With the release of the 2019 NZQA Scholarship results this week, six of our senior students had particular reason to celebrate, having each been awarded a ‘NZQA Scholarship Award’ for gaining three or more NZQA Scholarship exam passes. Eric Li (Year 13) and Grace Chang (Year 12) gained four scholarships each, with Jesse Niu (Year 13), Cindy Yi (Year 13), Ben Fraser (Year 13) and Heeju Rho (Year 12) each gaining three apiece. This is the second year that Ben has earned this award, having also sat Scholarship exams the previous year as a Year 12 student. These students will be awarded up to $6000 each towards their tertiary studies.

In total, 24 of our students gained a total 41 Scholarships across a range of subjects, of which 6 were marked at ‘Outstanding’ level. Also of note are the two students in Year 11, Winnie Liang and Kevin He who were earned a Scholarship each, Winnie’s being marked at ‘Outstanding’ level, and the 13 students in Year 12 who were awarded 19 Scholarships, including three at ‘Outstanding’ level. These exams are more usually undertaken in the final year of study in Year 13.

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.

We take pride in the achievements of our students in all their fields of endeavour, but academic outcomes remain the most important. These results will open doors to the next stage of learning for these students as they continue on to their tertiary education.

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.

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