The maths is easy, the wording is not
Questions are set in shopping, fuel, recipe and timetable contexts. Students who can do the arithmetic still lose marks because they cannot see which operation the situation is asking for.
Home › NCEA tutor for Numeracy CAA
Online Numeracy Co-requisite Tutoring · Year 10 to Year 13 · New Zealand Wide
NCEA tutor for Numeracy CAA, so your teen passes it and moves on
Aaron, founder of Ace NCEA, is your NCEA tutor for Numeracy CAA, teaching one on one online. The numeracy CAA is compulsory, and without it NCEA is not awarded at any level however many subject credits your teen has, but it is usually a short piece of work to fix.
Hi! I'm Aaron. I finished NCEA in 2024
and came out with 310+ Excellence credits. Dux · Head Boy · Medicine, University of Auckland
and came out with 310+ Excellence credits. Dux · Head Boy · Medicine, University of Auckland
AaronFounder, Ace NCEA
What goes wrong
Why students do not pass the numeracy CAA first time
It is not a hard assessment. It is an unfamiliar one, and that is what catches capable students out.
Nobody teaches it as its own thing
Numeracy sits between subjects, so it often gets a couple of practice sessions and nothing else. Your teen walks in having never sat anything in that format.
One weak strand fails the whole thing
The standard samples number, measurement, statistics and algebra. A student strong in three and blank in the fourth can still come out Not Achieved.
The method
How we tutor NCEA Year 10 maths and the numeracy CAA
Find the weak strand, teach the everyday reading of a question, then sit it under real conditions.
1
Sit a full practice CAA first
Aaron runs one past assessment before teaching anything, because guessing which strand is weak wastes lessons.
2
Rebuild the weak strand properly
Usually one of number sense, measurement or statistics. That gets taught from the ground up rather than patched.
3
Train the everyday reading
Your teen learns to turn a shopping, fuel or timetable situation into the operation it is actually asking for. This is the part schools skip.
4
Sit it again under real conditions
Online, in one session, no help. Aaron marks it against the standard so you know before the day whether it is safe.
Who teaches your teen
Numeracy CAA tutoring led by Aaron
Aaron finished NCEA with more than 310 Excellence credits and was Dux and Head Boy in the same year. He teaches a small group of students himself and matches everyone else with a specialist tutor he has handpicked and trained in his method. He speaks to every family and reviews every plan, so your teen gets the same standard whoever teaches them.
310+Excellence credits across Levels 1 to 3
1 on 1Private lessons, never a group class
$30K+In scholarships earned from his own results
WeeklyA written progress report to you
Not sure whether your teen is ready to sit it?A free 20 minute call with Aaron will give you the answer, and there is nothing to prepare.
Book a free assessmentThe assessment
What the NCEA Year 10 numeracy CAA is
Since 2024 every student needs the co-requisite before NCEA is awarded at any level. It is 20 credits in total: 10 for literacy across reading and writing, and 10 for numeracy.
Sat online, marked by NZQA
The numeracy CAA covers unit standard 32406. Your teen sits it on a computer at school inside an NZQA assessment window, and NZQA marks it rather than the school. There are two windows a year.
Achieved or Not Achieved, and it is worth 10 credits
There is no Merit or Excellence, so the goal is simply to clear the bar. Students get a minimum of 60 minutes and can take longer if they need it, provided they finish in one session.
It is not limited to Year 10
Most students sit it for the first time in Year 10, but Year 11, 12 and 13 students who have not passed it are entered too. There is no cap on attempts, and it only has to be passed once.
Everyday maths, not exam maths
Number, percentages and rates, measurement and geometry, statistics and probability, and some algebra, all set in real situations. A student can be fine in class maths and still find this format unfamiliar.
Year 11, 12 and 13
Sitting the numeracy CAA after Year 10
If your teen is in Year 11, 12 or 13 and still has not passed it, they are not behind in any way that matters. They are in a large group, and it is straightforward to fix.
What does matter is the deadline. A Year 13 student can finish every subject, pass every external, and still not be awarded NCEA Level 3 because the co-requisite is outstanding. Aaron treats it as the first priority in that case, gets it cleared at the next window, and then goes back to the subject work.
The pathway
Numeracy CAA across NCEA Levels 1 to 3
Here is every standard your teen is assessed on, and which parts NZQA marks in November rather than the school during the year.
