NCEA
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the national qualification for senior secondary school students in New Zealand. The internal and external examinations are held by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
Courses challenge students of all abilities, in all learning areas. Students are offered huge flexibility in their course selection and this is the pathway that most will choose.
Students who take the NCEA pathway at St Peter’s can choose from 20-30 subject options (depending on their year level); opening them up to multiple learning opportunities and an infinite number of career choices.
Our pass rates for NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 are at 95% or above, with many students achieving Merit and Excellence endorsement rates.
Recent St Peter’s graduates are attending a number of universities including Auckland University and Otago University in New Zealand, and Princeton University and Stanford University in the United States of America.
Meet Ing, NCEA Student
"Hi, My name is Ing. I chose to study NCEA because of the countless opportunities it can provide me both in the present and for my future study pathway."
My favourite part of studying NCEA is the freedom of subject choices that NCEA can offer. It is an educational system that is recognised widely so the opportunities after high school are endless.
I hope to gain skills such as critical and creative thinking as I believe studying under NCEA gives students a positive challenge by engaging students’ thinking. Rather than tell us the answers, NCEA asks us questions that force students to think outside the box and develop our ability to be open-minded.
This year I am studying Mathematics, English, EAL, Fashion, Geography and Chemistry. My favourite subject is Fashion as it allows me to show my artistic creativity.
In 2023, I will travel to North Carolina to attend Chapel Hill University. I have received a full three year scholarship. I will continue to play golf at an elite level as part of my course.
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is a highly respected international qualification with a holistic education philosophy designed to produce internationally-minded global citizens.
St Peter’s School, Cambridge is proud to be the only school in the Central North Island to offer the IB.
The IB mission statement provides a long-term holistic vision of student-centred education. Arthur Broadhurst, our founder, was ahead of his time as he developed his ethos of Body, Mind, Spirit – IB and St Peter’s School, Cambridge were destined to be twinned.
The IB Diploma is an academically rigorous two-year qualification which ensures that students build a well-rounded academic foundation through the study of six subjects across key curriculum groups: Literature, Language acquisition, Individual and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics and the Arts.
International Baccalaureate's mission statement
Meet Daisuke, IB Student
Daisuke Fujiwara scored 40 points at the end of his IB Diploma. He talks about why he chose IB.
“I personally chose the IB diploma over the NCEA certification because of three factors: the way you learn, the smaller class sizes and flexibility for university applications.
I believe that the way that IB is taught allows knowledge to be retained better and can be applied to learning more easily rather than just learning things purely for an internal assessment. The class sizes also tend to be smaller, meaning you get more opportunities to interact with your teacher and be able to ask for help. Finally, the IB diploma is internationally recognised, and I wanted to apply to both overseas and New Zealand Universities. Therefore the IB diploma gave me the flexibility to do this.
I have applied to Minerva University in San Francisco and also The University of Auckland for 2022. IB has also taught me valuable knowledge and allowed me to question the way I think, view and perceive the world. These skills that I have developed are ultimately more valuable than the diploma itself”.
