Students in class

King’s College Senior School

Our Year 11, 12, and 13 students have a wide range of opportunities and options available to them as they explore their interests and strengths, preparing for tertiary education and their careers. 

The senior school years are when students shift from largely compulsory courses to choosing a lot of their own subjects and making decisions about their qualification pathway (CIE or NCEA). We provide advice and guidance at each important juncture—but these three years are about each student growing in autonomy and forging their own path.

Course selection and criteria

Even at this level we encourage our students to keep their subject options open. Course selection for each year level is as follows:

Year 11
English and Mathematics plus four chosen subjects.

At this level, students follow a bespoke Year 11 Academic Programme which has been designed to prepare them for their choice of qualification pathway. During this time, they can consider whether they will proceed with CIE or NCEA and proceed from a firm foundation. 

Year 12
English plus four chosen subjects.

Students at Year 12 should decide on which qualification pathway they wish to choose to attain University Entrance. It is still possible to have a limited mixed qualification pathway but there must be sound educational reasons to justify this.

Year 13
There are no compulsory courses at Year 13. NCEA students choose five options. Cambridge students choose four options but academically able students may be allowed to take five options upon application. 

Students who have attained their University Entrance in Year 12 may enrol in four subjects. In selecting their courses, students are also asked to consider their workload.

Students may not select more than two subjects in either CIE or NCEA that comprise predominately or wholly internally assessed work, unless they seek an exemption from the Deputy Head - Academic. 

Course selection and criteria

Expectations and prerequisites

We want our students to achieve their highest potential and unlock as many opportunities as possible.

Academic courses of study at King’s College require students to meet specific academic expectations. These expectations concern completion of courses of study, completion of set internal and external assessments, and meeting teacher and subject department requirements. Where students fail to meet set deadlines for assessment, work must still be completed to ensure course completion.

As students progress through the Senior School, their level of academic achievement will determine the courses that are available to them. There are set prerequisites that students must meet to gain entry to some courses. We have identified these prerequisites in the CIE and NCEA course descriptions. Any exceptions will be at the discretion of the Deputy Head – Curriculum and Head of Department. As students select their subjects through the online enrolment process, only the courses they are eligible for will show as options.

We support each student to make informed decisions about subjects and courses that will set them up for academic success and their chosen career path.

Expectations and prerequisites