ncea level 1 film essay questions

English exemplars, past exams, reports and schedules

Internal and external assessment resources for English

New Level 1 standards 2024

NZQA will publish exemplars to support implementation of the new Level 1 standards where student samples from the pilots reflect the implemented standard. This will occur between 9 October 2023 and no later than the end of May 2024.

Where student samples reflecting the implemented standard are not available, exemplars will be made available on an ongoing basis after 2024 external moderation and marking has occurred.

Internal assessment exemplars 

AS 91924 - Demonstrate understanding of how context shapes verbal language use

AS 91925 - Demonstrate understanding of specific aspects of studied text

External assessments and exemplars

Level 1 English exams and exemplars (external link)

Assessment reports and schedules

Level 1 English assessment reports and schedules (external link)

On this page

Internal assessment exemplars.

AS 91101 - Produce a selection of crafted and controlled writing (2.4A)

AS 91101 - Produce a selection of crafted and controlled writing (2.B)

AS 91102 - Construct and deliver a crafted and controlled oral text (2.5)

AS 91103 - Create a crafted and controlled visual and verbal text (2.6)

AS 91104 - Analyse significant connections across texts, supported by evidence (2.7)

AS 91105 - Use information literacy skills to form developed conclusion(s) (2.8)

AS 91106 - Form developed personal responses to independently read texts supported by evidence (2.9)

AS 91107 - Analyse aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close viewing and/or listening, supported by evidence (2.10)

Level 2 English exams and exemplars (external link)

Level 2 English assessment reports and schedules (external link)

AS 91475 - Produce a selection of fluent and coherent writing which develops, sustains, and structures ideas (3.4A)

AS 91475 - Produce a selection of fluent and coherent writing which develops, sustains, and structures ideas (3.4B)

AS 91476 - Create and deliver a fluent and coherent oral text which develops, sustains, and structures ideas (3.5)

AS 91477 - Create and deliver a fluent and coherent visual text which develops, sustains, and structures ideas using verbal and visual language (3.6A)

AS 91477 - Create and deliver a fluent and coherent visual text which develops, sustains, and structures ideas using verbal and visual language (3.6B)

AS 91478 - Respond critically to significant connections across texts, supported by evidence (3.7)

AS 91479 - Develop an informed understanding of literature and/or language using critical texts (3.8)

AS 91480 - Respond critically to significant aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence (3.9)

Level 3 English exams and exemplars (external link)

Level 3 English assessment reports and schedules (external link)

See all subjects

NCEA Level 1 English Annotated Exemplars

6 January 2022

6 minutes to read

• 01. How do you find the annotated exemplars?
• 02. Why are annotated exemplars helpful for your study?
• 03. Let’s look at a student’s Written Text, Merit exemplar from 2018
• 04. Critiques from the examiner:
• 05. Let’s take a look at the Visual Text excellence exemplar from 2018
• 06. Critiques from the examiner
• 07. Want some extra help?

While navigating Level 1 English, the NZQA website will be at the forefront of your studying and revising experience. NZQA has achievement standards, in which you can plan out exactly what is required from you and how to achieve every mark, achieved, merit and, excellence. The site has reports of each year for how the students performed and what mistakes they commonly made. Perhaps the most effective studying material is the annotated exemplars and exam questions.

Perhaps you are thinking about how you are going to pass NCEA Level 1 English? If so, then this could be good to check out! Or maybe you’re looking at how many credits will get you there? If you're feeling particularly philosophical then how about you read this blog on why English is important as a subject ? Maybe you just need a brush up on your essay writing skills, then have a look at this. 

How do you find the annotated exemplars?

Simply log on to the NZQA website, type in level 1 English and there will be a drop-down menu where you can access everything from reports, achievement standards right through to annotated exemplars. You can find this dropdown below.

Why are annotated exemplars helpful for your study?

Have you ever got stuck when revising and struggled with your course work for NCEA Level 1 English? Maybe you're confused as to what the next step is to really gain that higher mark; after all, you’ve had your eye on that excellence for a long time.  Annotated exemplars are the way to go because they give you a clear example as to what an achieved, merit and excellence look like. You can take tips as to how the essays were each written and look specifically at the structure of how the text was developed. These also could be helpful if you happen to have studied that particular written text or visual text. Exemplars give you a clear indication as to what is possible under exam constraints; they can show you how effective planning is as well. There is also notes at the end written by the examiner which will be super valuable for you to unpack and reflect on when comparing them to the overall student’s essay.

