NZQA Scholarship Results 2020

With the release of the 2020 NZQA Scholarship results, Year 13 graduate, Grace Chang had plenty to celebrate – having already scored full marks in her IB Diploma examinations, she has also been awarded an ‘NZQA Outstanding Scholar Award’ for having gained five Scholarships - in English, Physics, Statistics, Calculus, Geography and Economics, with Calculus marked at an Outstanding level. Grace also achieved four Scholarships the year before as a Year 12 student, and two in Year 11 making a total of twelve NZQA Scholarships! For students who study in New Zealand, an overall Outstanding Scholarship Award, such as Grace has received, is worth $5,000 each year, for up to three years, as long as the recipient maintains at least a ‘B’ grade average in each year of their tertiary study.
Well done Grace!

In total, 36 of our students gained a total 45 Scholarships across a range of subjects, of which three were marked at ‘Outstanding’ level. In addition to Grace’s achievement, also of note are three students in Year 10, Sean Wang (Physics), Eric Liang (Calculus) and Emma Ying (Calculus), and four students in Year 11, Ethan Fung (Chinese), Melody Lui-Webster (Drama), Irene Wang (English) and Benjamin White (Physics), who were each awarded a Scholarship. A further eleven Year 12 students also gained Scholarships. These exams are more usually undertaken in the final year of study in Year 13 so these students can be particularly proud of their achievements!

Students who sit NZQA Scholarship are assessed on their ability to demonstrate high-level critical thinking, abstraction and generalisation. Successful students are those who can also integrate, synthesise and apply knowledge, skills, understanding and ideas to complex situations. The exams are designed to extend the very best students and are regarded as the most prestigious secondary school award in the country, offering financial rewards for those going on to full-time tertiary study in New Zealand.

New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) Scholarships Explained

Scholarship exams are rigorous, requiring high level abstract thinking and the application of knowledge and ideas to complex situations. NZQA’s intention is that 3% of the total number of Year 13 students in the country sitting Level 3 in each of the 35 available subjects will be awarded a Scholarship, provided Scholarship standards are met. Of this top 3% nationwide who gain a Scholarship pass, a small number, equating to approximately 0.5% nationwide will be accorded an Outstanding Scholarship.

At Saint Kentigern, our brightest NCEA students can elect to study towards Scholarship exams. Scholarship exams are offered by NZQA and are, therefore, aligned to NCEA. Where course content is similar, our IB Diploma students can also elect to sit Scholarship exams. However, in many cases this is not possible for some of our brightest IB Diploma students as each year there are examination clashes.

There is great monetary incentive for students to aim to achieve in these exams. New Zealand students who do well in Scholarship gain substantial monetary awards. A Scholarship in just one subject receives $500, as a single payment. An overall Outstanding Scholarship Award is worth $5,000 each year for up to three years for as long as the recipient maintains at least a ‘B’ grade average each year of their tertiary study. An overall Scholarship Award is worth $2,000 each year for up to three years for as long as the recipient maintains at least a ‘B’ grade average each year of their tertiary study. A Premier Scholarship Award is worth $10,000 for up to three years as long as the recipient maintains a ‘B’ grade average each year of their tertiary study. For the top candidate in each of the Scholarship subjects, the recipient receives $2,000 each year for up to three years as long as a ‘B’ grade average is maintained each year of their tertiary study.