Regulating health and care V Levels at subject level

Closes 8 Jan 2027

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Part 3 - Use of on-screen assessment

Ofqual’s criteria for the use of on-screen assessment  

V Levels are intended to support progression to higher education as well as to higher technical training or an apprenticeship. It is therefore vital students can complete their qualifications without disruption and to the same timescales as students taking A Levels. This is particularly important in the early years of delivery, as public confidence in the new qualifications is being established. We therefore took a cautious approach to the use of on-screen assessment in Assessment by Examination for the initial tranche of V Levels. 

We considered whether the use of on-screen assessment in Assessment by Examination would:  

  • support valid assessment of the intended constructs in the subject content  

  • help to mitigate risks to the authenticity of student work if the subject content was assessed through Non-exam Assessment 

  • enhance the vocational relevance of the assessment by reflecting working practice and assessment practice in the sector

We intend to use these criteria to determine our approach for tranche 2 V Level subjects.  

Choice of assessment modes 

As stated in our consultation outcome regarding tranche 1 V Levels, we will not require on-screen assessments to have separate specifications or substantially different assessment materials from paper-based assessments. This is the case for both Assessments by Examination and Non-exam Assessments. This reflected the fact that these are new qualifications without existing paper-based specifications, and that entry volumes will grow over time. Our view was that requiring parallel specifications or significantly different assessment materials would be disproportionate and could create unnecessary barriers to delivery. We accepted that this differs from the approach Ofqual proposed for GCSEs, AS and A Levels, and reflects the different context and scale of these new qualifications. We would now like to seek views on whether we should take the same approach for tranche 2 V Level subjects.  

15a. Having considered the criteria used to determine Ofqual’s approach to on-screen assessment in V Levels, what are your views on permitting the use of on-screen assessment in Assessment by Examination for the V Level in health?
15b. Having considered the criteria used to determine Ofqual’s approach to on-screen assessment in V Levels, what are your views on permitting the use of on-screen assessment in Assessment by Examination for the V Level in social care?
16. To what extent to do you agree that awarding organisations should be permitted to offer both paper-based and on-screen assessments within a single specification?
17. To what extent do you agree that awarding organisations should not be required to use substantially different assessment materials where an assessment is offered in both paper-based and on-screen assessment modes?