Regulating post-16 VTQs at L2 and L3

Assessment methods

One way to help ensure consistency and comparability is through requiring awarding organisations to take similar approaches to assessment design. This can help ensure content is assessed in similar ways and ensure that an appropriate balance of methods is used to support the setting and maintenance of standards to secure public confidence in the new qualifications. The results of Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates also need to be secure to support their likely use as part of school and college accountability measures.

Our proposals are intended to give awarding organisations the flexibility to use different forms of assessment to prepare students for level 3 study in the case of Foundation Certificates or employment in the case of Occupational Certificates. This will include:

• Assessments, which are timetabled by the awarding organisation, taken by students at the same time, set and marked by the awarding organisation

• Assessments which are taken under specified conditions but are not timetabled, and which can be marked by teachers in schools and colleges or by the awarding organisation

Assessments which are timetabled, set and marked by the awarding organisation often take the form of a written examination. This can provide the opportunity to directly test students’ knowledge and understanding of the vocational area they are studying to secure that the foundations of essential knowledge for vocational ability are in place. They are also valuable in promoting and assessing student learning across the full range of the subject content.

Written tasks can also assess students’ ability to apply their knowledge and understanding, either by mirroring work-place activities or by situating the tasks in authentic vocational scenarios, using case studies or pre-release materials.

Practical, skills-based tasks can also be set and marked by the awarding organisation and taken simultaneously by students. We recognise that the requirement for simultaneous sitting of this type of assessment may pose challenges. For example, if students need to use specialist equipment to undertake a practical task at the same time, a school or college would need to have enough equipment for every student. The extent to which practical assessments are used in this way is also likely to vary by subject, depending on the subject content. Awarding organisations will also need to consider how to make sure that assessments are manageable for centres and can be delivered securely.

All forms of assessment must have robust oversight by awarding organisations so that results are fair and reliable, but assessments which are set and marked by awarding organisation, timetabled and taken at the same time by all students have the highest level of awarding organisation control. Simultaneous assessment is important where a student might have an advantage if they were able to access the task in advance. It also reduces the risk that tasks are shared in advance and so reduces the risk of malpractice.

A wide range of forms of assessment, taken under specified conditions but not timetabled may also be used. This may include skills tests, performances, or demonstrations where the assessment of those practical skills cannot or does not need to take place simultaneously to secure the reliability of the assessment. Projects or extended tasks taking place over an extended period of time may be used to assess the application of knowledge and understanding. These assessments may be marked by the awarding organisation or by the centre, with scrutiny by the awarding organisation.

In designing such assessments, awarding organisations will need to consider potential risks, for example pressures on centre marking and student malpractice, including the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). To mitigate such risks, awarding organisations should choose forms of assessment that are less open to AI misuse, such as performances or practical demonstrations, or creation of physical products. Alternatively, when setting controls for how assessments must be taken, they could specify high levels of supervision, restrictions on internet access, or secure storage of work between sessions.

Proposal

We propose to specify the balance of assessment methods for Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates and set out the specific proposals below.

To support awarding organisations in determining which aspects of the subject content are most appropriately assessed through each assessment method, we also propose to put in place guidance to inform awarding organisations’ decision making. This will help minimise the level of variation between awarding organisations while providing a degree of scope for awarding organisations to take different approaches where legitimate.

Foundation Certificates

We think it is important the balance of assessment methods reflects that these qualifications are intended to prepare students for further study at level 3, including the forms of assessment they may encounter when they progress, while also reflecting the vocational and applied nature of the subject content. It should include a proportion of the assessment where awarding organisations have a high level of control to support the setting and maintenance of standards. We therefore propose for Foundation Certificates that awarding organisations must design their qualifications to include the following:

We propose the same balance of assessment methods should be used for all Foundation Certificates in tranche 1. We will consider, as content is developed, whether exemptions for any subjects in later tranches are required, and if so, exempt specific subjects from this requirement and/or specify alternative proportions. Where an exemption does exist, it would apply to all awarding organisations offering the qualification, and we would not permit exceptions for individual awarding organisations.

Our proposed Condition FC7 and associated requirements are set out in Annex B.

Occupational Certificates

It is important the balance between assessment methods reflects that these qualifications need to prepare students for entry into level 2 occupations, so require students to be assessed in ways that reflect this. We think that it is important that a proportion of assessment has a high level of control by the awarding organisations to support standard setting but the proportion of occupationally specific skills in the subject content suggests that this should be a lower proportion than for Foundation Certificates.  We propose that the same approach should be taken for all Occupational Certificates and will not vary by subject. We propose for Occupational Certificates that awarding organisations must design their qualifications to include the following:

We propose the same balance of assessment methods for all Occupational Certificates in tranche 1. We will consider, as content is developed, whether exemptions for any subjects in later tranches are required, and if so, exempt specific subjects from this requirement and/or specify alternative proportions. Where an exemption does exist, it would apply to all awarding organisations offering the qualification, and we would not permit exceptions for individual awarding organisations.

Our proposed Condition OC7 and associated requirements are set out in Annex B.