What do different levels in New Zealand Education System mean?

New Zealand follows quite a different system of education which comprises of 10 levels. The subsequent levels inch up the difficulty bar of education. New Zealand has in-discriminant, balanced and qualitative system of education. The three tier-model encompasses primary and intermediate schools, secondary schools and tertiary education providers namely, universities and polytechnics. Different institutions run on slightly varied academic year such as

Primary Schools – February till mid-December

Secondary Schools and Polytechnics – Late January to late November or early December

Universities – Late February till mid-November

Starting from first level which is least complex to tenth level which is most complex, let us understand each Level of education in detail –

Level 1 to 3 – The most basic levels to inculcate general and foundation knowledge in kids. The students are to apply basic solutions to simple problems. The structure and format is organised and involves learning to interact and application of root skills to common tasks. The qualification is called schooling.
Level 4 – Level 4 encompasses Certificate courses. These are the basic courses to enhance theoretical and operational understanding of the field of study. The application of processes, problems to find the solutions. The students have to learn self and time management under collective guidance.
Level 5 – There are Diploma programs at this level. This is the post-secondary level of education and international students often opt for diploma programs at universities and polytechnics to study in New Zealand.
Level 6 – It is advanced Diploma level program. At this level, there is specialised emphasis on instilling cores of the subject in the student.
Level 7 – The study abroad aspirants often opt for Bachelor’s courses which are at level 7. The students undertake specialised in-depth study and learn to analyse the problems from different perspectives. It is a thorough program which has duration of three to four years.
Level 8 – There are post-graduate certificate, post-graduate diploma and Bachelor’s honors degree courses. These courses are to augment and earn a professional grasp of the discipline.
Level 9 – It is post-graduate level of study in which there are master’s programs to make students gain specialised and masterly knowledge of the subject so as to make a promising career in the field. The students learn to workout unpredictable problems, relate real life situations with the bookish concepts and gain integrity of the profession.
Level 10 – This is the highest level of study and includes doctoral or PhD programs. This is the critical mirroring of existing knowledge and fabrication of new knowledge. The students undertake full-fledged research, chart out their own solutions and publish their own thesis.

These are the levels of study in New Zealand. Usually, study abroad aspirants opt from Level 5 to 9 in New Zealand.  If you are also aiming to gain education in New Zealand, contact West Highlander Career Consultancy. We are the licensed Immigration Adviser by IAA since 2010. Please feel free to contact us for free and grab up to date information regarding study in New Zealand.