NCEA Physics Tutor Online
My Physics Buddy (MPB) offers 1:1 online tutoring & homework help in Physics and related subjects — and NCEA Physics is one of our dedicated tutoring areas for secondary school students in New Zealand and New Zealand curriculum students internationally. NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) Physics is both a rigorous academic course and a standards-based assessment system, administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). Students earn credits through a combination of internal assessments and external examinations across Levels 2 and 3, with results contributing directly to university entrance and degree program admission across New Zealand. Whether you are a Year 12 student working through Level 2 standards, a Year 13 student tackling Level 3 external exams, or a parent looking for structured, expert online support, MPB connects you with tutors who know the NCEA Physics achievement standards, internal assessment requirements, and external examination demands thoroughly. If you’ve been searching for an NCEA Physics tutor near me and want the flexibility and depth of personalized online learning, you are in the right place. Our sessions are designed to improve conceptual understanding, internal assessment quality, exam technique, and problem-solving accuracy — with honest, structured guidance and no over-promises.
- 1:1 live sessions — fully personalized to your NCEA level, current achievement standards, and assessment timeline
- Expert tutors with strong knowledge of NCEA Physics Level 2 and Level 3 achievement standards, internal assessments, and external exam formats
- Flexible time zones — sessions conveniently scheduled for New Zealand (NZST/NZDT), Australia, UK, US, Canada, and Gulf students
- Structured learning plan built around your current standards, internal deadlines, and external exam schedule
- Ethical homework and assignment guidance — we explain and guide; you complete and submit your own work
Who This NCEA Physics Tutoring Is For
NCEA Physics is studied by Year 12 and Year 13 students across New Zealand, and by students at New Zealand curriculum schools internationally. This tutoring is for students who want focused, expert 1:1 support — not generic revision sheets or group classes.
- Year 12 students working through NCEA Level 2 Physics achievement standards who want to build strong foundations across mechanics, waves, electricity, and atomic physics
- Year 13 students preparing for NCEA Level 3 Physics external examinations in wave systems (91523), mechanical systems (91524), and electrical systems (91526)
- Students targeting Merit and Excellence in both internal and external standards who want to push beyond Achieved and into the top grade bands
- Students struggling with specific standards — particularly the externally assessed ones which carry the most credits — who need targeted conceptual and problem-solving help
- Students completing internal assessment investigations who need guidance on practical investigation design, data analysis, and report structure
- New Zealand students studying abroad in Australia, the UK, or Gulf region who are following the NZ curriculum at an international school
- Parents in New Zealand and internationally seeking a subject-specialist tutor who understands the NCEA standards framework and can provide reliable, consistent support
- Students needing homework and classwork guidance throughout the school year alongside external exam preparation
Outcomes: What You’ll Be Able To Do in NCEA Physics
Consistent, structured work with an MPB NCEA Physics tutor is designed to build real, observable skills across every achievement standard and every assessment type in NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 Physics.
Solve multi-step quantitative problems across all major NCEA Physics standards — mechanical systems, wave systems, electrical systems, and atomic physics — accurately and with clearly shown working that meets NZQA’s numerical answer and significant figures requirements. Analyze physical scenarios and experimental data at the depth required for Merit and Excellence grade bands — going beyond basic recall into the “in-depth understanding” and “comprehensive understanding” that NZQA achievement criteria describe. Apply physics principles to unfamiliar contexts, which is exactly what Excellence-level external exam questions demand and where the distinction between Achieved and Excellence is most clearly decided. Design and carry out internal assessment investigations that meet NZQA standard requirements — including non-linear relationship investigations (AS91521 at Level 3) — with correct methodology, appropriate data collection, and well-reasoned analysis. Explain modern physics and socio-scientific physics issues in structured, well-reasoned written responses that reflect genuine understanding rather than surface-level description.
What We Cover in NCEA Physics (Syllabus / Topics)
NCEA Physics is structured around Achievement Standards administered by NZQA. Each standard carries a credit value and is assessed either internally (by the school) or externally (by NZQA in end-of-year examinations). Note that from 2024, Physics is no longer available as a standalone subject at Level 1 — it has been replaced by Physics, Earth and Space Science. The coverage below focuses on Level 2 and Level 3, where Physics is offered as a dedicated subject. Always share your school’s assessment matrix and current standards with your tutor so sessions are precisely aligned. Details of standards and credit values may vary — always verify current information with NZQA.