Let’s look at a student’s Written Text, Merit exemplar from 2018

Let’s first look at the questions for 2018 which in this case, the student selected this question.

"Describe at least one method the writer used to encourage the reader with the text. Explain how this method helped to engage you? Methods could include, characters, events, relationships, narrative points of view, language techniques, style, conflict and structure." Here, the essay question is all about the methods in relation to the reader and writer relationship. Let’s unpack this more.

In this particular essay, the student is dissecting the written text, Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.  This text paints a post-apocalyptic world where a human being falls in love with a zombie . Throughout the movie, love and identity are explored. Techniques-wise, the author uses symbolism as a means to highlight music and art throughout the novel.

Music is shown as a clear method to showcase the main character's relationship between R and Julie’s. The song ‘Hello, Goodbye ’ by the Beatles clearly addresses their unique relationship, particularly the dynamic on which they first meet. R is wanting to get to know Julie while she is more afraid, needing some distance from him. The lyrics clearly illustrate contrast with what the other one wants and their different expectations. For example, in the song it states:

“You say, "Yes", I say, "No" You say, "Stop" and I say, "Go, go, go"

This relationship dynamic is further wedged with more distance when the lyric states, ‘You say goodbye, I say hello”. They clearly both want different things and the music as a technique helps to clearly show this for the reader.

Marion further developed their relationship by utilizing the John Lennon song ‘Imagine’. This is shown with the lyric “Imagine all the people living life in peace”. Through this lyric, we are given insight into R and Julie’s new budding relationship. They now trust each other and envision a world where both humans and zombies can live together in harmony. In the 2018 exemplar, the student then stated that they were engaged by the text because they felt that music was often a soundtrack for people’s lives. Through the songs, they were able to get more insight into the characters and therefore connect with them on a  deeper level.

Critiques from the examiner:

One of the crucial parts of reading exemplars is the feedback at the end. For this particular essay, the examiner stated that the student unpacked and detailed the points well. They also mentioned that the student has related the points to the author’s purpose as well as the wider themes beyond the text. If you want to read more head to the NZQA website to find this and other exemplars.

Let’s take a look at the Visual Text excellence exemplar from 2018

First, let’s launch into the question that was selected by the student. “ Describe at least one challenging setting in the text. Explain how setting helped you understand an important aspect of the text.”

Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle showcases multiple settings where the main character, Jamal rises up from where he came from in the slums. In settings like the orphanage and slums, we see the underdog continuously overcome challenges and become very successful.

In the 2018 exemplar, the student addresses the first setting where the Juhu slum is depicted . The scene opens with a chase where the two boys are seen running away from the policeman. This challenging setting is further established through the use of a shaky camera, which follows the boys jumping over the fence. In this way, we can also make the connection that they have a shaky life, unsettled and unstable. This helps to build tension for the next scene. Furthermore, there is a Dutch camera angle that has the camera carelessly placed on the ground, with the boys running past it swiftly.  This further displays the uneasiness of the boy’s environment. However, we do see a clear contrast later when the boys appear to outwit the policeman. Showing this scene and doing it so early on in the film really solidifies the important idea of the underdog triumphing over authority.  When you break down the title of the film as well, Boyle really makes it clear as to what will happen and he contextualizes it very well with the underdog film.

Another very important setting is the game show setting. Prem the host is seen making fun of Jamal, further establishing Jamal as the underdog again. After Jamal gets a question right, the camera angles switch to being more balanced and on even keel footing, with both men shown in the view. This change clearly flips the underdog characterization on its head as Jamal is now appearing to be almost dominating the show. It is both shocking and incredible when Jamal is seen to win “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. This is because the class system in India has a very strong presence in society. The fact that Jamal overcame where he came from, shredded his underdog status and got away with winning such a huge prize, is hugely significant.

