Teachers are fighting to save the essay after education officials said the format might be too constraining for pupils in exams and suggested "an extended piece of writing" was a better alternative.
It comes amid a major review that aims to ensure that NCEA standards test what pupils will learn at school under the new curriculum.
Draft plans for subjects are being discussed with teachers.
The New Zealand History Teachers Association told its members the Ministry of Education and New Zealand Qualifications Authority had banned the phrase "in an essay" in history and other subjects because the format places extra constraints on pupils sitting external exams.
Teachers struck out in response, with Mary Welsh from Epsom Girls Grammar labelling it "nonsense" on the association's online forum.
"I suppose that I should have seen this one coming. Virtually every other aspect of what makes history distinct as a subject is being challenged. Why should the historical essay be exempt from slaughter?" she wrote.
Association chairman John Downes said the intensity of reactions was probably driven by the "precious" place the essay had held in the subject for many years.
He said the justification to rid exams of essays was that they "double jeopardied" pupils by requiring them to meet both content and structure demands.
"Having been a marker for many years, you find there are some kids that still had good content but because they didn't structure it - didn't have, say, the introduction and good paragraphing - they could miss the standard."
Mr Downes said the history standards review team was trying to get around the essay ban by putting in explanatory notes that an extended piece of writing was effectively an essay.
But he believed officials had softened on the issue and it was possible they might allow the essay to be retained.
The ministry would not comment on the standards review.
Draft standards are expected to be written by February.
The review is scheduled to be completed by 2010 and is required to align unit and achievement standards to the new curriculum.
The Auckland Secondary Principals Association meeting next month is set to debate the timeframe and gauge support for lobbying for a delay in implementing the new curriculum.
Secondary Principals Association president Peter Gall said the material going out for consultation was in draft form only and open to change.
"It's absolutely essential work as far as the NCEA is concerned," said Mr Gall.
"This is a major review. It's a marrying together of unit and achievement standards. It's a really significant piece of work."
