NZ Scholarship Japanese

Students can enter for NZ Scholarship if they are enrolled in a consented New Zealand secondary school. You do not have to be working towards NCEA to enter. Not all schools enter students for Scholarship, and some enter only a small number of subjects, so speak to your Japanese teacher early about whether your school will support an entry.

There is no charge for domestic student entry for NZ Scholarship. If you are an international student, a separate international fee applies, and you should check the current amount with NZQA or your school before entering.

NZ Scholarship assessment is by either a written or spoken examination or by the submission of a portfolio or report of work produced throughout the year. The exact form for Japanese is set out in the subject assessment criteria, so confirm the current format with your teacher rather than assuming.

It is deliberately harder. Assessments are designed to be challenging for the most able students in each subject, and to be awarded you are expected to show deep understanding, high-level critical thinking and the ability to apply your understanding to complex situations. Strong NCEA results are a starting point, not sufficient preparation on their own.

Assessments have between 3 and 5 parts, and your score for each part is added up to give your final result. Markers give a score of 0 to 8 for each part. An 8 is outstanding in all respects, showing integration and synthesis and being accurate, comprehensive, coherent, lucid and perceptive. A 1 shows little understanding relevant to the question.

To be awarded a Scholarship or Outstanding Scholarship you need to reach a set score known as a cut score. Students who reach the cut score receive NZ Scholarship, the very top students receive Outstanding Scholarship, and students who score below the cut score do not receive NZ Scholarship in that subject. The cut score is not a fixed published mark.

The source material does not set out a retake or resit policy for NZ Scholarship. Entry is arranged through your school each year, so if you are still enrolled at a consented secondary school you should ask your teacher whether you can be entered again in a later year.

NZ Scholarship results are released in mid-February each year. Soon after results are released, your assessed work will be available through your learner login, so you can review how your answers were marked before deciding whether to apply for a reconsideration or review.

If you believe an error has been made in marking, you can apply for a reconsideration or review. There is a limited time from when your assessed work is available to apply, so check the deadline as soon as results are released and act promptly rather than waiting.

Work beyond NCEA Level 3 material: read and discuss authentic Japanese texts and media, practise sustained written and spoken argument in Japanese, and study past Scholarship exemplars to see what top-band answers look like. Ask your teacher to mark practice answers against the 0 to 8 scale so you get specific feedback on accuracy, coherence and depth.