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Vocational and technical qualifications

How Ofqual acts in the interests of apprentices

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Vocational and technical qualifications
Male and female construction workers

National Apprenticeship Week is the perfect time to talk about how Ofqual’s work benefits apprentices, and the employers they go on to work for. Specifically, I want to look at apprenticeship end-point assessments (EPAs).   Apprenticeship end-point assessments   EPAs are tests …

Looking ahead to GCSEs, Level 1 and Level 2 vocational and technical qualifications results

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A levels and GCSEs, Vocational and technical qualifications
A level students gathered on school steps

On Thursday, more than half a million students will receive results for GCSEs and Level 1 and Level 2 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs). These students, and their teachers, have shown remarkable resilience over the past two years. To recognise …

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 …

Vocational and technical qualifications: what 10 years of data can tell us

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Vocational and technical qualifications
maths measurement equipment

High-quality evidence and insights are at the heart of our regulation. By collecting accurate data and producing clear statistics we gain a better understanding of qualifications, how the market functions and we pave the way to a fairer and more …

The regulations for VTQs and other generals in 2021 to 22: what they mean for you

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Exams, Vocational and technical qualifications
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Exams and assessments are the fairest way for students to evidence what they know and can do. Whilst it wasn’t possible for all exams and assessments to go ahead during 2020-21, due to the pandemic, it is the government’s intention …

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 …