The New Zealand Certificate in English Language (General) (Level 3) targets ESL (English as a Second Language) learners who intend to participate in further mainstream education in New Zealand. The programme aims to provide learners with the language skills and knowledge necessary to communicate in a range of reasonably familiar situations, and enable them to succeed in further academic programmes from the National Qualifications Framework (Level 4 or above).

The course is equivalent to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) mid B1 to high B1.

The programme is an academic qualifier and will focus on the four language skills — reading, writing, speaking, and listening — with a total of 60 credits. Each of these skills will be presented and developed within a New Zealand context and will include intermediate grammar structures, tenses, vocabulary, pronunciation as well as reading and listening strategies, and study skills.

Most lessons are delivered in a classroom and incorporate a wide range of activities such as role plays, educational outings, individual, pair and group work, discussion, games, project-based learning, task-based learning, and media-based learning.

This programme leads on to the New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 4).