Critiques from the examiner

The examiner liked the structure this exemplar showed. For example, the clear distinction made between talking about the slum, the orphanage and then the studio. Furthermore, the examiner liked the notion that the student included the reader in the text. For example, when the student wrote “we are encouraged to rise up like Jamal”. This awareness of text and the film director helps to further establish a relationship with the reader by comparing the main character to the reader. It’s always a good point to show some common ground with the reader/examiner as it deepens the relationship and makes more insightful points.

Want some extra help?

Are you wanting a more hands-on approach to writing the best essay you can write? Maybe you're feeling stuck with how your progress is going in class? Or perhaps you are needing more guidance with those menacing exams at the end of the year? In any case, have a log on to Superprof, which is an online tutoring website that specializes in helping to get you to the next level of your NCEA Level 1 journey. The first lesson is free so there is really a strong incentive to get involved and have a look to see if tutoring is right for you. There are hundreds of tutors, each there to help with providing extra resources, insights into exam writing, practical tips and just simply some extra support for when you’re feeling swamped. Log on to Superprof today and start learning how to absolutely nail those NCEA Level 1 exams and Internals!

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Preparing For Your First NCEA Exam

Written by studytimenz

It’s your first year of NCEA exams, and you’re looking at the stressed-out year 12’s, the lifeless Year 13’s, and (if you’re a normal, reasonable human being) you’re probably starting to question what the heck you got yourself into. 

Welcome to the weird world of NCEA.

Year 11’s… this one is for you. 

How To Deal With The Pressure

So the initial excitement is over (if it was there to begin with), you’ve made the most of your year 11 privileges at the canteen, and now you’re coming face to face with your first exams. 

The marking schedule likely makes no sense, you’ve got “internals,” “credits” and “assessment schedules” running around your head – because your English teacher has been harping on about them for months, and you still don’t know what it all actually means. 

On top of that, your parents have suddenly decided that you need to become a child genius overnight, and (again, if you’re being a reasonable person) you’re probably getting quite stressed. 

So how do you deal with the pressure?

1. Make a Plan 

We’re going to keep it simple. It might seem like a great idea to avoid all your problems, but in the end, you need some sort of plan. The best way to make sure that you don’t burn out (by working too hard, too soon) or not get your work done (doing too little, too late) is to make a plan. 

The structure (and aesthetic) of your plan doesn’t matter. The important thing here is your thought process.  Making a plan involves evaluating what you need to do, and looking at how much time you have  in order to get everything done. As long as you’re making a realistic plan of what you’re going to do, then you’ll be less stressed because you know that no matter what your parents say, you’ve got it sorted. 

If you haven’t got it sorted, here’s an  article  on how to make the perfect study plan. 

2. Play the Long Game 

You’re in this for the long haul, and that means you can’t treat these exams like a singular task that you can pull an all-nighter to fix, and then get on with your life. To be quite honest, you’ll have to deal with exams for a few years, and the best thing you can do is play the long game. 

Think about it this way. If you’re playing a sports game, you don’t want to awkwardly start sprinting at the start of the game, and then die 10 minutes later (because let’s be honest, we all skipped cardio over lockdown). 

Instead, you’ll want to pace yourself, so that you manage to survive the entire game, and then your team also has a better chance of winning. 

Essentially, you’ll want to do the same thing with your exams.  Pace yourself. 

If you pull all-nighters and start spending all your energy on “fixing your life” and finally understanding physics with 2 days to spare, you’ll burn out pretty quickly, and you won’t be working at your best for your other exams. 

What does this actually mean? 

You can’t control your environment. You can’t control whether NCEA throws exams at you. You can’t control your parents’ reactions, or whether you have your favourite meal for dinner. What you can control, is yourself. 

Even if everything around you is turning to custard, you can always control your response to stress and pressure. Therefore, if you’re the only thing you can control, then  the best way to deal with pressure is to look after yourself.  

(And no, this isn’t an excuse to binge Euphoria and call it self care – looking after your mental health, in the long run, means actually studying so that you don’t get super stressed later).

It sounds vague and cliché, but your physical and mental health are so important. You’re stuck in this body, so it makes sense that you should spend a bit of time making sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible, right? 