Numeracy co-requisite (CAA)
Sat online and graded Achieved or Not Achieved. Without it NCEA is not awarded at any level, however many subject credits your teen has. Most students first sit it in Year 10, it can be sat again in Year 11, 12 or 13, and it only has to be passed once. Numeracy CAA tutoring ›
- ExternalEveryday number, percentages and rates
- ExternalMeasurement, statistics and probability
How it works
How numeracy CAA tutoring works
Every student follows the same four steps, so you always know what is happening and why.
1
Book a free call
Tell Aaron about your teen. In twenty minutes he will find where the marks are being lost and explain what it will take to fix it.
2
Get matched with the right tutor
Aaron teaches a small group of students himself and matches everyone else with a specialist tutor he has chosen for their subject.
3
Receive a clear plan
After the first lesson you get a written plan showing every gap, how it will be fixed and in what order. Aaron reviews every plan.
4
See progress every week
Your teen gets a workbook for each week, and you get a short written update on how they are going.
From parents
What parents say about our NCEA tutoring
“Our son was scraping Achieved in Year 12 Physics and had convinced himself he just was not a science person. Aaron worked out in the first couple of sessions that the real problem was algebra from Year 10, went back and fixed that, and suddenly the physics started making sense. He finished the year with Merit in both externals and actually enjoys the subject now. The weekly update was a lovely touch, because for the first time we knew how he was going without having to drag it out of him.”
“I was really struggling with differentiation and my teacher's explanations just were not clicking. Aaron explains things in a way that actually makes sense, and he never made me feel dumb for asking the same thing twice. I went from Not Achieved in my first internal to Excellence in the exam. Honestly the best decision I made this year.”
“Our daughter used to go quiet whenever maths came up. After a term she was putting her hand up in class and asking for harder questions. Her confidence has completely turned around, and the grades came with it.”
“Aaron matched our son with one of his chemistry specialists after a disappointing mid year report. The lessons are structured, there is a workbook every week, and everything is marked the way NZQA marks it, so he finally knew what an Excellence answer looks like. He finished with Excellence in two of his three externals, which we did not think was possible back in March.”
“Patient, reliable and great with teenagers. Our son actually looks forward to his sessions, which says it all. Highly recommend.”
NCEA tutoring rates
How much numeracy CAA tutoring costs
The price is the same wherever you live in New Zealand. Every option includes a private one on one lesson, a plan reviewed by Aaron and a workbook for the week.
Single lessonBook one lesson and see the difference for yourself.
$90Most parents choose this Twice a weekAt $80 a lesson, gaps close in weeks rather than terms.
$160/wkBlock of twelveAt $80 a lesson, this covers a full term, and lessons never expire.
$960There is no sign up fee, and you can stop at the end of any week.
Your questions
Questions parents ask about numeracy CAA tutoring
What is the numeracy CAA?
It is the Common Assessment Activity for unit standard 32406, the numeracy half of the NCEA co-requisite. Your teen sits it online at school and NZQA marks it. It is worth 10 credits and is graded Achieved or Not Achieved, with no Merit or Excellence.
Will my teen be taught by Aaron?
Aaron teaches a small group of students himself. When your teen is better matched with a specialist in their subject, Aaron pairs them with one of his handpicked tutors, trained in exactly the same method. Either way, Aaron speaks to you first, reviews the plan and stays across your teen's progress all year.
Is the numeracy CAA only for Year 10 students?
No. Most students sit it for the first time in Year 10, but it is open to Year 11, 12 and 13 students who have not passed it yet, and plenty sit it later. There is no limit on the number of attempts.
What happens if my teen does not pass it?
They sit it again at the next assessment window. NZQA runs two windows a year. The real cost is not the resit, it is that NCEA cannot be awarded at any level until the co-requisite is done, however many subject credits they have.
How long is the assessment?
Students get a minimum of 60 minutes and can take as long as they need, as long as it is finished in one session. Running out of time is rarely the problem. Not recognising what a question is asking for is.
Does passing it once cover every level of NCEA?
Yes. The co-requisite only has to be met once and it then counts for NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3.
Can my teen use maths standards instead of the CAA?
Not any more if they are at a mainstream school. The transition standards have ended, so the Common Assessment Activities are now the route to the co-requisite.
What does the numeracy CAA actually cover?
Everyday maths rather than exam maths: number, percentages and rates, measurement, geometry, statistics and probability, and some algebra, all set in real world situations like shopping, recipes, fuel, timetables and simple data.
Explore more NCEA tutoring
Book a free numeracy CAA assessment
The call takes twenty minutes, it is free and there is no obligation. Aaron will tell you honestly whether your teen is ready to sit it.