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A brief guide to level 3 qualifications

This guide is for individuals advising young people about the courses and qualifications available at level 3, and the progression routes to which they lead. Level 3 qualifications can be taken at any age, of course.

Qualifications approved for use with pre-16 students are listed annually in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) document Approved external qualifications under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 for pupils, students and trainees under the age of 19 (the Section 96 list), also available on the DfES website.

Qualifications are often classified into three types – general, vocational and occupational:

General qualifications are related to a specific subject, for example, GCSE science, history, music, design and technology.
Vocational qualifications provide a broad introduction to a particular vocational area, for example, manufacturing, art and design, health and social care.
Occupational qualifications are related to a specific job and are based on the knowledge and skills needed in that job, for example, administration, commercial horticulture, food preparation and cooking, retail operations, using information technology.

Many students combine different types and levels of qualification and to suit their purpose and progression. One of the aims of introducing new level 3 qualifications was to provide flexibility to enable more students to do this.

Awarding bodies are responsible for producing subject specifications, setting external assessment and ensuring consistent assessment standards across the country.

Level 3 qualifications

All these qualifications consist of a number of units. The most common qualification sizes are three and six units.

General and vocational A levels are graded A–E. They can be assessed in stages, using opportunities in January and June, or at the end of the course. Candidates can resit the external assessment for each unit. There is no restriction on the number of times a unit may be resat and the best result counts.

The Advanced Subsidiary (AS) is the three-unit General Certificate of Education (GCE). It provides progression between GCSE at level 2 and the full A level. It is both the first half of an A level and a qualification in its own right. All A level specifications include an AS. There are currently five free-standing AS qualifications that do not lead to a full A level: critical thinking, European studies, science for public understanding, social science, and citizenship and world development.

The A level is the six-unit GCE. It consists of the AS and a further three units called the A2, usually studied in the second year. Nearly 70 titles are available.

GCE AS and A levels normally contain a proportion of coursework – usually up to 30 per cent, although some practical or creative subjects have more. All GCE A levels include assessment that tests students’ understanding of the whole specification (synoptic assessment)

The Advanced Extension Award (AEA) became available in 2002. It is intended to allow:

the most able advanced-level students in each subject to demonstrate their depth of understanding
universities to discriminate between candidates with the highest grade.

The AEAs are based on the A level core material and so do not require any additional content to be taught. The assessments require candidates to use the skills of critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis.

It is awarded at merit and distinction grades. It is available in 19 subjects. Business and psychology have been added to the suite and are available for first examination in summer 2005.

The vocational A level, or Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education (VCE) replaced the advanced GNVQ in 2000.

The qualification is available in three, six and 12 units. The three-unit course is available in business, engineering, health and social care, and information and communication technology (ICT). The six-unit vocational A level is available in 14 titles and is equivalent to the A level. The 12-unit vocational A level (double award) is equivalent to two A levels and is available in 13 titles (retail and distributive services is available only as a six-unit award).

Vocational A levels provide experiences and education relevant to working life but do not provide training for a specific job. Students develop the knowledge, skills and understanding relevant to a broad vocational area, and often experience work within that area.

Assessment is by coursework (a portfolio of work), which is assessed internally, and by external assessment. The internal component normally contributes two-thirds of the final marks and the external component one-third. The specification indicates the type of assessment for each unit.

In the current version of the VCE, all units are at the same level. This will be changed in 2005 when the VCE is restructured with AS and A2 units to match the GCE A level.

Key skills qualifications can be taken in: communication, application of number and information technology.

Key skills qualifications are assessed internally (students produce a portfolio of evidence demonstrating the application of the key skills) and externally by tests. Links between other qualifications and key skills are used to provide exemptions for some or all of the assessment for the key skill qualification. For example:

AS/A level grades A–E in English language and/or literature exempt students from level 3 external assessment in communication
AS/A level grades A–E in mathematics exempt students from level 3 external assessment in application of number
AS level grades A–E in computing or ICT exempt students from level 3 external assessment in information technology
Vocational A level in information and communication technology provides full exemption from the information technology key skill at level 3.

