Regulating post-16 VTQs at L2 and L3

V Levels

DfE has set out its intention to introduce V Levels at level 3. V Levels will be new qualifications that offer a vocational pathway for students who want to explore different sectors before deciding where to specialise. They will exist alongside A Levels and T Levels to enable students to study a range of vocational areas.

Each V Level will be equivalent in size to one A Level. This means students will be able to combine V Levels with A Levels, creating a programme that reflects their interests and career ambitions. V Levels will be designed against common content specified by DfE, linked to occupational standards.

The first V Levels will be available from September 2027 in education, accounting and finance, and digital systems and data, with more subjects to follow over time. The content for the first tranche of V Levels being first taught from September 2027 is currently being consulted on by DfE, and you can see more information about this here.

We propose to put in place rules at a qualification level that will apply to all V Levels. We also propose to put in place some subject-specific rules for each V Level subject to further support consistency and comparability in these qualifications. We set out below the rules we propose for V Levels and where relevant, individual V Level subjects.