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Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Evaluating the reforms of Functional Skills Qualifications

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Coronavirus (COVID-19), Exams, Functional skills

Introducing reformed Functional Skills Reformed Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) were first awarded in 2019 and today we have published research that we did in 2019 as part of our initial evaluation of those qualifications.   Ofqual’s role is to make sure …

What’s behind this summer’s VTQ results?

As qualifications regulator, our main concern is always students. It is important that students taking qualifications that are used for the same purposes are not advantaged or disadvantaged. This includes students taking vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) when compared to …

Exams and Assessments 2022 – fairness and clarity

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A levels and GCSEs, Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Morther and teenage daughter looking at a laptop.

As the person who oversees the exam boards delivering exams in England, my commitment to you is to put you first, and to make sure that whatever you are studying – be that GCSE maths, A level art or a diploma in travel and tourism - the end result will be a genuine reflection of your work.

More than half a million functional skills qualifications taken despite pandemic

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Coronavirus (COVID-19), Vocational and technical qualifications
A person making notes with their left hand in a textbook on a desk, in front of a tablet computer.

Awarding organisations, colleges, training providers, schools and employers have been working hard to offer functional skills assessments that are safe and convenient for learners throughout the pandemic. This is incredibly important for learners hoping to complete an apprenticeship or progress …

Managing worries around results day – some strategies that might help

Photo of wild flowers. Bottom half of image is of a meadow of small, white flowers with blue sky, filled with large white fluffy clouds at the top

When we talk about worry around exams, we often focus on the exams themselves, or the process of revision and can forget that waiting to receive your results and results day itself can be just as worrying. This may be …

What students, teachers, parents and carers think and feel about assessments this year in the wake of the pandemic

Female student, holding study books, smiles at camera.

Foreword by Paul Newton, Ofqual Research Chair. Ofqual has a statutory duty to promote public confidence in regulated qualifications, which means that we need to listen carefully to what people think and feel about them. Never has this obligation been …

VTQ awarding in 2021 - providing clarity for colleges and training providers

Male and female construction workers

As we all know, awarding for some vocational, technical and other general qualifications (VTQs) is going to be different in 2021. The ongoing effects of the pandemic mean that assessment, awarding, and even results days will continue to be far …