Open consultation

Proposals

Published 5 November 2026

Applies to England

V Levels

V Levels are level 3 broad, applied vocational qualifications aimed primarily at students who want to progress to higher study, higher technical training or apprenticeships. They will form part of the level 3 qualification offering for post-16 students, alongside A Levels and T Levels. The first tranche of V Levels, in digital systems and data, accounting and finance, and education, will be available for teaching from September 2027, with new subjects to be introduced in 3 further tranches up to September 2030.

Following the introduction of the reform criteria in June 2026, we invited awarding organisations to apply to be recognised for the first tranche of V Levels. Recognition decisions have now been made, and awarding organisations are developing their qualifications ready to submit them for accreditation in autumn 2026.

In September 2026 we published our Qualification Level Conditions, requirements and guidance for V Levels.  As national qualifications that will be used for progression to higher study, higher technical training and apprenticeships, standard setting is a particularly important feature of the regulatory framework for V Levels. It is important that standards are set and maintained appropriately and consistently over time and across awarding organisations. We therefore consider that awarding organisations offering V Levels should be able to demonstrate relevant expertise, systems and processes, and governance arrangements to support this aspect of qualification delivery.

As anticipated in the Qualification Level Conditions (QLCs), we expect to publish further regulatory documents detailing requirements in relation to setting and maintaining standards once V Levels are in delivery. We expect to publish these documents ahead of the award of the first V Levels, in the summer of 2029. These are likely to be similar (although not identical) to the regulatory documents published to support maintenance of standards in GCSEs, AS and A Levels. More detail can be found in the data exchange for AS, A Level, GCSE and Project qualifications.

These regulatory documents will set out the technical requirements for the award of V Levels in more detail than we could include in the QLCs. It will be important that any awarding organisation recognised for V Levels is able to comply with these requirements, as they will help to ensure the inter-awarding organisation comparability that is a key feature of the DfE’s post-16 reforms. We need to retain the reform recognition criteria therefore in light of our expectation that we will need to set these detailed further requirements for V Levels. This is to ensure that standards are maintained appropriately, since awarding organisations will need to have previous experience or existing expertise in setting standards using an approach similar to the data exchange process used for specified general qualifications.

We expect that in time, as other awarding organisations that wish to enter the V Level market become familiar with the V Level data exchange (or equivalent), which will be published, those organisations will be able to develop the necessary expertise to set standards in the same way.

Once all of the necessary regulatory documents have been published for the first time in 2029, we will be able to take these requirements into account at recognition. We can then consider again whether to revert to the original Criteria for Recognition used for other qualifications for any other awarding organisations seeking to enter the market from that point.

Unlike the original Criteria for Recognition used for other qualifications, the reform criteria require awarding organisations to already be recognised by Ofqual rather than being new to the regulated market, and to have the necessary expertise, systems, processes and governance arrangements in place at the point of recognition. For clarity, prior recognition means only that an awarding organisation must already be an Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation, not that it must already be recognised for V Levels, Foundation Certificates or Occupational Certificates. 

By 2029, we will have made recognition decisions for all 4 tranches of V Levels against the same reform criteria, ensuring a consistent approach to recognition for all V Levels as they are introduced.

Question 1

To what extent do you agree with our proposal to retain the reform Criteria for Recognition for V Levels?

Please provide any comments.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates

Foundation Certificates are level 2 broad vocational qualifications intended to enable students to progress to study at level 3, and in particular to V Levels. Occupational Certificates are level 2 qualifications intended to enable students to progress to employment in occupations covered by the qualifications. These qualifications will form part of the level 2 qualification offering for 16-year-olds, alongside apprenticeships. The first tranche of Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates will be available to teach from September 2027, with new subjects being introduced in 3 further tranches up to September 2030.

Following the introduction of the reform criteria for these qualifications in June 2026, we invited awarding organisations to apply to be recognised for the first tranche of Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates. Initial recognition decisions have now been made, and awarding organisations are developing their qualifications ready to submit for accreditation in November 2026.

In September 2026 we published our Qualification Level Conditions, requirements and guidance for Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates.

Our Qualification Level Conditions (QLCs) for these qualifications are less prescriptive than for V Levels, allowing awarding organisations to take different approaches to assessment and marking. As a consequence, awarding organisations may need to use a range of methods to set and maintain standards depending on how they design their qualifications. We also anticipate that these qualifications will have smaller cohorts than V Levels. This means we are unlikely to specify the same level of standard setting requirements. Any requirements we might set in future are likely to be high level and informed by awarding over the first few years.

Given that it will be unnecessary for awarding organisations to demonstrate the standard setting experience and expertise associated with V Levels, we do not think it would be proportionate to retain the reform criteria for these qualifications. We also think there are likely to be small, specialist awarding organisations that would be capable of delivering these qualifications but may not be able to meet the reform criteria without significant up-front investment to increase their capacity and capability.

We therefore propose to use the original Criteria for Recognition used for other qualifications (apart from V Levels) to recognise awarding organisations for Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates in future. Combined with the QLCs, this will give us a secure basis to ensure that recognised awarding organisations will have the necessary expertise.

The use of the original Criteria for Recognition alongside QLCs will still set a high bar to achieve market entry for Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates compared to the current market. This is the first time we have set QLCs and required awarding organisations to go through a recognition process to offer post-16 level 2 vocational or technical qualifications. Awarding organisations will need to demonstrate they will be able to meet these Conditions, including delivery of a national, timetabled exam series, as well as setting and maintaining standards appropriately, to meet the assessment and standard setting requirements. We have not previously published these types of requirements for post-16 level 2 qualifications. 

As with V Levels, we will keep the approach to recognition under review. Evidence gathered through the implementation and delivery of the qualifications will inform future decisions about the criteria to be used.

Question 2

To what extent do you agree with our proposal to revert to the original Criteria for Recognition for:

(a) Foundation Certificates; and

(b) Occupational Certificates?

Please provide any comments.