The New Zealand Curriculum - English
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of English in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
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English is one of the learning areas in the New Zealand Curriculum, the official document that sets the direction for teaching, learning, and assessment in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand. In English, students study, use, and enjoy language and literature communicated orally, visually, or in writing. From 1 January 2025 the content on this page will only cover Years 7-13. The content covering Years 0-6 which comes into effect from 1 January 2025 is provided on a companion page.
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The New Zealand Curriculum - English
What is English about?
Ko te reo te tuakiri
Ko te reo tōku ahurei
Ko te reo te ora
Language is my identity.
Language is my uniqueness.
Language is life.
English is the study, use, and enjoyment of the English language and its literature, communicated orally, visually, and in writing, for a range of purposes and audiences and in a variety of text forms. Learning English encompasses learning the language, learning through the language, and learning about the language.
Understanding, using, and creating oral, written, and visual texts of increasing complexity is at the heart of English teaching and learning. By engaging with text-based activities, students become increasingly skilled and sophisticated speakers and listeners, writers and readers, presenters and viewers.
- Why study English?
- Learning area structure
- Achievement objectives
- Teaching time requirements
Literacy in English gives students access to the understanding, knowledge, and skills they need to participate fully in the social, cultural, political, and economic life of New Zealand and the wider world. To be successful participants, they need to be effective oral, written, and visual communicators who are able to think critically and in depth.
By understanding how language works, students are equipped to make appropriate language choices and apply them in a range of contexts. Students learn to deconstruct and critically interrogate texts in order to understand the power of language to enrich and shape their own and others’ lives.
Students appreciate and enjoy texts in all their forms. The study of New Zealand and world literature contributes to students’ developing sense of identity, their awareness of New Zealand’s bicultural heritage, and their understanding of the world.
Success in English is fundamental to success across the curriculum. All learning areas (with the possible exception of languages) require students to receive, process, and present ideas or information using the English language as a medium. English can be studied both as a heritage language and as an additional language.
English presents students with opportunities to engage with and develop the key competencies in diverse contexts.
English is structured around two interconnected strands, each encompassing the oral, written, and visual forms of the language. The strands differentiate between the modes in which students are primarily:
- making meaning of ideas or information they receive (listening, reading, and viewing)
- creating meaning for themselves or others (speaking, writing, and presenting).
The achievement objectives within each strand suggest progressions through which most students move as they become more effective oral, written, and visual communicators. Using a set of underpinning processes and strategies, students develop knowledge, skills, and understandings related to:
- text purposes and audiences
- ideas within language contexts
- language features that enhance texts
- the structure and organisation of texts.
Students need to practise making meaning and creating meaning at each level of the curriculum. This need is reflected in the way that the achievement objectives are structured. As they progress, students use their skills to engage with tasks and texts that are increasingly sophisticated and challenging, and they do this in increasing depth.
From 1 January 2025 levels 1-3 are revoked and replaced with the English Years 0-6 learning area.
Level 1
Processes and strategies
Students will acquire and begin to use sources of information, processes, and strategies to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Has an awareness of the connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Uses sources of information (meaning, structure, visual and grapho-phonic information) and prior knowledge to make sense of a range of texts.
- Associates sounds with letter clusters as well as with individual letters.
- Uses processing and some comprehension strategies with some confidence.
- Is developing the ability to think critically about texts.
- Begins to monitor, self-evaluate, and describe progress.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will recognise that texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Identifies the purposes of simple texts.
- Evaluates the usefulness of simple texts.
Ideas
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will recognise and identify ideas within and across texts.
Indicators
- Understands that personal experience can influence the meaning gained from texts.
- Makes meaning of texts by identifying ideas in some texts.
Language features
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will recognise and begin to understand how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Begins to recognise that oral, written, and visual language features can be used for effect.
- Recognises a large bank of high-frequency and some topic-specific words.
- Shows some knowledge of text conventions, such as: capital letters, full stops, and word order; volume and clarity; and simple symbols.
Structure
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will recognise and begin to understand text structures.
Indicators
- Understands that the order and organisation of words, sentences, and images contribute to text meaning.
- Recognises some text forms and some differences between them.
Processes and strategies
Students will acquire and begin to use sources of information, processes, and strategies to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Has an awareness of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating text.
- Creates texts by using meaning, structure, visual and grapho-phonic sources of information, prior knowledge, and some processing strategies with some confidence.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts.
- Is becoming reflective about the production of own texts.
- Begins to monitor, self-evaluate, and describe progress.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will recognise how to shape texts for a purpose and an audience.
