New UK qualification lets students skip written exams for 60% of their marks
Key Points
- Ofqual confirmed its regulatory framework for V Levels on Thursday (10 September)
- Timetabled assessment counts for 40% of marks, with 60% from other assessment types
- Digital systems and data, and accounting and finance, will be assessed on screen
- V Levels are graded A* to E plus P and U, and match A Levels in size at 360 hours
- Foundation and Occupational Certificates confirmed as Level 2 post-16 options
Exams regulator Ofqual confirmed on Thursday (10 September) how it will regulate V Levels, a new post-16 qualification in which 60% of a student’s marks will come from work other than timetabled assessment.
The regulatory arrangements also cover Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates, two Level 2 qualifications for students who have left school.
V Levels will sit alongside A Levels and T Levels as a third option for students deciding what to do after their GCSEs. Ofqual said the three qualifications will offer vocational, academic and technical routes to university, higher technical study, apprenticeships and employment.
Each V Level will run to 360 guided learning hours, which makes it a similar size to an A Level. Students will be able to take V Levels alongside A Levels rather than choosing one route over the other.
Timetabled assessment will make up 40% of the overall marks in a V Level, with the remaining 60% coming from other forms of assessment. Ofqual said it will review that split on a subject-by-subject basis as more V Levels come on stream.
Timetabled assessments will not be limited to written papers, and can include hands-on applied and practical tasks. Awarding organisations will be encouraged to use a range of assessment types suited to each subject.
Ofqual has also cleared two V Levels to be assessed on screen from the outset, in digital systems and data, and in accounting and finance. Decisions on on-screen assessment for other subjects will follow one subject at a time.
V Levels will use a grading scale running from A* to E, with a P grade for a pass and U for ungraded.
The qualification-level conditions set a single national framework while leaving room for flexibility within each subject.
“V Levels offer a high-quality vocational pathway alongside the technical routes provided by T Levels, and the academic route through A Levels,” said Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual.
“Our framework ensures consistency and quality in these qualifications, while allowing flexibility in how V Levels are assessed to reflect their vocational nature and the demands of individual subjects,” he added.
Ofqual said the framework gives courses scope to respond to specific local employment opportunities where the subject allows. Awarding organisations will also be able to introduce new approaches to assessment that match the vocational settings students learn about.
Foundation Certificates are aimed at students who need to build up knowledge and skills before moving on to further study or training. They will run to between 240 and 300 guided learning hours and will be graded pass, merit, distinction or ungraded.
Occupational Certificates are for students preparing to start work or move into an apprenticeship, and will run to between 540 and 720 guided learning hours. Ofqual said assessment in both Level 2 qualifications will be tailored to the needs of each subject.
