Overview

Ofqual is consulting on the introduction of new Criteria for Recognition to secure the safe and timely delivery of 3 new types of qualification for post-16 students that were announced following the government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR).

The proposed criteria allow Ofqual to ensure any awarding organisation that currently has the capabilities required to successfully deliver the first of these new qualifications, in September 2027, has the opportunity to do so. At the same time, awarding organisations that intend to deliver the new qualifications in the future can use the criteria to understand the capabilities they are likely to need in order to do so. We will review our approach to recognition and consult again in time for the second tranche of the new qualifications.

New qualifications for post-16 students

The Curriculum and Assessment Review identified the need for a high-quality alternative pathway at level 3 alongside A levels and T Levels, and separate occupational and progression pathways at level 2 for post-16 students. 

As a result, in October 2025, the government published the Post-16 education and skills white paper. This set out its intention to simplify the post-16 landscape into 3 pathways at level 3: A levels, T Levels and the new V Levels. V Levels will sit alongside A levels and T Levels and will offer a vocational alternative to these academic and technical routes. They will be suitable for students who do not want to follow an exclusively academic pathway after their GCSEs, and who are not certain about taking a level 3 qualification related to working in a specific occupational area, such as T Levels. The government also proposes to introduce 2 new vocational routes at level 2: Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates. The Department for Education (DfE) consulted on these proposals in its Post-16 level 3 and below pathways consultation between October 2025 and January 2026.  

Government confirmed on 10 March that it would introduce those qualifications, with the first tranche of subjects available to students from September 2027.

DfE’s Post-16 Pathways Consultation included proposals in relation to some high-level features of the new qualifications, including that the government will set subject content requirements for V Levels and Foundation Certificates, and a proportion of core content for Occupational Certificates. DfE also confirmed it expects to introduce these qualifications route by route in tranches, with the first tranche of subjects to be available to teach from September 2027.

High quality, national qualifications

The government has made clear its support for the recommendation in the Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report that these new qualifications must be high quality national qualifications. At level 3 this means V Levels should sit alongside A levels and T Levels, offering the first-choice vocational route for students at that level. At level 2, there will be 2 dedicated pathways for 16 to 19-year-olds. There will be Foundation Certificates for students preparing to pursue further study at level 3 study. There will also be Occupational Certificates for students who need to develop their skills in a classroom-based setting before progressing into employment in relevant level 2 roles, including an apprenticeship.

The regulatory approach described in this consultation is designed to ensure that the new qualifications meet the government’s ambition for quality and to ensure that they will command long-term public confidence.

Regulatory requirements for awarding organisations delivering the new qualifications

V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates are intended to have some features already shared by other national qualifications, including T Levels, A levels and GCSEs. They will have nationally-set content, a coherent approach to grading and standards maintenance, and a common design approach. These features are designed to secure quality for qualifications that will become a long-term feature of the qualifications landscape. They will be high-stakes, national qualifications used for progression, including to higher education in the case of V Levels.

The success of such qualifications requires specific capabilities within the awarding organisations delivering them. The proposed Criteria for Recognition in this consultation set demanding expectations, which reflect the government’s policy intention, and ensure awarding organisations have the necessary capacity, capability and governance to secure safe delivery.

Alongside the proposed new criteria for an awarding organisation to secure recognition to deliver these qualifications, we will also  consult in the spring on the introduction of Qualification Level Conditions (QLCs) specifying how the qualifications must be assessed and how standards will be set and maintained, along with requirements for reviews and appeals. These requirements will ensure that competing awarding organisations offering the new qualifications do so based on a level playing field in relation to standards and quality.   

We expect to set the new QLCs in time for awarding organisations to begin submitting qualifications to Ofqual for scrutiny later in the autumn. This will support government’s goal that the first tranche of the new qualifications will be available to students in September 2027.

Ofqual may also consult on setting Subject Level Conditions (SLCs), should we deem these necessary to secure the comparability and validity of the new qualifications on a subject by subject basis.

Recognition for the first tranche of new qualifications in 2027

It is in the clear interests of students, higher education institutions and employers that the new qualifications are delivered safely and to a high standard, from the first cohort. To secure that outcome, and to meet the tight timeline set by government for first teaching in 2027, it is likely relatively few awarding organisations will secure recognition for the first tranche of the new qualifications. This is because the proposed new criteria specify that an awarding organisation must have existing capabilities at the appropriate level, that may be proven through experience of delivering comparable qualifications, at the time of the recognition application. 

Other awarding organisations, which do not have the existing necessary capabilities at the appropriate level, will have limited time to develop and then demonstrate those capabilities in time to develop and deliver new qualifications from 2027. However, all awarding organisations will have the opportunity to understand our requirements and to develop the expertise, systems and processes, and governance they will need should they wish to apply for recognition for those qualifications later.

Keeping our recognition approach under review

We will review our approach to recognition when we have developed the QLCs, to make sure it remains appropriate considering the more detailed requirements those QLCs will set. We will consult again on the approach we will take for recognition of tranche 2 qualifications (to be first taught in 2028) and beyond and on whether, having completed a review of this initial approach to recognition, we think any changes need to be made either to it or to the applied criteria.

Taking this approach will ensure awarding organisations delivering the first tranche of reformed qualifications will have the appropriate capabilities ready for qualifications to be taught from 2027. This consultation seeks comment on the criteria we propose to put in place to achieve that.

Audience

This consultation is open to anyone who may wish to make representation but may be of most interest to:

• awarding organisations intending in future to offer V Levels, Foundation Certificates and/or Occupational Certificates, and their representative bodies
• schools, colleges, students, and their representative bodies
• employers and their representative bodies