New Zealand Scholarship Design and Visual Communication Assessment

It is an award recognising top secondary school students, assessed subject by subject. Candidates are expected to show deep subject understanding, high-level critical thinking, and the ability to apply understanding to complex situations. Students who achieve it receive a monetary award, and multiple Scholarship winners may be recognised at NZQA's Top Scholar Award ceremony.

The specific requirements for this subject are not confirmed on this page. NZQA states that Scholarship assessment is by either a written or spoken examination, or by submission of a portfolio or report of work produced throughout the year. Ask your teacher which applies, and check the current subject page and assessment specifications before planning your year.

You can enter if you are enrolled in a consented New Zealand secondary school, and you do not have to be working towards NCEA. However, not all schools enter students for Scholarship, and some enter only a small number of subjects, so talk to your teacher early about whether entry is possible.

Assessments are designed to be challenging for the most able students. Each assessment has between 3 and 5 parts, and markers score each part from 0 to 8, with scores added for a final result. A score of 8 is outstanding in all respects; 1 shows little relevant understanding; 0 is blank or irrelevant.

You must reach a set score called a cut score for Scholarship or Outstanding Scholarship. Scripts close to either cut score are re-marked to ensure results are correct. Students below the cut score do not receive Scholarship in that subject. The actual cut score is not published in the source material used here.

The number available in a subject is limited to around 3% of the number of students who achieve 14 or more credits in that subject at NCEA Level 3. There is some variation around that 3%, mainly for subjects with few NCEA Level 3 candidates.

The source does not describe a general resit or retake policy. It does state that if you believe a marking error has been made, you can apply for a reconsideration or review, within a limited time from when your assessed work is available or your portfolio is returned.

NZ Scholarship results are released in mid-February each year, and soon after that your assessed work is available through your learner login. Scholarship Visual Arts portfolios are returned in December after marking is completed; return arrangements for other portfolio-based subjects are not stated in the source.

There is no charge for domestic student entry for NZ Scholarship. International students pay a fee, and NZQA directs them to its secondary education fees information for the amount. If cost is a concern, confirm your status with your school before the entry deadline.

Speak to your teacher about entry and the assessment format, then work steadily on a body of resolved design work with clear visual communication and evidence of critical decision-making. Study previous top-scholar exemplars published by NZQA, and practise explaining your design thinking concisely, since top scores reward integration, coherence and perceptiveness.