Here are a few things you can do: 

• Take regular study breaks (but actually study – even 10 minutes a day adds up!) 
• Go for walks outside, and see if you can spot a pretty leaf, or look for patterns in the clouds. Take some time to switch off and appreciate nature. It helps. 
• Spend some time with your friends and family.
• Eat regular meals.
• Make sure you’re getting 8 hours of sleep. 

Figuring Out What The Examiner Wants From You

Not only do you have to learn the content for your exams, but you also have a random old woman in Wellington (let’s call her Deborah) who is marking your work. You’ll probably never meet her, she has no idea who you are, and yet she has the power to say yay or nay to your essays. 

She reads hundreds of essays a day, and honestly, she needs a break. Your job is to make her life slightly easier, and figure out exactly what she’s looking for when she’s marking your work. 

Put yourself in Deborah’s shoes for a minute. 

You’re reading a student’s exam answers, and you can immediately see that they’ve used the keywords from the essay question, or that they’ve said “gene” instead of “jean” in biology (it’s a good start). Once you see the key language being used, or their essay is structured nicely and is easy to read, it’s fairly easy to whack an excellence on their page, and go grab a cup of tea. 

(Deborah approves) 

Here’s what you can do: 

1. Use the Key Language

As we said earlier, the examiner is looking for key language. These are basically like giant neon signs saying “I know what I’m talking about!” and without these, it’s a lot harder to get those merits and excellences. 

So, make sure that you’re taking note of the basic definitions and key terms for the sciences, and for English, it isn’t “good guy” and “bad guy” anymore – it’s “protagonist” and “antagonist.” These might seem like really small changes, but we promise you, they all add up. 

2. Look at the Assessment Schedules 

The assessment schedule is the examiner’s cheat sheet when they mark your work. What better way to see how you’ll be marked than to look at the cheat sheet itself? 

Essentially, the assessment schedule will tell you exactly what you need for each question in order to get achieved, merit, or excellence. This is a great way to study, because you can practice questions yourself, and then have a look at what you did, and what you’ve missed out on (so that you can improve later). 

3. Do Practice Papers 

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. The best way to prepare for exams is to do exams yourself. Testing yourself at home, under exam conditions, is the best way to practice for the real thing. 

If you’re practising with past papers, here are some of our tips: 

• Test yourself under exam conditions: This means setting a timer, and not blasting music while you study. 
• Don’t take breaks: see if you can do a whole exam paper in one hour, just like you would in the exam. 
• Check if you’re allowed a calculator, and if you’re not, then don’t use one! 
• Don’t have your notes open, or have quotes written down next to you. 
• Once you’ve attempted a paper, have another go with your notes available, and see how much you can add to your answers (in another coloured pen, so that you can see what you could remember initially)

4. Look at the Excellence Exemplars

The excellence exemplars are a great resource, even if you’re not aiming for excellence yourself. It’s a great way to see how you respond to the question you’re given, and you can see what you need to try and do when you answer similar questions. 

Excellence exemplars are perfect for when you’re confused or stuck on how to answer questions. If you have no idea what the examiner wants from you, have a look at some exemplars, and see how the student breaks down each component, and answers each part of the question. 

A word of caution:  While the exemplars are great, they are never perfect. Make sure that you check the assessment schedule for the correct answers. The excellence exemplars are just student answers, which may still receive good marks, even if they have minor errors in them. 

5. Mark Your Own Work

Once you’ve attempted some past papers, and looked at the excellence exemplars, you’re ready to mark your own work. 

This is like your final test. You get to pretend to be Deborah for a minute and use the assessment schedule to mark your own work. 

The trick with this is to pretend it’s not your own work. Whether you think you knew what you were talking about, or you know you had no clue, check what you actually wrote.  There’s a difference between what you understood, and what you were able to tell the examiner. 

If you’re a tough marker, then you’ll be able to pick out areas that need improvement, and you can realistically give yourself a grade. Then, you’ll be able to go away and study the content that you missed, and you’ll be able to  prioritise your studying  so that you’re not trying to cram 100 things into your brain at once. 

Comparing Practice Exams and Externals

You’re probably reading this article because your mock exams (or ‘practice exams’ if we’re being proper here) are fast approaching. The chances are, you’ve seen the Year 12’s chilling at the canteen, or the Year 13’s who are doing their annual Maccas run to get through the exam period. Why aren’t they stressing out as much as you are?