NCEA Level 2 Physics Achievement Standards
AS91168 (2.1) — Carry out a Practical Physics Investigation (4 credits, Internal)
- Designing and conducting a practical investigation with a clear aim and method
- Collecting and processing data with appropriate precision
- Identifying and managing sources of error and uncertainty
- Drawing valid conclusions supported by the data collected
AS91171 (2.4) — Demonstrate Understanding of Mechanics (6 credits, External)
- Projectile motion: horizontal and vertical components, range, time of flight
- Circular motion: centripetal force and acceleration, banking, satellites
- Momentum: conservation, impulse, elastic and inelastic collisions
- Energy: kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, conservation, work-energy theorem
- Problem types: multi-step calculations, graph analysis, Excellence-level unfamiliar context problems
AS91170 (2.3) — Demonstrate Understanding of Waves (4 credits, External)
- Properties of waves: frequency, wavelength, amplitude, wave speed, period
- Interference and superposition: path difference, constructive and destructive interference
- Standing waves in strings and air columns; harmonics and resonance
- Doppler Effect: qualitative and quantitative treatment
- Problem types: wave calculations, interference pattern reasoning, Doppler shift scenarios
AS91173 (2.6) — Demonstrate Understanding of Electricity and Electromagnetism (6 credits, External)
- DC circuits: current, voltage, resistance, Ohm’s Law, series and parallel combinations
- Internal resistance and EMF; power and energy in circuits
- Magnetic fields: force on current-carrying conductors, Fleming’s left-hand rule
- Electromagnetic induction: Faraday’s Law, Lenz’s Law, induced EMF
- Problem types: circuit analysis, force on conductor calculations, induction qualitative reasoning
AS91172 (2.5) — Demonstrate Understanding of Atomic and Nuclear Physics (3 credits, Internal)
- Atomic structure: Bohr model, energy levels, emission and absorption spectra
- The photoelectric effect; photon energy and Einstein’s photoelectric equation
- Radioactive decay: alpha, beta, gamma; half-life calculations
- Nuclear reactions: fission, fusion, mass-energy equivalence
NCEA Level 3 Physics Achievement Standards
AS91523 (3.3) — Demonstrate Understanding of Wave Systems (4 credits, External)
- Interference of light: Young’s double-slit, path difference, and fringe spacing
- Diffraction gratings: constructive interference conditions and calculations
- Standing waves: strings and open/closed pipes; harmonic series
- Beats: frequency, beat period, and applications
- Doppler Effect: full quantitative treatment for moving source and moving observer
- Problem types: grating calculations, standing wave harmonics, Doppler scenarios, Excellence-level multi-step problems
AS91524 (3.4) — Demonstrate Understanding of Mechanical Systems (6 credits, External)
- Rotational motion: angular velocity, angular acceleration, moment of inertia, torque
- Rotational kinetic energy and rolling motion; conservation of energy with rotation
- Angular momentum: conservation in collisions and isolated systems
- Simple harmonic motion: displacement, velocity, acceleration equations; energy in SHM
- Gravitational fields: field strength, gravitational potential energy, orbital mechanics, Kepler’s third law
- Problem types: SHM calculations, rotational dynamics, orbital energy, Excellence-level combined scenarios
AS91526 (3.6) — Demonstrate Understanding of Electrical Systems (6 credits, External)
- Capacitors: charge, voltage, capacitance, energy stored, parallel plate geometry
- AC circuits: RMS voltage and current, reactance, impedance
- Inductors and capacitors in AC circuits: inductive and capacitive reactance (XL and XC)
- Resonance in RLC circuits: resonant frequency, Q-factor concepts
- Transformers: turns ratio, voltage, current, and efficiency in AC systems
- Problem types: capacitor calculations, AC circuit analysis, resonance frequency, Excellence-level RLC scenarios
AS91521 (3.1) — Carry out a Practical Investigation (4 credits, Internal)
- Designing an investigation to test a physics theory involving a non-linear relationship
- Linearization of data: log-log and semi-log graphs; determining relationships
- Uncertainty analysis: absolute, percentage, and propagated uncertainties
- Drawing valid, evidence-based conclusions; evaluating experimental limitations
AS91525 (3.5) — Demonstrate Understanding of Modern Physics (3 credits, Internal)
- Special relativity: time dilation, length contraction, relativistic momentum and energy
- Wave-particle duality: de Broglie wavelength, electron diffraction
- Atomic spectra and energy levels: photon emission and absorption
- Nuclear physics: binding energy, mass defect, fission and fusion energy calculations
AS91527 (3.7) — Physics and a Socio-Scientific Issue (3 credits, Internal)
- Applying physics knowledge to analyze a real-world issue with societal, ethical, or environmental dimensions
- Structuring an informed, evidence-based written response using physics principles
- Evaluating multiple perspectives on the issue using scientific reasoning
Students who are planning ahead to university study or who are also exploring other physics qualifications can visit MPB’s dedicated pages for IB Physics HL/SL, A/AS Level Physics (9702), and Physics for university-level subject support.
