New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Academic) (Level 5)

You must:

• be 16 years of age or older on January 1st in the year that you enrol, unless approved otherwise by the Programme Leader
• reasonably expect to achieve the standards required for successful completion of the programme or course.
• If English is not your first language, you must provide:
  • New Zealand University Entrance OR
  • New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 4) OR
  • Overall Academic IELTS 6.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.5 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
  • Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests). 
• Students will be tested upon arrival to ensure that the correct level of English tuition is offered.
• This criteria is based on the postgraduate programme entry criteria of IELTS 6.5 - which students are expected to reach upon completion of New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 5).

English pathway

International students can study the New Zealand Certificate in English Language Level 4 if they do not meet the entry requirements for this programme. This is also available online for international students who live outside of New Zealand.

This qualification is made up of four courses in reading, writing, speaking and listening. All courses are compulsory and will be studied at the same time. Within each of these skills, complex grammatical structures, tenses and vocabulary for specific purposes will be utilised.

Reading (15 credits) 

Gain and understanding of the organisation of academic/specialised texts in order to locate specific information, take notes, summarise and differentiate between fact and opinion.

Writing (15 credits) 

Learn how to produce crafted texts for specified audiences in academic or professional contexts, including discursive essays, research reports and business cases.

Speaking (15 credits) 

Discover how to speak on a range of academic/professional topics within academic and/or professional contexts and to be capable of sustaining discourse on a particular topic.

Listening (15 credits) 

Demonstrate an understanding of spoken texts and learn how to process information for academic and/or professional purposes.

Graduates of this qualification will have the English language skills to work in positions that require:

• complex interpersonal communication
• understanding of complex, context-specific professional and/or technical texts
• writing of complex, context-specific communications
• full participation, interaction and initiative in a team. 

This qualification is designed to equip you with the English language skills to enable you to seek professional registration with regulatory standard bodies.  

Your offshore, online study journey will begin with an online orientation. This session will cover introductions to staff, tips for academic success, and wellbeing information, among other things.

All courses offered at the Auckland Campus use Moodle, which is an online learning management system (LMS). The use of the Moodle LMS means that no matter where you are, you have great access to all your course content.

You also get access to Office 365, including Microsoft Teams. This means you'll be able to collaborate with your classmates and work on certain tasks which you have been given by your lecturers. 

And, online students have access to the same services as students on campus. This includes online learning support, which will be available via Microsoft Teams. All online students will also have remote access to our library.

You will be expected to spend about 38 hours per week (or 300 hours per Study Block) on your course work. This includes both scheduled class time and self-directed study. 

You will need to buy the course textbook. This will be available from your lecturer for a discounted price of $90.00.

When you finish this Level 5 certificate, you'll be able to apply for programmes that are quite advanced and/or specialise in a particular field of study. This includes most postgraduate programmes.

If you already have extensive knowledge and skills gained from practical experience in this area, enquire about our recognition of prior learning process at Capable NZ. You may have already gained credits towards this qualification in the course of your life. 

Please note there are conditions and limitations regarding recognition of prior learning for this qualification. 

While every effort is made to ensure that this sheet is accurate, Otago Polytechnic reserves the right to amend, alter or withdraw any of the contained information. The fees shown in this document are indicative ONLY. Both domestic and international fees are subject to change and are dependent on the development and implementation of Government policies. Please note that additional fees may from time to time be required for external examination, NZQA fees and/or additional material fees.