Indicators
- Constructs texts that demonstrate some awareness of purpose and audience through appropriate choice of content, language, and text form.
- Expects the texts they create to be understood, responded to, and appreciated by others.
- is developing and conveying personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will form and express ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Forms and expresses simple ideas and information, usually drawing from personal experience and knowledge.
- Begins to support ideas with some detail.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will use language features, showing some recognition of their effects.
Indicators
- Uses some oral, written, and visual language features to create meaning and effect.
- Uses a range of high-frequency, topic-specific, and personal-content words to create meaning.
- Spells some high-frequency words correctly and begins to use some common spelling patterns.
- Begins to use some strategies to self-correct and monitor spelling.
- Writes most letters and number forms legibly when creating texts.
- Begins to gain control of text conventions, such as: capital letters and full stops; some basic grammatical conventions; volume, clarity, and tone; and simple symbols.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts using simple structures.
Indicators
- Uses knowledge of word and sentence order to communicate meaning in simple texts.
- egins to sequence ideas and information.
- uses simple sentences with some variation in beginnings.
- may attempt compound and complex sentences.
Level 2
Processes and strategies
Students will select and use sources of information, processes, and strategies with some confidence to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Recognises connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Selects and uses sources of information (meaning, structure, visual and grapho-phonic information) and prior knowledge with growing confidence to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts.
- Uses an increasing knowledge of letter clusters, affixes, roots, and compound words to confirm predictions.
- Selects and uses processing strategies and an increasing range of comprehension strategies with some understanding and confidence.
- Thinks critically about texts with some confidence.
- Monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress with some confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show some understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Recognises how texts are constructed for different purposes, audiences, and situations.
- Understands that texts are created from a particular point of view.
- Evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts with some confidence.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show some understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators
- Uses their personal experience and world and literacy knowledge to make meaning from texts.
- Makes meaning of increasingly complex texts by identifying main ideas.
- Makes and supports inferences from texts with some independence.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show some understanding of how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Recognises that oral, written, and visual language features can be used for effect.
- Uses a large and increasing bank of high-frequency, topic-specific, and personal-content words to make meaning.
- Shows an increasing knowledge of the conventions of text.
- Recognises that authors have different voices and styles.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show some understanding of text structures.
Indicators
- Understands that the order and organisation of words, sentences, paragraphs, and images contribute to text meaning.
- Recognises an increasing range of text forms and differences between them.
Processes and strategies
Students will select and use sources of information, processes, and strategies with some confidence to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Shows some understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts.
- Creates texts by using meaning, structure, visual and grapho-phonic sources of information, and processing strategies with growing confidence.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity and meaning.
- Is reflective about the production of texts: monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress with some confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will show some understanding of how to shape texts for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Constructs texts that demonstrate a growing awareness of audience and purpose through appropriate choice of content, language, and text form.
- Expects the texts they create to be understood, responded to, and appreciated by others.
- Develops and conveys personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, form, and express ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Forms and expresses ideas and information with reasonable clarity, often drawing on personal experience and knowledge.
- Begins to add or delete details and comments, showing some selectivity in the process.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will use language features appropriately, showing some understanding of their effects.
Indicators
- Uses oral, written, and visual language features to create meaning and effect.
- Uses a large and increasing bank of high-frequency, topic-specific, and personal-content words to create meaning.
- Spells most high-frequency words correctly and shows growing knowledge of common spelling patterns.
- Uses a range of strategies to self-monitor and self-correct spelling.
- Writes legibly and with increasing fluency when creating texts.
- Gains increasing control of text conventions, including some grammatical conventions.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts using a range of structures.
Indicators
- Uses knowledge of word and sentence order to communicate meaning when creating texts.
- Organises and sequences ideas and information with some confidence.
- Begins to use a variety of sentence structures, beginnings, and lengths.
Level 3
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies with developing confidence to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Recognises and understands the connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Integrates sources of information and prior knowledge with developing confidence to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts.
- Selects and uses a range of processing and comprehension strategies with growing understanding and confidence.
- Thinks critically about texts with developing confidence.
- Monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress with growing confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a developing understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Recognises and understands how texts are constructed for a range of purposes, audiences, and situations.
- Identifies particular points of view and begins to recognise that texts can position a reader.
- Evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts with increasing confidence.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a developing understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators
- Uses their personal experience and world and literacy knowledge confidently to make meaning from texts.
- Makes meaning of increasingly complex texts by identifying main and subsidiary ideas in them.
- Starts to make connections by thinking about underlying ideas in and between texts.
- Recognises that there may be more than one reading available within a text.