While it may seem cool to write off your exams, you should definitely take them seriously, because they’re your best method of preparing for the real thing at the end of the year. 

If you’re preparing for a basketball game, you’ll do some cardio to keep fit, and shoot hoops to practice your aim. 

In the same way, the best way to practise for your exams (and get the best grades you can) is to study for your mock exams, and use them as a way to practise for the real thing. 

Believe it or not, that’s why they’re called “Practice Exams.” 

If you take your practice exams seriously, then you can see what works and what doesn’t, and then adapt your study habits accordingly. Also, if you’ve already memorised your quotes for English, or gone over a bunch of practice questions for maths, then you won’t have to cram that in at the end of the year. 

Why Should You Study for Your Practice Exams? 

• If you study for your mocks, you’ll be able to chill out a bit more for your externals. 
• You’ll have extra time to master the tricky parts of each subject before your externals (calculus and physics, we’re looking at you). 
• You can mess up, and there aren’t major consequences! This is the time to experiment with your study techniques and see what works best for you.
• You’ll be more confident when it comes to your externals, because you know that you’ve aced the practice exams already.
• If you don’t do well in your practice exams, you can see which areas need more work, and you can see what you did well on (you can adapt your studying based on your practice exam results). 
• It’s the best way to prepare for your externals – it is literally a trial run with no consequences. 
• You can establish a really good routine, whether this is your daily routine, or a long term study plan. Say you start studying 2 weeks before mocks, and realise that you ran out of time. For your externals, you can start 3 weeks earlier, and you’ll have learnt from your practice exams. 

How Does COVID-19 Impact Your Exams?

First of all, entering your first year of NCEA is hard enough without a global pandemic going on. If you’re stressing out about how COVID-19 will affect your education, that’s absolutely valid. 

Secondly, don’t be too hard on yourself. You may not have the grades that you were hoping for, but considering everything that’s happening at the moment, you should be proud of the effort that you’ve put it, and the perseverance that you’ve shown this year. 

It’s tough, but you’ll be okay. 

With that being said, here are our thoughts on how COVID may impact your exams, and what you can do about it. 

Where To Look For Information About COVID-19

First of all,  keep up to date with the national announcements  about COVID-19, as this is our most reliable and timely source of information. All schools will be following the guidelines from the government, so this is a good source to check if you’re worried about how COVID-19 is progressing. 

The more definitive place to ask about your learning is your school. Every school is handling things slightly differently, so  get in touch with your school  to have a genuine idea of what’s going on, and how you will personally be affected. 

Other places you can look include the  NCEA exam timetable , so  check the NZQA website  for information about your exams. This is a good idea of when your exams will be held, if everything goes according to plan. 

Here’s a quick summary of how NCEA has changed this year, due to the coronavirus. 

• Exam dates have been extended , to give you more time to prepare. Exams start on the 16th of November (instead of the 6th) and end of the 9th of December (instead of the 2nd). 
• Portfolios are now due on the 12th of November  so that you have more time to prepare these.
• You now receive Learning Recognition (LR) credits . For every 5 credits that you earn, you can be awarded an additional 1 credit (and up to 10 total additional credits at NCEA Level 1). 
• Endorsements are now awarded at 46 credits , instead of the original 50 credits that were required. This means that if you have 46 merit or excellence credits, you will earn an NCEA Level 1 merit or excellence endorsement. 

If You’re an Auckland student: 

• You will receive 1 LR credit for every 4 credits that you earn, with a maximum of 16 total LR credits. 
• If you earn 44 credits at merit or excellence, you will earn an endorsement (while other regions have to meet the 46 credit requirement)

If you’d like more information, check the  NZQA website  to see the changes.

Wrap Up 

Despite the pressure from your parents and teachers, we know that you’ve got this. If you look after your mental and physical health, make a plan and start studying early, and make the most of your practice exams, you’ll have no reason to panic. 

NCEA is a tough one, and you’re in it for the long haul. 

But before you know it, your exams will be behind you, you’ll be having an ice cream on the beach, and you’ll look back and wonder why you were so stressed. 

Until then, good luck, and we believe in you. You’ve got this. 

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