NCEA Level 1 Chemistry and Biology: genetic variation and materials

NCEA Level 1 Chemistry and Biology standards

That is 9 external and 11 internal credits, 20 in total. These standards came in with the new Level 1 in 2024 and replaced the earlier Level 1 Biology and Chemistry standards, AS90925 to AS90934. NZQA's past exams and assessment schedules are on its Chemistry and Biology past exams page.

The NCEA Level 1 Chemistry and Biology exam

NZQA's 2027 assessment specifications say the exam is online and digital, with three questions answered in paragraphs, each possibly in several parts. Questions are set in contexts that may be unfamiliar, and resource material is provided. For 92023 you get a resource booklet with a periodic table and an example list of physical properties.

What each external covers

Genetic variation (92022)

You explain the source and nature of genetic variation in a characteristic, such as a trait with differences in appearance. Sources for an individual include mutation and sexual reproduction; sources for a population include small population size, differing rates of survival, migration and non-random mating. You also need gene tracking methods: NZQA names DNA profiling, DNA sequencing, and pedigree or genome analysis. You should know the terms allele frequency and population, and how sources of variation change allele frequency. Excellence answers evaluate findings when variation has been tracked to identify genetic relationships.

Physical properties of materials (92023)

You link the properties of a material to its use through its particles (atoms, ions, molecules or electrons) and the relative strength of the attractive forces between them. The materials are limited to molecular substances such as water and iodine; metallic solids such as copper wire; ionic materials such as salt and nitrate fertilisers; natural and synthetic polymers such as DNA, proteins and non-stick coatings; and covalent networks such as diamond and graphite. Properties include density, thermal and electrical conductivity, melting and boiling points, solubility in water, malleability and hardness.

Worked examples

Materials: why copper makes good wiring

Copper is a metallic solid: a lattice of positive copper ions in a sea of delocalised electrons. The electrons are free to move, so copper conducts electricity well. The layers of ions can slide over each other without breaking the metallic bonding, because the electrons still hold them together, so copper can be drawn into thin wires.

Materials: diamond or graphite?

Graphite conducts because each carbon atom has one electron not used in bonding, which is free to move along the layers. Diamond has none.

Genetic variation: reading a pedigree

Albinism is caused by a recessive allele, a. Two parents without albinism have a child with albinism, so each parent must carry one a allele and be Aa. Each of their future children has a 1 in 4 chance of being aa. An Excellence answer would go on to evaluate what the pedigree can and cannot show, for example that a small family gives only limited evidence.

Genetic variation: allele frequency

A population of 400 kiwi has 800 copies of a gene. If 120 of them are a particular allele, its frequency is 120 ÷ 800 = 0.15. If birds with that allele survive better, it will tend to become more common over the generations; in a small population, chance alone can also change it.

Identify the type of bonding, the first step in any 92023 answer, in our Chemical Bonding course, then press Mark to check your answer in the course:

Grades, credits and endorsements

Every NCEA standard is graded Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit or Excellence, and earns its credits at whatever grade you reach. Achieved shows you meet the standard, Merit shows deeper understanding, and Excellence shows it applied to harder, unfamiliar problems.

• The certificate: NCEA Level 1 needs 60 credits at Level 1 or above, plus the 20-credit literacy and numeracy co-requisite, which you can gain any time before you leave school. Since 2024 you can no longer carry 20 credits over from the level below.
• Certificate endorsement: 50 credits at Merit or better gives a Merit endorsement; 50 at Excellence gives an Excellence endorsement.
• Course endorsement: 14 or more credits at Merit or Excellence in one subject in one year, with at least 3 from internal and 3 from external standards in most subjects.

Use the daily papers as practice exams

Uni-Sine publishes two free daily papers for ChemBio, one on the Chemistry side and one on the Biology side. Each is a short timed paper: 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, marked instantly, with worked answers. Neither is a full NCEA exam or written by NZQA, so treat them as quick daily practice alongside NZQA's past papers.

• Chemistry paper covers well: atomic structure and bonding and structure, which support 92023. It also includes moles, titrations, electrolysis, organic chemistry, rates and energy changes, which are not Level 1 ChemBio externals, though rates and energy changes can help with the internal on chemical reactions.
• Biology paper covers well: genetics and inheritance, cell division and evolution, which support 92022. It misses gene tracking methods such as DNA profiling, and includes homeostasis, the nervous system, the circulatory system and photosynthesis, which are not Level 1 ChemBio externals.
• Neither covers: the internals, or the paragraph-style evaluation the digital exam asks for. Practise that with NZQA past exams and their assessment schedules.

A good routine is one daily paper under timed conditions, then a careful look at every mark you dropped, then one NZQA past paper a week in the weeks before the exam.

NCEA changes for 2026, 2027 and beyond

NCEA still applies in 2026 and 2027, so the standards on this page are the ones you will sit. In 2028, Year 11 moves to a new foundational award focused on reading, writing and maths, and NCEA Level 1 ends. The Government agreed the structure of the new qualification system on 26 March 2026, and the Ministry of Education confirmed further details and the timeline on 16 May 2026.

Common mistakes in NCEA Level 1 Chemistry and Biology

• Naming the bonding but not linking it. Explain how the particles and forces cause the property, then how the property suits the use.
• Saying covalent bonds break when a molecular substance melts. Only the weak forces between molecules are overcome.
• Confusing individual and population sources of variation. Mutation and sexual reproduction act on individuals; migration, survival and population size change a population.
• Treating a pedigree as certain. Say what it shows and what more evidence, such as DNA testing, would confirm.

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