How My Physics Buddy Tutors Help You with NCEA Physics (The Learning Loop)
Diagnose: Every engagement starts with a structured diagnostic. The tutor asks about your current NCEA level, which achievement standards your class is working through, your internal assessment deadlines, recent test results, and which topics feel most unclear — whether that’s rotational mechanics in AS91524, RLC circuits in AS91526, or wave interference in AS91523. This shapes every session that follows.
Explain: The tutor builds each topic from the NCEA achievement standard requirements using clear, NZQA-appropriate language, step-by-step reasoning, and live worked examples on a digital whiteboard. Difficult concepts — like angular momentum conservation, AC circuit impedance, or linearizing non-linear data for internal assessments — get connected directly to what the NZQA mark schedule rewards at Achieved, Merit, and Excellence levels.
Practice: You work through past NZQA external examination questions and school-style practice problems across all relevant standards. Achieved, Merit, and Excellence grade band questions are all practiced — so you build the full range of skills needed for top performance, not just basic recall. The harder Excellence-level questions in external standards 91524 and 91526, which involve multi-step and unfamiliar context problems, recieve particular attention for students targeting the top grade bands.
Feedback: After each practice block, your tutor reviews your answers in detail — not just the grade band reached, but whether working is shown clearly, whether numerical answers carry correct SI units and significant figures, and where marks are being lost against the NZQA assessment schedule. Common NCEA Physics traps — missing direction in vector answers, insufficient justification for Merit/Excellence, errors in rotational mechanics setups — get caught and corrected specifically.
Retest/Reinforce: Standards where errors are consistant are revisited with fresh past exam questions and varied difficulty levels. Reinforcement is deliberately spaced so that understanding holds under actual external examination conditions — not just during the session where a topic was first covered.
Plan: Your tutor maintains a clear session roadmap anchored to your school’s internal assessment deadlines and the NZQA external examination schedule. The plan adapts as internal results come in and priorities shift across the school year.
Accountability: For students who want it, tutors set structured tasks between sessions — past exam questions on specific standards, formula consolidation, or internal assessment drafting milestones — and review completion at the start of each session to maintain consistent momentum.
All sessions run on Google Meet, with a digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil for live worked examples, circuit diagrams, wave diagrams, SHM graphs, and data linearization walkthroughs. Tutors adapt explanation depth and problem complexity to your current grade band performance — a student moving from Achieved to Merit gets a different session structure than one targeting Excellence.
First session flow: Your first session starts with a short diagnostic — the tutor asks about your NCEA level, current achievement standards, recent test results, internal deadlines, and external exam dates. The tutor then moves into live teaching on a priority standard with worked examples and Q&A. The session closes with a clear plan for the sessions ahead. Before the session, it helps to share your school’s assessment matrix, a recent test or practice paper, and your internal and external assessment schedule.
Tutor Match Criteria (How We Pick Your Tutor)
MPB selects your NCEA Physics tutor based on several interconnected criteria — NCEA-specific knowledge is just as important as subject depth.
Level and standards fit: Your tutor will have direct familiarity with the current NZQA NCEA Physics achievement standards at Level 2 and Level 3, the internal and external assessment formats, the Achieved/Merit/Excellence grade band criteria, and the NZQA mark schedule language and structure.
Topic strengths and tools: For NCEA Physics, we look for tutors who are confident across all major externally assessed standards — particularly AS91524 (mechanical systems) and AS91526 (electrical systems), which carry the highest credit values — and who understand what Merit and Excellence responses actually look like against NZQA criteria. Tools used include Google Meet and digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil for live diagrams and worked examples.
Time zone and availability: Tutors are matched for availability across New Zealand Standard Time (NZST/NZDT), as well as Australian, UK, US, Canada, and Gulf time zones for NZ curriculum students studying abroad. After-school and weekend slots are commonly available.
Learning style and pace: Some students learn best starting from conceptual understanding before working through exam-style questions; others prefer working directly from past NZQA papers and building understanding from their errors. Your tutor adapts to the approach that builds both understanding and NCEA grade performance most effectively.
Language and communication preferences: All MPB tutors communicate in clear English, calibrating explanation depth and NZQA terminology to your current level and target grade band.
Goals: Whether your priority is securing enough credits for University Entrance, pushing specific standards from Achieved to Merit or Excellence, completing strong internal assessments, or consolidating external exam preparation, the tutor’s session structure is calibrated to that goal from the first session.
