We have now completed two years of use of the September 2000 key skills.

Phasing out the 'old key skills'

The 'old' key skills units (the 1995 versions of the key skills) are no longer available. Anyone working to these old units had to complete them and receive certification by August 2002. All key skills candidates who wish to receive key skills certification should be working with the September 2000 key skills therefore.

The changes we put in place last September to assist in achievement of the new, September 2000 key skills have been well received.

Consolidating Guidance

We re-published the guidance for key skills, and centres should have received a copy of this. ('The key skills qualifications specifications and guidance' ref QCA/02/896 - contact your awarding body if you have not got a copy yet). This guidance gives advice about gathering portfolio evidence, and reminds candidates what evidence should look like.

In our effort to respond to the problems centres had with managing the assessment of key skills we have done two things:

1) Improving Portfolio Assessment
In our guidance we have re-emphasised that there is a need to ensure that evidence meets the specification requirements, but does not go beyond it. Good evidence is slim, and it is also clever evidence - ie it is suitable for a candidate’s main programme of study and the key skill. We have been working for some time to produce examples of good evidence. We will publish these when we have completed the work.

2) Increasing the number of test opportunities
We have, since April of 2002, offered monthly test opportunities for the key skills tests at levels 1 and 2. The dates for these tests are published on this site, but centres should check with awarding bodies to see which of the monthly tests are being run by their awarding body. We have also made more opportunities available to take the level 3 and 4 tests - 6 opportunities for level 3 and 3 for level 4.

Examples of the tests

We put some new examples of the tests on the website, and intend to refresh more this year. All the past key skills test papers for levels 3 and 4 are now available for practice from your awarding body.

Downloading data for the ICT key skill tests

From November 2001 onwards, we introduced a 'data download' model for the ICT key skills test at levels 3 and 4. Centres are asked to download a set of data files that are then used by candidates in the tests. A set of data is now available on this site for the 2002/3 tests that candidates will again need to use when taking the ICT key skill tests at levels 3 and 4.

Tests in the medium of Welsh

Details of when test opportunities are available in the medium of Welsh are on the ACCAC website. Examples of the tests in the medium of Welsh and the data files for the ICT tests will be available shortly also on the ACCAC website.

Reviewing the key skills

We are reviewing the key skills from now until next summer, with a view to having revised key skills from September 2004. We hope this review will be able to accommodate both those comments from you that you do not want radical change, and those of you who have given us feedback about specific problems with the key skills specifications. If you would like to register an interest in being consulted about the key skills as part of our review, please contact Annie Connor, (connora@qca.org.uk). As part of the review, we will be undertaking a pilot involving the wider key skills. This pilot will report in June 2003. We hope to be able to include the findings and recommendations of this pilot into the work on the first three key skills.

Expectations of key skills achievement

Last year, we included the following advice from the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in England:

"In terms of the implications for institutions and students what I want to see is key skill programmes offered to all post 16 students. Where students have not already achieved A* - C grades in GCSE English, Maths, or ICT their programmes should lead to the formal acquisition of relevant key skills qualifications at level 2. Where students are starting on advanced levels with the aim of pursuing a professional or higher qualification post 19, then institutions should support them in gaining at least one relevant key skill qualification at level 3."

There is therefore no expectation that candidates who have achieved A* - C grades in GCSE English, Welsh, Irish (Gaeilge) Maths, or ICT should also take the related key skills qualifications (Communication, Application of Number or ICT) at Level 2.

Achievement of grades A* - C in GCSE English, Welsh, Irish (Gaeilge) or Maths does not give students the Level 2 key skills of Communication or Application of Number by automatic proxy.

Proxy qualifications

A fully updated list of key skills proxies is now available on this site. QCA/CCEA/ACCAC review this list annually, and will add to the list if awarding body’s submissions for consideration meet the criteria for proxy qualifications. (The proxy criteria are also published on the QCA website).

Modern Apprenticeships

From 1st September all candidates beginning Advanced MA programmes must achieve at least the level 2 qualifications in Communication and Application of Number or have achieved the equivalent GCSE qualification at A*-C within three years of registration. Candidates and centres are advised always to check the precise requirements of their MA with the Standards Setting Body responsible for the MA Framework as they can differ depending on the framework, and there are also some differences in Wales.