3EAR

NCEA Level 3 Earth Science

Although next year's timetables have yet to be finalised, course selection has now finished. Please contact Ms Saunders if you wish to make changes to your 2025 selections.

Course Description

Teacher in Charge: Ms H. Dixon.

This course covers topics involving atmosphere, ocean, and geologic processes. We also investigate how to determine the age of rocks, how the planets of our Solar System formed, and other issues involving the world around us. If you are considering a pathway in climate science, the environment, geology, astronomy, oceanography or geography, this course will help you gain quite a bit of insight.


Students will learn how to:

  • evaluate and explain the socio-scientific impacts of earth and space science issues
  • use a range of evidence to suggest the age of a geological formation
  • investigate an astronomical event, discovery or phenomena and explain the space science and other scdience behind it
  • explain ocean structure and processes with physical principles and link to climate change impacts
  • explain atmosphere structure and processes with physical principles and link to weather and climate events



Career Pathways

Credit Information

You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.

This course is approved for University Entrance.

Total Credits Available: 20
Internal Assessed Credits: 12
External Assessed Credits: 8
Assessment
Description
Level
Internal or
External
Credits
L1 Literacy Credits
UE Literacy Credits
Numeracy Credits
A.S. 91411 v2
NZQA Info

Earth and Space Science 3.2 - Investigate a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context


Level: 3
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 4r *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91412 v2
NZQA Info

Earth and Space Science 3.3 - Investigate the evidence related to dating geological event(s)


Level: 3
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91413 v2
NZQA Info

Earth and Space Science 3.4 - Demonstrate understanding of processes in the ocean system


Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 4r,4w *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91414 v2
NZQA Info

Earth and Space Science 3.5 - Demonstrate understanding of processes in the atmosphere system


Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 4r,4w *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91415 v2
NZQA Info

Earth and Space Science 3.6 - Investigate an aspect of astronomy


Level: 3
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 4r *
Numeracy Credits: 0
Credit Summary
Total Credits: 20
Total Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
Total University Entrance Literacy Credits: 16
Total Numeracy Credits: 0

Approved subject for University Entrance

Number of credits that can be used for overall endorsement: 20

Only students engaged in learning and achievement derived from Te Marautanga o Aotearoa are eligible to be awarded these subjects as part of the requirement for 14 credits in each of three subjects.