- Makes and supports inferences from texts with increasing independence.
Language features
- Students will show a developing understanding of how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Identifies oral, written, and visual language features used in texts and recognises their effects.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning.
- Shows an increasing knowledge of how a range of text conventions can be used appropriately.
- Knows that authors have different voices and styles and can identify some of these differences.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a developing understanding of text structures.
Indicators
- Understands that the order and organisation of words, sentences, paragraphs, and images contribute to and affect text meaning.
- Identifies a range of text forms and recognises some of their characteristics and conventions.
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies with developing confidence to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Uses a developing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts.
- Creates a range of texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies with developing confidence.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect.
- Is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with growing confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will show a developing understanding of how to shape texts for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Constructs texts that show a growing awareness of purpose and audience through careful choice of content, language, and text form.
- Conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, form, and communicate ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Forms and expresses ideas and information with increased clarity, drawing on a range of sources.
- Adds or changes details and comments to support ideas, showing some selectivity in the process.
- Ideas suggest awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will use language features appropriately, showing a developing understanding of their effects.
Indicators
- Uses oral, written, and visual language features to create meaning and effect and engage interest.
- Uses a range of vocabulary to communicate meaning.
- Demonstrates good understanding of all basic spelling patterns and sounds in written English.
- Uses an increasing range of strategies to self-monitor and self-correct spelling.
- writes legibly, fluently, and with ease when creating texts.
- Uses a range of text conventions, including most grammatical conventions, appropriately and with increasing accuracy.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts using a range of appropriate structures.
Indicators
- Organises written ideas into paragraphs with increasing confidence.
- Organises and sequences ideas and information with increasing confidence.
- Uses a variety of sentence structures, beginnings, and lengths.
Level 4
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies confidently to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Recognises and understands the connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Integrates sources of information and prior knowledge confidently to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts.
- Selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with increasing understanding and confidence.
- Thinks critically about texts with increasing understanding and confidence.
- Monitors, self-evaluates, describes progress, and articulates learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an increasing understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Recognises and understands how texts are constructed for a range of purposes, audiences, and situations.
- Identifies particular points of view and recognises that texts can position a reader.
- Evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts with increasing confidence.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an increasing understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators
- Makes meaning of increasingly complex texts by identifying and understanding main and subsidiary ideas and the links between them.
- Makes connections by thinking about underlying ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts.
- Recognises that there may be more than one reading available within a text.
- Makes and supports inferences from texts with increasing independence.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an increasing understanding of how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Identifies oral, written, and visual features used and recognises and describes their effects.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning.
- Shows an increasing knowledge of how a range of text conventions can be used appropriately and effectively.
- Knows that authors have different voices and styles and can identify and describe some of these differences.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an increasing understanding of text structures.
Indicators
- Understands that the order and organisation of words, sentences, paragraphs, and images contribute to and affect meaning in a range of texts.
- Identifies an increasing range of text forms and recognises and describes their characteristics and conventions.
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies confidently to identify, form, and express ideas.
Indicators
- Uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts.
- Creates a range of texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies with increasing confidence.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect.
- Is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will show an increasing understanding of how to shape texts for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Constructs texts that show an awareness of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form.
- Conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, develop, and communicate ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Forms and communicates ideas and information clearly, drawing on a range of sources.
- Adds or changes details and comments to support ideas, showing thoughtful selection in the process.
- Ideas show increasing awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will use a range of language features appropriately, showing an increasing understanding of their effects.
Indicators
- Uses a range of oral, written, and visual features to create meaning and effect and to sustain interest.
- Uses a range of vocabulary to communicate precise meaning.
- Demonstrates a good understanding of spelling patterns in written English, with few intrusive errors.
- Uses a wide range of strategies to self-monitor and self-correct spelling.
- Writes with increasing speed and endurance to suit the nature of the task and its purpose, without significant loss of legibility.
- Uses a range of text conventions, including grammatical conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with increasing accuracy.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts, using a range of appropriate structures.
Indicators
- Achieves some coherence and wholeness when constructing texts.
- Organises and sequences ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect.
- Uses a variety of sentence structures, beginnings, and lengths for effect.
Level 5
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully and confidently to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Recognises, understands, and considers the connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Integrates sources of information and prior knowledge purposefully and confidently to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts.
- Selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with confidence.
- Thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence.
- Monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Recognises, understands, and considers how texts are constructed for a range of purposes, audiences, and situations.
- Identifies particular points of view within texts and recognises that texts can position a reader.
- Evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts with confidence.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators
- Makes meaning by understanding increasingly comprehensive ideas in texts and the links between them.
- Makes connections by exploring ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts.
- Recognises that there may be more than one reading available within a text
- makes and supports inferences from texts independently.
Language features
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an understanding of how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Identifies oral, written, and visual language features and understands their effects
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning.
- Understands how a range of text conventions work together to create meaning and effect.
- Understands that authors have different voices and styles and can identify those differences.
Structure
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show an understanding of a range of structures.
Indicator
Identifies and understands the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms and considers how they contribute to and affect text meaning.
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully and confidently to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts.
- Creates a range of increasingly varied and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect.
- Is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will show an understanding of how to shape texts for different audiences and purposes.
Indicators
- Constructs a range of texts that demonstrate an understanding of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form.
- Conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, develop, and communicate purposeful ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Develops and communicates increasingly comprehensive ideas, information, and understandings.
- Develops ideas by adding details or making links to other ideas and details.
- Ideas show an awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select and use a range of language features appropriately, showing an understanding of their effects.
Indicators
- Uses a wide range of oral, written, and visual language features to create meaning and effect and to sustain interest.
- Uses an increasing range of vocabulary to communicate precise meaning.
- Uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with increasing accuracy.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts using a range of appropriate, effective structures.
Indicators
- Achieves a sense of coherence and wholeness when constructing texts.
- Organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms.
Level 6
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully and confidently to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Recognises, understands, and considers the connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Integrates sources of information and prior knowledge purposefully and confidently to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts.
- Selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with confidence.
- Thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence.
- Monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a developed understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Recognises, understands, and considers how texts are constructed for a range of purposes, audiences, and situations.
- Identifies particular points of view within texts and recognises that texts can position a reader.
- Evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts with confidence.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a developed understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators
- Makes meaning by understanding comprehensive ideas.
- Makes connections by interpreting ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts.
- Recognises that there may be more than one reading available within a text.
- Makes and supports inferences from texts independently.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a developed understanding of how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Identifies a range of oral, written, and visual language features and understands their effects.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning.
- Understands and interprets how text conventions work together to create meaning and effect.
- Understands that authors have different voices and styles and identifies and can explain these differences.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a developed understanding of a range of structures.
Indicator
Identifies and understands the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms and considers how they contribute to and affect text meaning.
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully and confidently to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts.
- Creates a range of increasingly varied and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect.
- Is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will show a developed understanding of how to shape texts for different audiences and purposes.
Indicators
- Constructs a range of texts that demonstrate an understanding of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form.
- Conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, develop, and communicate connected ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Develops and communicates comprehensive ideas, information, and understandings.
- Works towards creating coherent, planned whole texts by adding details to ideas or making links to other ideas and details.
- Ideas show an understanding and awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select and use a range of language features appropriately for a variety of effects.
Indicators
- Uses a wide range of oral, written, and visual language features with control to create meaning and effect and to sustain interest.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to communicate precise meaning.
- Uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with accuracy.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts using a range of appropriate, effective structures.
Indicators
- Achieves a sense of coherence and wholeness when constructing texts.
- Organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms.
Level 7
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Recognises, understands, and appreciates the connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Integrates sources of information and prior knowledge purposefully, confidently, and precisely to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts.
- Selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with confidence and discrimination.
- Thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence.
- Monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Recognises, understands, and appreciates how texts are constructed for a range of intentions and situations.
- Identifies particular points of view within texts and understands that texts can position a reader.
- Evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators
- Makes meaning by understanding increasingly sophisticated ideas.
- Makes connections by analysing ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts.
- Understands that there may be multiple readings available within a text.
- Makes and supports inferences from texts independently.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating understanding of how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Identifies a range of increasingly sophisticated oral, written, and visual language features and understands their effects.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning.
- Understands and analyses how text conventions work together to create meaning and effect.
- Understands that authors have different voices and styles and appreciates these differences.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating understanding of a range of structures.
Indicator
- Identifies and understands the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms and appreciates how they contribute to and affect text meaning.
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating text.
- Creates a range of increasingly coherent, varied, and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect.
- Is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will show a discriminating understanding of how to shape texts for different audiences and purposes.
Indicators
- Constructs a range of texts that demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form.
- Conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, develop, and communicate sustained ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Develops, communicates, and sustains increasingly sophisticated ideas, information, and understandings.
- Creates coherent, planned whole texts by adding details to ideas or making links to other ideas and details.
- Ideas show depth of thought and awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select and integrate a range of language features appropriately for a variety of effects.
