Year 10 Science in New Zealand: preparing for Year 11 and NCEA Level 1

Is there a Year 10 Science exam?

Not a national one. NZQA runs NCEA, which starts in Year 11, so Year 10 Science is assessed by your school in whatever way it chooses, such as topic tests or an end-of-year exam. Those results go in your school report, not your NCEA record. They still matter: your teachers may use them when you choose Year 11 courses, and they show which topics need work before NCEA.

What Year 10 Science leads to in Year 11

At NCEA Level 1, science splits into separate subjects, each worth 20 credits from four achievement standards. Your school chooses which it offers.

Read the full guides: NCEA Level 1 Science, NCEA Level 1 PESS and NCEA Level 1 Chemistry and Biology. Agricultural and Horticultural Science is also offered at Level 1 in some schools.

Year 10 topics that matter most for NCEA Level 1

• Physics: energy stores, transfers, power and efficiency, and simple circuits lead into energy in a physical system (92047). Day and night, seasons, tides and Moon phases lead into 92046.
• Chemistry: atoms, the periodic table, bonding and states of matter lead into physical properties of materials (92023). Acids, salts and rates of reaction lead into the internal on chemical reactions (92021).
• Biology: cells, inheritance and variation lead into genetic variation (92022). Microorganisms and disease lead into the internal on a microorganism and its environment (92020).
• How science works: fair tests, using evidence and judging claims lead into Level 1 Science (91922 and 91923) and every investigation internal.

The literacy and numeracy co-requisite

Every NCEA certificate currently needs the 20-credit literacy and numeracy co-requisite: 10 credits in literacy and 10 in numeracy. NZQA says students can be assessed from Year 9 to Year 13, so some schools enter Year 10 students when they are ready. The assessments are digital, and in 2027 they run from 10 to 21 May and from 6 to 17 September. Ask your school whether and when it will enter you.

Changes for Year 10 in 2026 and 2027

On 26 March 2026 the Government agreed to replace NCEA with a new qualification system, and the Ministry of Education confirmed the timeline on 16 May 2026:

So Year 10 in 2026 is the last group heading into NCEA Level 1 on this timeline, and Year 10 in 2027 is the first group heading into the new Year 11. Either way, the science you learn now is the base for what comes next.

Worked examples at Year 10 level

Physics: energy from power and time

A 1.2 kW heater runs for 30 minutes. Change to watts and seconds first: 1.2 kW = 1200 W and 30 minutes = 1800 s.

Physics: average speed

A cyclist rides 150 m in 20 s, so the average speed is 150 ÷ 20 = 7.5 m s⁻¹.

Chemistry: balancing an equation

Magnesium reacts with hydrochloric acid to make magnesium chloride and hydrogen. Magnesium chloride is MgCl₂, so two HCl are needed to supply two chlorine atoms, and that also gives the two hydrogen atoms in H₂:

Biology: a simple genetic cross

In pea plants, tall (T) is dominant to short (t). Crossing a Tt plant with a tt plant gives offspring that are Tt or tt with equal chance, so about half are tall and half are short.

Practise isotopes, a building block for Level 1 chemistry, in our Atomic Structure course, then press Mark to check your answer in the course:

Daily Year 10 Science practice papers

Uni-Sine publishes four free daily papers at about Year 10 level: Year 10 Science, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Each is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, marked instantly, with worked answers. They are not set by your school or NZQA, so use them for regular practice rather than as a copy of your school exam.

• Physics paper: density and states of matter, speed and graphs, waves and the electromagnetic spectrum, atoms and radiation, circuits, energy, power and efficiency, magnets, and forces.
• Chemistry paper: atomic structure, the periodic table, bonding, states of matter, acids and salts, rates of reaction, fuels, the atmosphere and separating mixtures.
• Biology paper: cells and microscopy, inheritance and variation, the heart and blood, photosynthesis, ecosystems, digestion, health and disease, human impact and respiration.
• What they miss: the Sun, Earth and Moon topics in PESS, and the nature-of-science skills in Level 1 Science, such as judging claims in the media.

How to get ready for Year 11 science

• Learn the words. Level 1 answers are marked on explanation, so know terms like particle, energy transfer, allele and evidence.
• Practise explaining. Get used to writing "because" sentences that link a cause to an effect.
• Keep the maths ticking. Rearranging formulas, units and graphs come up in every science.
• Read science news. Ask who wrote it, why, and what evidence backs the claim.

Read next

New Zealand · Year 10Year 10 Maths NZ: Preparing for NCEA Level 1Year 10 Maths in NZ: no NZQA exam, how it leads into NCEA Level 1 Maths and the numeracy co-requisite, the changes from 2028, and daily practice papers.