Urgency and timelines: Students with internal deadlines or external exams weeks away get an intensive, standard-triage structure. Students starting support earlier in the year get a thorough, paced standard-by-standard build. Both are planned explicitly after the diagnostic session.
Study Plans (Pick One That Matches Your Goal)
MPB offers three broad plan types for NCEA Physics: a catch-up plan (typically 1–2 weeks of intensive sessions) for students with an imminent internal deadline or approaching external examination window who need rapid consolidation across priority standards, a full exam prep plan (typically 4–8 weeks) that works systematically through the Level 2 or Level 3 external standards with past paper practice, mark schedule analysis, and Merit/Excellence technique focus, and ongoing weekly support throughout the school year for students who want consistent expert guidance as they move through both internal and external standards. The specific session plan — standard sequence, past paper selection, internal assessment guidance, and grade band targeting — is built by your tutor after the diagnostic session, aligned to your current achievement standard, grade band gaps, and assessment schedule.
Pricing Guide
NCEA Physics tutoring at MPB starts at USD 20 per hour and typically ranges up to USD 40 per hour for standard weekly support and examination preparation sessions. Pricing varies based on the tutor’s experience level, the intensity of support required, and the timeline. Shorter, high-urgency intensive revision sessions or requests for very thorough standard-by-standard coverage may be priced toward the higher end. Supply and demand also plays a role — tutor availability and session frequency can influence the final rate.
For a specific quote based on your NCEA level, target grade band, and schedule, WhatsApp for quick quote.
FAQ
Is NCEA Level 3 Physics hard?
NCEA Level 3 Physics is widely regarded as one of the most mathematically demanding Level 3 subjects in the New Zealand curriculum. The three externally assessed standards — wave systems (91523), mechanical systems (91524), and electrical systems (91526) — together carry 16 credits and require genuine problem-solving depth, particularly for Merit and Excellence. Many students find rotational mechanics and AC electrical systems the most challanging without structured support. With consistent 1:1 tutoring, both content and exam technique become significantly more manageable before the external examination window.
How many sessions are needed?
It depends on your current grade band performance, the standards you are working on, and your timeline. Students doing intensive external exam preparation over 4–8 weeks typically benefit from 2–3 sessions per week. Students on an ongoing school year weekly support plan usually do 1–2 sessions per week. Your tutor will give a specific estimate after the first diagnostic session once your standard-by-standard starting point is mapped.
Can you help with NCEA Physics internal assessments?
Yes — MPB provides guided support for internal assessments, including practical investigation design (AS91521), modern physics reports (AS91525), and socio-scientific issue responses (AS91527). Tutors help students understand the investigation design process, data analysis methods, linearization techniques, uncertainty calculations, and how to structure written responses to meet NZQA Achieved, Merit, and Excellence criteria. Our services aim to provide personalized academic guidance to help you understand concepts and improve skills. Materials provided are for learning purposes only. Students complete and submit their own work — tutors guide the process, not the output.
Is NCEA Level 1 Physics still available?
No — from 2024, standalone Physics is no longer offered at NCEA Level 1. It has been replaced by a new subject called Physics, Earth and Space Science, which weaves together content from the physical world and planet Earth and beyond strands of the New Zealand Curriculum. MPB tutors can support students on this new Level 1 subject as well. Physics as a dedicated subject continues at Level 2 and Level 3 without change.
What happens in the first session?
The first session begins with a short diagnostic — the tutor asks about your NCEA level, current standards in progress, internal assessment deadlines, recent test results, and the topics giving you the most difficulty. The tutor then moves into live teaching on a priority standard with worked examples and Q&A. The session closes with a clear plan for the sessions ahead. Bring your school’s assessment matrix, a recent test or practice paper, and your internal and external assessment schedule.
Is online tutoring effective for NCEA Physics?
For most students, online 1:1 tutoring is equally effective and considerably more flexible than in-person options. Sessions use Google Meet with a digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil, so worked examples, circuit diagrams, SHM graphs, wave diagrams, and linearization walkthroughs are all drawn live — just as clearly as on a physical whiteboard. Students across New Zealand find online sessions particularly convenient given flexible scheduling around school, sport, and other year-level commitments.
How does NCEA external assessment work in Physics?
NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 Physics external examinations are set and marked by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and held in November each year. Students sit written exams for each externally assessed achievement standard — for example, AS91524 (mechanical systems) and AS91526 (electrical systems) at Level 3, each carrying 6 credits. Answers are assessed against NZQA mark schedules at Achieved, Merit, and Excellence grade bands. Each standard is reported separately. Always verify current examination dates and format details directly with NZQA.
