assessed standards are examined at the end of the year. Some skills, such as delivering a mihi in te reo Māori, are assessed internally because they cannot be tested in a sit-down exam.

They are the two Level 1 pathways listed on the NZQA Te Reo Māori page. Kete Manarua has its own assessment specifications, tasks and schedules. Tūmahi Aromatawai Pātahi (TAPA) has its own page with assessment specifications, resources and information. Check with your kaiako which pathway your course follows.

The published 2026 dates are: standard 92095 on 28 October; 92094, 91286 and 91687 on 16 November; 91652 and 91653 on 26 November; and 93003 on 1 December. Dates are per standard, so confirm the date for each standard you are entered for against the official 2026 assessment timetable.

NZQA does not publish a difficulty rating, and NCEA results are reported per standard as Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit or Excellence rather than as a single pass mark. The realistic measure is whether you can meet each standard's requirements. Past exams, exemplars and assessment schedules show the expected level, and the annual national moderator's report discusses issues and trends in assessment.

The source material does not state a retake policy for Te Reo Māori external assessments, so this cannot be confirmed here. Credits you have already gained last forever, so a resit would not be needed to protect them. Ask your school's NZQA liaison or contact NZQA directly about entering a standard again in a later year.

You need 80 credits to gain NCEA. Each standard you achieve in Te Reo Māori contributes credits towards that total. Credits can be built up during the year or over more than one year. For 50 credits at Merit or Excellence you gain Certificate Endorsement, and 14 credits at Excellence in a course gives Course Endorsement.

The NZQA Te Reo Māori page links to past exams, exemplars, assessment schedules and reports for Levels 1, 2 and 3, plus cut scores for past exam scores and access to digital exams for past digital assessments. Internal exemplars for internally assessed standards are also linked, along with the national moderator's report and clarifications.

Start with the assessment specifications for your pathway, since they define what each standard requires. Then work through past exams and exemplars for your standards and compare your answers with the assessment schedules. Read the national moderator's report for common assessment issues, and check clarifications for any updates. Confirm the order with your kaiako, who knows your course.

A common failure mode is preparing only for the exam and neglecting internally assessed standards, which are marked during the year. Another is practising without checking the assessment schedule, so you never see how evidence is judged. NZQA's moderator's reports and clarifications flag issues and trends in assessment; use them alongside past papers rather than relying on memory of the subject.