Other qualifications

NVQs are awarded to students who provide evidence of competence in one of 11 occupational areas. NVQs are based on national occupational standards and do not have to be taken within a specific length of time. They can be taken by school and college students who have a work placement or part-time job, enabling them to develop the appropriate skills, or by people in employment.

The qualification is unit based, the number and size of units varying between vocational areas. A unit is achieved when a candidate is assessed as competent in applying the skills and knowledge specified in that unit. Assessment takes place in the workplace.

Other vocational qualifications, for example BTECs or OCR nationals, are often taken by 16- to 19-year-olds. These qualifications are related to broad occupational areas and are both available in three sizes: 6, 12 and 18 units. They can be used alone or in combination with other qualifications, for example AS.

Schools and colleges offering these qualifications are approved by the awarding body to do so.

Advanced apprenticeships use the work-based route. They incorporate NVQ level 3, a technical certificate and key skills. More information on these can be found in the work-based qualifications guide in this series.

Combining the qualifications

Many students will combine qualifications of different types in a learning programme that is appropriate to their ability, interests and intended career path. The new, smaller qualifications enable more flexible programmes and greater breadth of learning.

General and vocational A levels can be combined, either in a programme that places equal emphasis on each, or in a programme that has an emphasis on one type of qualification and uses the other to add breadth or depth. Vocational A levels can be combined with NVQ units where students have a work placement or a part-time job that fulfils the requirements.

Key skills qualifications will be combined with all the others. Students’ key skills will be developed across a range of learning activities that might include direct teaching of the skills to be practised elsewhere within the students’ learning programmes.

Progression

Having attained level 3 qualifications, students are equipped for progression to level 4 in full- or part-time education, or employment. Half of the young people with a level 3 qualification enter higher education, two-thirds continue in full-time education of some sort and almost one-quarter of the group progress to full-time employment.

Higher education qualifications at level 4 are undergraduate degrees, Higher National Diplomas (HND) and foundation degrees. NVQ level 4 involves the application of knowledge and skills in a broad range of technical or professional work activities.

Higher education entry requirements vary according to institution, department and course. Any or all of the factors below might be taken into account in matching students to courses:

subjects studied
grades achieved
total points scored
evidence of breadth of study
key skills attainment
evidence of other skills
- prior experience, for example, work experience, a gap year, voluntary work
- personal qualities, including motivation, as indicated in a personal statement, confidential reference or demonstrated at interview.

The Entry Profiles (EPs) currently being developed by UCAS are intended to achieve a better match between applicants and courses by providing more detail of each course and the selection criteria used.

Some case study examples

Student A chooses a year 12 programme of five AS levels and key skills. In year 13 she attains four A levels and a key skills qualification at level 3. She is accepted to university to read for a degree.

Student B chooses a year 12 programme of two AS levels and one vocational AS level, with key skills. In year 13 he attains three A levels and three key skills qualifications at level 2, and is accepted to university to read for a degree.

Student C chooses a year 12 programme of two general and two vocational AS levels and key skills. In year 13 she completes one general and one vocational A level and chooses a new AS. She attains three AS qualifications, one general and one vocational A level and key skills qualifications at levels 3 and 4. She is accepted to university to read for a degree.

Student D chooses a year 12 programme of one six-unit vocational A level, one AS level and key skills. In year 13 he completes a double award vocational A level and a general A level and attains key skills qualifications at levels 2 and 3. He is accepted by a university to study a sandwich degree course.

Student E chooses a year 12 programme of three AS levels and one vocational AS level. In year 13 he completes one general A level and the vocational AS level. He also chooses a new subject and completes a vocational A level in one year. He attains two AS, one A level, two vocational A levels and a key skills qualification at level 3. He enters employment with training leading to NVQ level 4.

Also see

> Coherent vocational programmes
> Curriculum design