NZQA Guidelines for English Language Certification
Check the student visa decline rates that apply to each country on the Immigration New Zealand website
Students from a country with a visa decline rate of 20% or less:
- NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance
- Certificate of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)
- Completed Bachelor Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours Degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree, but only if:
- The qualification is obtained from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States; AND
- The language of instruction was English.
- Internationally recognised English language proficiency test listed in the Appendix to Rule 18, but only if:
- The student has achieved the required test scores for the level of the programme as specified in the Table in the Appendix; AND
- The scores were achieved in a single test during the preceding two years. Combination of scores from multiple tests is not acceptable.
- An NZQA approved English language proficiency test, administered by a Category 1 or 2 institution, where the student has achieved an outcome that is equivalent to or better than those listed in the Table of the Appendix.
- Completion of all primary education and at least three years of secondary education at schools with English as the language of instruction.
- Completion of five years of secondary education at schools with English as the language of instruction.
Students from a country with a visa decline rate of more than 20%:
- NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance
- Certificate of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)
- Completed Bachelor Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours Degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree, but only if:
- The qualification is obtained from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States; AND
- The language of instruction was English.
- Internationally recognised English language proficiency test listed in the Appendix to Rule 18, but only if:
- The student has achieved the required test scores for the level of the programme as specified in the Table in the Appendix; AND
- The scores were achieved in a single test during the preceding two years. Combination of scores from multiple tests is not acceptable.
The Table
of Internationally Recognised English Proficiency tests for International Students – as referred to above:
- CAE– the examination of Cambridge English Language Assessment called Cambridge English: Advanced, also known as the Certificate in Advanced English, found here
- CPE – the examination of Cambridge English Language Assessment called Cambridge English: Proficiency, also known as the Certificate of Proficiency in English, found here
- FCE, or FCE for Schools – the examination of Cambridge English Language Assessment called Cambridge English: First, also known as the First Certificate in English, found here
- IESOL – Internal English for Speakers of Other Languages qualifications by City & Guilds, found here
- IELTS – the International English Language Testing System, jointly owned by the British Council, IDP Education Australia, and Cambridge English Language Assessment, found here
- LanguageCert – a set of English Language qualifications owned by PeopleCert Qualifications Limited, member of the PeopleCert Group found here
- LRWS – listening, reading, writing and speaking
- NZCEL – the New Zealand Certificates in English Language listed on the NZQF (NZQA being the qualification developer
- OET – the Occupational English Test of Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, found here
- PToE – the Pearson Test of English (Academic), found here
- TOEFL – the Test of English as a Foreign Language of the Educational Testing Service, whose headquarters are in Princeton, United States, found here
- TWE – in relation to TOEFL is the Test of Written English.
Whitecliffe Programmes |
Programme Level |
IELTS Test 2 |
TOEFL Paper-based pBT |
TOEFL Internet-based Test iBT |
Cambridge English Examinations |
NZCEL 3 a) Expiring b) Current |
Pearson Test of English (Academic) |
City & Guilds IESOL |
Language Cert |
Certificates - Arts and Design, Digital Media and Design |
NZQF Level 4 |
General or Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 |
Score of 530 (with an essay score of 4.5 TWE) |
Score of 46 (with a writing score of 20) |
FCE or FCE for schools with a score of 162. No less than 154 in each skill OET at Grade C in all sub-tests |
a) Level 3 (Academic) b) Level 3 (Applied) |
PToE (Academic) score of 42 |
B2 Communicator with a score of 42 |
B2 Communicator IESOL (LRWS) with PASS |
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Fine Arts, Photo Media, Fashion Design, Graphic Design |
NZQF Level 7 |
Academic score of 6.0 with no band score lower than 5.5 |
Score of 550 (with an essay score of 5 TWE |
Score of 60 (with a writing score of 20) |
FCE, or FCE for schools, or CAE, or CPE with a score of 169. No less than 162 in each skill OET at Grade C in all sub-tests |
a) Level 4 (Academic) b) Level 4 (Academic) |
PToE (Academic) score of 50 |
B2 Communicator with a score of 66 |
C1 Expert IESOL (LRWS) with PASS |
Bachelor of Fine Arts - (Honours) Degree |
NZQF Level 8 |
Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6 |
Score of 590 (with an essay score 5.5 TWE) |
Score of 79 (with a writing score of 21) |
CAE or CPE with a score of 176. No less than 169 in each skill. OET at Grade B in all sub-tests |
a) Level 5 (Academic) or (Professional) b) Level 5 |
PToE (Academic) score of 58 |
C1 Expert with a score of 42 |
C1 Expert IESOL (LRWS) with HIGH PASS or C2 Mastery IESOL (LRWS) with PASS |
Post-graduate Diplomas - Arts Management, Arts Therapy |
NZQF Level 8 |
Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6 |
Score of 590 (with an essay score 5.5 TWE) |
Score of 79 (with a writing score of 21) |
CAE or CPE with a score of 176. No less than 169 in each skill. OET at Grade B in all sub-tests |
a) Level 5 (Academic) or (Professional) b) Level 5 |
PToE (Academic) score of 58 |
C1 Expert with a score of 42 |
C1 Expert IESOL (LRWS) with HIGH PASS or C2 Mastery IESOL (LRWS) with PASS |
Master’s Degrees - Fine Arts, Arts Management, Arts Therapy |
NZQF Level 9 |
Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6 |
Score of 590 (with an essay score 5.5 TWE) |
Score of 79 (with a writing score of 21) |
CAE or CPE with a score of 176. No less than 169 in each skill. OET at Grade B in all sub-tests |
a) Level 5 (Academic) or (Professional) b) Level 5 |
PToE (Academic) score of 58 |
C1 Expert with a score of 42 |
C1 Expert IESOL (LRWS) with HIGH PASS or C2 Mastery IESOL (LRWS) with PASS |