Indicators
- Uses a wide range of oral, written, and visual language features fluently and with control to create meaning and effect and to sustain interest.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to communicate precise meaning.
- Uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with accuracy.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts using a range of appropriate, coherent, and effective structures.
Indicator
Organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms with control.
Level 8
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
- Recognises, understands, and appreciates the connections between oral, written, and visual language.
- Integrates sources of information and prior knowledge purposefully, confidently, and precisely to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts.
- Selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with confidence and discrimination.
- Thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence.
- Monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Recognises, understands, and appreciates how texts are constructed for a range of intentions and situations.
- Identifies particular points of view within texts and understands that texts can position a reader.
- Evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating and insightful understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators
- Makes meaning by perceptively understanding sophisticated ideas.
- Makes connections by analysing, evaluating, and synthesising ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts.
- Understands that there may be multiple readings available within a text.
- Makes and supports inferences from texts independently.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating and insightful understanding of how language features are used for effect within and across texts.
Indicators
- Identifies a range of sophisticated oral, written, and visual language features and understands their effects.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning.
- Understands, analyses, and evaluates how text conventions work together to create meaning and effect.
- Understands that authors have different voices and styles and appreciates these differences.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will show a discriminating understanding of a range of structures.
Indicator
Identifies and understands the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms and appreciates how they contribute to and affect text meaning.
Processes and strategies
Students will integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
Indicators
- Uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts.
- Creates a range of increasingly coherent, varied, and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies.
- Seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect.
- Is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.
Purposes and audiences
By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will show a discriminating understanding of how to shape texts for different purposes and audiences.
Indicators
- Constructs a range of texts that demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form.
- Conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.
Ideas
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, develop, and communicate sustained and insightful ideas on a range of topics.
Indicators
- Develops, communicates, and sustains sophisticated ideas, information, and understandings.
- Creates coherent, planned whole texts by adding details to ideas or making links to other ideas and details.
- Ideas show perception, depth of thought, and awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.
Language features
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will select, integrate, and sustain the use of a range of language features appropriately for a variety of effects.
Indicators
- Uses a wide range of oral, written, and visual language features coherently, fluently, and with control to create meaning and command attention.
- Uses an increasing vocabulary to communicate precise meaning.
- Uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with accuracy.
Structure
- By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will organise texts using a range of appropriate, coherent, and effective structures.
Indicator
Organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms with control.
Reading, writing, and maths teaching time requirements
The teaching and learning of reading, writing, and maths1 is a priority for all schools. So that all students are getting sufficient teaching and learning time for reading, writing, and maths, each school board with students in years 0 to 8 must, through its principal and staff, structure their teaching and learning programmes and/or timetables for delivering the National Curriculum Statements, including this one, to provide:
- 10 hours per week of teaching and learning focussed on supporting their progress and achievement in reading and writing in a typical school week, recognising the important contribution oral language development makes, particularly in the early phases of learning.
- 5 hours per week of teaching and learning focussed on supporting their progress and achievement in maths in a typical school week.
Where reading, writing, and/or maths teaching and learning time is occurring within the context of National Curriculum Statements other than English or mathematics and statistics, progression of students’ reading, writing, and/or maths dispositions, knowledge and skills at the appropriate level must be explicitly and intentionally planned for and attended to.
While the terms reading and writing are used, these expectations are inclusive of alternative methods of communication, including New Zealand Sign Language, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and Braille.
1 For simplicity, ‘maths’ is used as an all-encompassing term to refer to the grouping of subject matter, dispositions, skills, competencies, and understandings that encompass all aspects of numeracy, mathematics, and statistics.
These teaching time requirements came in for most schools and kura with students in years 0 to 8 at the start of Term 1, 2024. Specialist schools with students in years 0 - 8 must ensure this from the start of 2025. Kura with a specified kura board must ensure this from Term 3, 2024.
Heading
New Zealand Curriculum
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning, and assessment in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
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The New Zealand Curriculum - The arts
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning, and assessment of the arts in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
2 of 8The New Zealand Curriculum - Mathematics and statistics
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of mathematics and statistics in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
3 of 8The New Zealand Curriculum - Science
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of science in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
4 of 8The New Zealand Curriculum - Social sciences
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of social sciences in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
5 of 8The New Zealand Curriculum - Health and physical education
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of health and physical education in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
6 of 8The New Zealand Curriculum - Learning languages
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of learning languages in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
7 of 8The New Zealand Curriculum - Technology
Statement of official policy relating to teaching, learning and assessment of technology in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand.
8 of 8
