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About a third of senior high school students will get a merit or excellence endorsement on their exam results from this year, under arrangements aimed at better motivating them.
The Qualifications Authority has announced that candidates will need 50 merit- or excellence-level credits to gain the endorsement on their National Certificate of Educational Achievement.
Students typically aim for up to 120 credits a year.
The move, part of a package of changes announced in May, was widely welcomed by Auckland principals.
Critics of the national qualification claimed it had failed to motivate students because it did not recognise those who excelled.
Bali Haque, Qualifications Authority deputy chief executive (qualifications), said data from previous years showed 17 to 26 per cent of candidates across levels 1-3 would have got a merit endorsement under the new rules.
Three to 6 per cent would have got an excellence, he said.
Students still at school will be told in January how to apply to have certificates gained before this year endorsed.
There is no change to the credit criteria for gaining NCEA at each level.
"The purpose of the endorsements is to encourage students to strive to produce work of a high quality and to recognise that achievement when it occurs," said Mr Haque.
"This will provide students of above-average ability with challenging but achievable goals."
However, some principals were puzzled why the endorsement could be earned over two years.
"If you want academic excellence, you wouldn't normally span it over two years," said one.
Others said introducing the criteria part way through the year was "shifting the goal posts" and not equitable for Year 13 students.
An NZQA spokesman said because students usually earned between 100 and 120 credits a year, the second half of the school year allowed them time to achieve.
Secondary Prinicipals Association president Peter Gall said he was confident the endorsements would reward and motivate students.
"Students who get an excellence are obviously pretty capable students," he said. "To get the 50 credits, they have to achieve across a number of subjects - they can't just do it in one subject."
Avondale College principal Brent Lewis said the initiative was positive.
"I think they are beginning to head in the right direction finally."
Mt Albert Grammar School headmaster Dale Burden said the move would get the "middle-of-the-road kids" to strive for more.
The changes to NCEA also included endorsement of subjects, due to start next year.
Details are expected to be finalised next month.
Also among the changes announced by Education Minister Steve Maharey in May were the reporting of "not achieved" results on internally assessed standards from next year and an increase in the policing of the marking of internal assessment from 3 per cent last year to a target of 10 per cent from next year.
