Regulating science V Levels at subject level

Closes 8 Jan 2027

This service needs cookies enabled.

Proposals at a glance

This consultation seeks views on our proposed Subject Level Conditions, requirements and guidance for the following V Level subjects: 

  • V Level in science research and technology 
  • V Level in healthcare science and technology 

For both subjects, we propose to introduce Subject Level Conditions that: 

  • require awarding organisations to develop qualifications that comply with the subject content set by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual’s requirements and have regard to guidance on assessment objectives 

  • introduce subject-specific assessment objectives and weightings, with the greatest weighting given to the application of knowledge, understanding and skills 

  • introduce subject-specific guidance to support consistent interpretation and use of the assessment objectives across awarding organisations 

  • clarify that the existing requirement limiting reward for demonstrating knowledge in isolation applies to Assessment by Examination rather than the qualification as a whole 

  • require qualifications to be assessed through a combination of: 

    • 40% Assessment by Examination 
    • 60% Non-exam Assessment 
  • require that all Assessment by Examination, which comprises 40% of overall assessment, is to be taken as terminal assessment (taken at the end of the course) 

  • require assessments to be available through a common assessment structure and timetable, including one Assessment by Examination series each academic year and specified submission windows for Non-exam Assessment 

  • retain the assessment structure and availability requirements already adopted for tranche 1 V Level subjects where we consider these remain appropriate for these science subjects. 

We are also seeking views on our approach to on-screen assessment, including: 

  • whether Assessment by Examination should be permitted to be delivered on-screen for these subjects 

  • whether awarding organisations should be permitted to offer both paper-based and on-screen assessments within a single specification 

  • whether awarding organisations should be allowed to use the same assessment materials across paper-based and on-screen delivery modes.