NCEA Level 1 Science externals (91922 and 91923)

The NCEA Level 1 Science externals

Level 1 Science is about how science works, not a list of physics, chemistry and biology topics. It has four standards worth 5 credits each, and these two are the externals. The other two, 91920 and 91921, are internal.

The NCEA Level 1 Science exam in 2026 and 2027

The 2026 Level 1 Science exam is on Wednesday 25 November, in the afternoon session. NZQA's 2027 timetable is not out yet: it says exams run from 9 November to 3 December 2027 and the subject timetable is due in December 2026. NZQA's specifications for both years say the assessment is an online digital examination.

• One question each: each standard is a single question with several parts, answered in short sentences or paragraphs.
• Stimulus material: an account of how a science idea developed for 91922, and a set of science-related claims for 91923, come in a separate paper booklet on the day of the exam.
• The features change by year: NZQA's 2026 specification selects the features for 91922 from replicable, verifiable data collection, interpreting patterns and interactions, new evidence or varied perspectives such as Māori and Pacific knowledge systems, being tentative, and the attributes of the people doing science. The 2027 specification selects them from linking new evidence to existing models and ideas, social and cultural factors, technology, responding to needs and opportunities, and being tentative.

Features of science (91922)

The standard (version 4) says a local context is an Aotearoa New Zealand or Pacific context. Achieved identifies the features of science for an identified science idea and outlines how each contributed to its development. Merit explains why each feature was significant. Excellence examines the features: it discusses how they interacted in the development of the idea.

A made-up example for practice. A resource describes researchers who attach tiny trackers to kererū and find the birds travel much farther than expected. At Achieved, you name the feature (new evidence from technology) and give the example from the resource. At Merit you explain why it mattered: the trackers gave data that no field observer could collect, which changed the idea of how far the birds spread seeds. At Excellence you discuss how two features worked together: the technology produced new evidence, and the new evidence led the researchers to question the existing model and ask new questions. NZQA's 2025 report says that for grades beyond Achieved, candidates describe how the feature contributed, not just name an example from the resource.

Science-related claims (91923)

The standard (version 4) says a science-related claim uses scientific evidence to justify a conclusion, and communicated information can be a conversation, a radio show, published research, advertising or online content. Achieved describes the source and purpose, the claims, and the science language or conventions. Merit explains how the language or conventions support the claims. Excellence evaluates how well they do.

Another made-up example. A juice label says "Our juice boosts your immune system, proven by a study". At Achieved you state the claim, say the source is the company selling the juice and that its purpose is to sell, and describe the science language: "proven" and "study". At Merit you explain the effect of the conventions: the label does not say how many people took part or whether there was a control group, so a large sample and a comparison group would make the claim more valid. At Excellence you compare the language of two claims, evaluate which is stronger, and suggest how the label could be improved, for example by reporting the sample size and saying it was independently reviewed. The report says candidates lost marks by judging the evidence, not the science language and conventions, and by saying a convention was only present or absent without linking it to the claim.

How the NCEA Level 1 Science externals are marked

Each standard is one question with several parts, and your answer is scored from N0 to E8, out of 8 in total. N1 and N2 are Not Achieved, A3 and A4 are Achieved, M5 and M6 are Merit, and E7 and E8 are Excellence. NZQA then turns the score into a grade using the cut scores for that year.

NCEA Level 1 Science cut scores

These cut scores are NZQA's grade boundaries, as the score at which each grade starts. They were the same in 2024 and 2025. The 2026 cut scores will appear in NZQA's 2026 assessment schedules once the exams have been marked. NZQA's 2023 schedules were pilot schedules for earlier versions of these standards, so only 2024 and 2025 are listed.

Cut scores 2025

From NZQA's assessment schedules: 91922 and 91923. Each grade starts at:

Cut scores 2024

From NZQA's assessment schedules: 91922 and 91923. Each grade starts at:

Test how you would judge a claim before you move on:

Exam answers

The answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once it is marked. We do not publish official or past paper answers. Every question on the daily paper is our own.

Use the daily paper as a practice exam

Uni-Sine publishes a free daily paper on the NCEA Level 1 Science track. It is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, not a full NCEA exam, and it is not written by NZQA. It does not practise these two standards: its questions are on content such as atomic structure, inheritance, forces and electricity, and none are about features of science or judging claims. Use it for the science knowledge you will draw on, and practise 91922 and 91923 with NZQA's own past exams and the stimulus material on this page's ideas. For the whole course, see the NCEA Level 1 Science guide.

Are the NCEA Level 1 Science externals changing?

NCEA still applies in 2026 and 2027, and NZQA's 2027 assessment specification for Level 1 Science keeps 91922 and 91923 as external standards worth 5 and 5 credits. In 2028, Year 11 moves to a new foundational award focused on reading, writing and maths. Check NZQA before planning beyond 2027.

Common mistakes in the NCEA Level 1 Science externals

• Quoting without explaining. NZQA's 2025 report says candidates identified features by quoting the resource, but for Merit and above they must say how the feature contributed to the idea.
• Using one feature for every part. The report lists referring to the same feature of science throughout as a Not Achieved error.
• Mixing up the direction of influence. The report says some candidates wrote about how the idea affected society and culture, not how social and cultural factors affected the idea.
• Writing about the product, not the language. For 91923, focus on the science language and conventions and how they support the claim.
• Present or absent only. Say what a convention such as sample size means for the claim, and note when conventions are missing.
• Rewriting the resource. Brief answers and copied sentences earned little.

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