Girls still beating the boys at NCEA

Fairfax

LEARNING ISSUES: National results issued by the Qualifications Authority show about 277,000 candidates sat NCEA subjects in 2008, making achievement gains across all year levels for all genders.

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Girls continue to outperform boys at high school, new NCEA figures show.

National results issued yesterday by the Qualifications Authority show about 277,000 candidates sat NCEA subjects in 2008, making achievement gains across all year levels for all genders.

But girls were more likely to get NCEA qualifications than boys.

Only 59 per cent of boys passed level one, compared to 68 per cent of girls. The gap was even wider when comparing level three results 47 per cent for boys and 62 per cent for girls.

In the Wellington/Kapiti region, the results were much closer, but girls still came out slightly ahead.

NCEA replaced School Certificate in 2002, Sixth Form Certificate in 2003 and Bursary in 2004. The qualifications are a mix of exams and internal assessment.

Pupils at single-sex schools also appear more likely to gain qualifications than those at co-ed schools. Nearly 85 per cent of girls at single-sex schools gained level two NCEA last year, compared with 67 per cent at co-eds.

For boys, about 10 per cent more gained level one at all-boys schools.

Wellington High School principal Prue Kelly said she was not surprised that girls continued to flourish.

They might be better suited to internal assessment, which forms a big part of NCEA.

"NCEA is made for girls. It is more natural for them to sit down and write. That is not boys' strength. We have to make sure that what we are teaching is relevant for boys.

"But in saying that, some boys are performing magnificently and their hard work has paid off."

For the first time, parents are able to compare individual schools' results by subject, gender and ethnicity, as well as by the numbers who entered NCEA, rather than just the overall roll.

PASS RATES

NEW ZEALAND

-139,268 boys sat NCEA in 2008:

Level 1: 59.4 per cent passed.

Level 2: 62.1 per cent passed.

Level 3: 46.7 per cent passed.

-138,198 girls sat NCEA in 2008:

Level 1: 68.2 per cent passed.

Level 2: 72.6 per cent passed.

Level 3: 62.2 per cent passed.

WELLINGTON/KAPITI

-15,525 boys sat NCEA in 2008:

Level 1: 49.8 per cent passed.

Level 2: 59.3 per cent passed.

Level 3: 46.4 per cent passed.

-15,520 girls sat NCEA in 2008:

Level 1: 52.4 per cent passed.

Level 2: 62.6 per cent passed.

Level 3: 51 per cent passed.

By NATHAN BEAUMONT, The Dominion Post