KEY POINTS:
Year 9 students were among those nervously awaiting NCEA results last week.
Alex Crawford, 14, of Mt Albert Grammar School, said she thought it would be good practise to take mathematics at NCEA level - she never expected to pass with excellence.
The Year 9 student is now two years ahead of herself in collecting credits towards her high school qualification. Next year she plans to sit NCEA level 2.
NCEA is different to the School Certificate qualification it replaced because it is open to students at any level who are ready for it.
Alex said she found mathematics easy, but NCEA was "quite a bit harder" than any other subject she had studied.
She juggled her NCEA work with the rest of the Year 9 curriculum and netball commitments.
Principal of Mt Albert Grammar School Dale Burden said the school had put 20 of its Year 9 students through the NCEA Level 1 mathematics. The school tries not to "hot house" the students and push the young students beyond normal levels of stress and workload but Mr Burden said some students had rediscovered mathematics because of it.
"The learning is more important than getting 20 credits when you are 13," he said.
Last year 44,522 students sat Level 1 mathematics. In 2007, 156 students achieved NCEA Level 1 before Year 11, 28 students had Level 2 before Year 11, and three students achieved Level 3 before Year 11. Nine students achieved NCEA Level 1 endorsed with excellence before Year 11.
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is not able to determine top achievers until April.