What is the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence in NCEA Physics?
In NCEA Physics, Achieved requires demonstrating understanding of the physical concept or solving a problem correctly at a basic level. Merit requires demonstrating in-depth understanding — typically involving multi-step reasoning, linking concepts, or showing clear justification. Excellence requires comprehensive understanding — applying physics to unfamiliar or complex contexts, showing sophisticated reasoning, and communicating ideas clearly and precisely. Moving from Achieved to Merit and Excellence is exactly what 1:1 tutoring at MPB is designed to help with.
Can NCEA Physics preparation help with university physics?
Yes — students who genuinely understand Level 3 NCEA Physics content find the transition into first-year university physics considerably smoother. The rotational mechanics, SHM, AC circuits, wave systems, and modern physics topics covered at Level 3 map directly onto early university physics content. Students looking ahead can explore MPB’s pages for Classical (Newtonian) Mechanics, Electromagnetism, and Waves and Optics to understand what university-level physics looks like.
Does MPB also support other Australasian school physics qualifications?
Yes. While this page focuses on NCEA Physics, MPB also supports students on other Australasian physics curricula. Students studying HSC Physics in New South Wales can visit the dedicated HSC Physics page. Students on the Victorian curriculum can explore VCE Physics, and South Australian students can visit the SACE Physics page. All offer the same 1:1 personalized support aligned to their respective state or national curriculum.
Academic Integrity Note: Our services aim to provide personalized academic guidance, helping students understand concepts and improve skills. Materials provided are for reference and learning purposes only. Misusing them for academic dishonesty or violations of academic integrity policies is strongly discouraged.
Trust & Quality at My Physics Buddy
Tutor selection: Every MPB tutor goes through a subject knowledge screening, a live demo session evaluation, and an ongoing student feedback review process. For NCEA Physics, we specifically look for tutors who understand the NZQA achievement standard framework, the Achieved/Merit/Excellence grade band criteria, the internal assessment requirements, and the specific demands of the Level 3 external examinations — not just the physics content in isolation. Tutors are evaluated on their ability to teach within NZQA language and structure, build exam technique alongside conceptual understanding, and guide internal assessment work ethically.
Academic integrity: MPB’s role is to guide and explain — not to do the work for students. In all homework, classwork, internal assessment, and external exam preparation support, tutors explain concepts, work through analogous examples, and provide feedback on the student’s own reasoning. Students write, calculate, and submit their own work. This is the approach that produces genuine grade band improvement — and genuine understanding that holds up in external examinations where no support is available.
About My Physics Buddy: MPB is a Physics-focused online tutoring platform serving secondary school students, university students, and their families across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Gulf regions. Our core is Physics and closely related quantitative subjects. Students preparing for NCEA Physics can explore subject-specific depth through MPB’s pages for Waves and Optics, Thermodynamics, Electrostatics, and Modern Physics. Students progressing to university or considering international qualifications can look ahead with our pages for IB Physics HL/SL and A/AS Level Physics (9702).
“NCEA is New Zealand’s national qualification for secondary school students. It is internationally recognised and designed to reflect the broad capabilities students need — not just for university, but for work and life in the 21st century.”
New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) — official NCEA Physics subject overview
“Physics education gives students a framework for understanding the world — from the motion of planets to the behaviour of electrons. At senior secondary level, it develops the quantitative reasoning and problem-solving skills that are foundational to all STEM pathways.”
As broadly reflected in New Zealand science curriculum policy — see the New Zealand Ministry of Education — Science in the New Zealand Curriculum
Explore Related Physics Subjects and Qualifications at MPB: NCEA Physics content at Level 2 and Level 3 overlaps with several core physics disciplines. MPB has dedicated tutoring pages for NCEA Physics, Kinematics, Electromagnetism, Nuclear Physics, and Special Relativity — all relevant whether you are reinforcing current NCEA content or exploring the subject areas that underpin each achievement standard in more depth.
Content reviewed by an NCEA Physics tutor at My Physics Buddy.
Next Steps
Getting started is straightforward. Share your NCEA level, the achievement standards you are currently working on, your internal assessment deadlines, your external examination schedule, and the standards or topics giving you the most difficulty. Let us know your preferred session times and time zone. MPB will match you with a tutor whose NCEA Physics standards knowledge, availability, and teaching approach fits your needs. Your first session is a diagnostic and live teaching session — so you leave with a clearer understanding of a priority standard and a concrete plan for the sessions ahead.