Consultation outcome

Summary of decisions

Updated 10 September 2026

We have decided to implement the majority of our proposals for V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates as consulted on. There are a small number of areas in which we have decided to amend our approach. We have also decided to implement our proposals for retaking Core Exams in Technical Qualifications within T Levels as consulted on.

Our decisions are summarised below with changes highlighted in bold. The full detail of our decisions and any changes, and their rationale, are set out in the sections V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates.

Ofqual’s regulatory approach

V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates will be subject to Ofqual’s accreditation requirement.

Awarding organisations must establish, maintain, comply with and keep under review an assessment strategy for V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates. We have made the following changes to the assessment strategy requirements:

• drafting and structural changes to improve clarity
• requiring awarding organisations to explain how their assessment design promotes effective teaching and learning
• increased reference to employer engagement in Occupational Certificates

V Levels: Qualification purpose 

Awarding organisations must design V Levels to meet Ofqual’s general purposes. We have merged General Purposes D and E to reflect likely student progression.

V Levels: Size

Awarding organisations must design V Levels in line with the Guided Learning hours specified by DfE, which for V Levels is 360.

V Levels: Content

Awarding organisations must:

• design V Levels to cover the content specified by DfE
• meet the assessment objectives and weightings specified by Ofqual, and have regard to guidance relating to those assessment objectives.

We have made the following changes to our proposals:

• amended the weightings of Assessment Objective 1 (AO1) and Assessment Objective 2 (AO2) to increase the weighting of application of knowledge and understanding
• improved the clarity of AO1 and AO2 through minor drafting changes
• improved clarity of assessment objective guidance to support consistent interpretation and application by awarding organisations

V Levels: Grading scale

Awarding organisations must use a 7-point grading scale of A* to E, P (pass) and U (unclassified). We have changed the proposed label of the N grade from N to P.

V Levels: Assessment methods

Awarding organisations must design V Levels in digital systems and data, accounting and finance and education to include the following methods of assessment:

• timetabled assessments, which contribute 40% of the overall marks for the qualification
• other forms of assessment, which contribute 60% of the overall marks for the qualification

Timetabled assessments are set and marked by awarding organisations and taken at the same time by all students under specified conditions. Timetabled assessments do not have to take the form of a written, theoretical examination, and should also include more applied and practical assessments.

Other forms of assessment are set by awarding organisations, but they can be marked by awarding organisations or centres, and they are not required to be taken simultaneously. We have designed the regulatory framework to allow flexibility for awarding organisations to include different forms of assessment and to take innovative approaches in assessment design.

Awarding organisations must include synoptic assessment in both methods of assessment. This will require students to draw together knowledge, skills and understanding from across the qualification content and construct and develop extended lines of reasoning. We have amended our definition of synoptic assessment to make it clearer.

The balance of assessment methods for future V Levels will be decided on a subject-by-subject basis to allow the most valid assessment method to be determined according to the subject content.

V Levels: Assessment availability

Awarding organisations must provide:

• one assessment series for timetabled assessments in May/June each academic year
• one window for the submission of marks for other assessments that are centre-marked to awarding organisations for Moderation each academic year

Awarding organisations must ensure that all timetabled assessments (which comprise 40% of the overall assessment) for V Levels in digital systems and data, accounting and finance and education are taken by students in the final series of the year in which a student intends to certificate. This is known as terminal assessment. Terminal assessment requirements for future V Levels will be decided on a subject-by-subject basis.  

Awarding organisations may permit retakes in any series for which an assessment is made available. Where students retake other forms of assessment, awarding organisations may allow students to submit new assessment evidence or revised evidence from tasks they have already completed.

V Levels: Setting and marking assessments

Awarding organisations must:

• set all timetabled assessments
• set all other forms of assessment, but may permit centres to adapt aspects of these
• mark timetabled assessments themselves
• either mark other forms of assessment themselves or permit centres to do so, subject to the awarding organisation carrying out Moderation of centre-marking before results are issued
• use numerical marks for all assessments

V Levels: Setting and maintaining standards

Awarding organisations must follow requirements specified by Ofqual relating to the setting and maintenance of standards.

V Levels: Reviews of marking, reviews of Moderation and appeals

We will consult separately on arrangements for reviews of marking, reviews of Moderation and appeals to ensure that V Level students can challenge results in a similar way to students taking GCSEs and A Levels.

V Levels: On-screen assessment

We will permit timetabled assessments in digital systems and data V Levels and accounting and finance V Levels to be provided on-screen. Approaches to on-screen assessment for future V Levels will be decided on a subject-by-subject basis.

We will permit on-screen assessment in all other forms of assessment in V Levels. 

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Qualification purpose

Awarding organisations must design Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates to meet Ofqual’s general purposes. We have increased the priority of general purposes D and E, which relate to the provision of accurate and consistent information about learners’ attainment and readiness to progress to an apprenticeship or employment, for Occupational Certificates. This will help signal the importance of these qualifications in providing information to employers about what a student can do, and reflects the role these qualifications will play in supporting decisions about a student’s readiness to enter employment.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Size

Awarding organisations must design qualifications in line with the Guided Learning hours specified by DfE, which are:

• Foundation Certificates: 240-300 Guided Learning hours
• Occupational Certificates: 540-720 Guided Learning hours

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Content

Awarding organisations must design qualifications to cover the content specified by DfE.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Grading scale

Awarding organisations must use a grading scale of pass, merit, distinction and unclassified.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Assessment methods

Awarding organisations must design Foundation Certificates to include two methods of assessment:

• timetabled assessments, which contribute 40% towards the overall qualification grade
• other forms of assessment, which contribute 60% towards the overall qualification grade

Awarding organisations must design Occupational Certificates  to include two methods of assessment:

• timetabled assessments, which contribute 30% towards the overall qualification grade
• other forms of assessment, which contribute 70% towards the overall qualification grade

Timetabled assessments are set and marked by awarding organisations and taken at the same time by all students under specified conditions. Timetabled assessments do not have to take the form of a written, theoretical examination, and should also include more applied and practical assessments.

Other forms of assessment are set by awarding organisations, but they can be marked by awarding organisations or centres, and they are not required to be taken simultaneously. We have designed the regulatory framework to allow flexibility for awarding organisations to include different forms of assessment and to take innovative approaches in assessment design.

Awarding organisations must ensure that, taken together, the assessments include synoptic assessment, although this does not need to be demonstrated through both assessment methods. This will require students to draw together knowledge, skills and understanding from across the qualification content and construct and develop extended lines of reasoning. We have amended our definition of synoptic assessment to make it clearer.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Assessment availability

Awarding organisations must:

• provide one or two assessment series for timetabled assessments each academic year
• provide one or two windows for the submission of marks or grades for other forms of assessment that are centre-marked to awarding organisations for Moderation each academic year

Awarding organisations may permit retakes in any series for which an assessment is made available. Where students retake other forms of assessment, awarding organisations may allow students to submit new assessment evidence or revised evidence from tasks they have already completed.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Setting and marking assessments

Awarding organisations must:

• set all timetabled assessments
• set all other forms of assessment, but may permit centres to adapt aspects of these
• mark timetabled assessments themselves
• either mark other forms of assessment themselves or permit centres to do so, subject to the awarding organisation carrying out Moderation of centre-marking before results are issued

Awarding organisations may use either numerical marks or direct grading approaches.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Setting and maintaining standards

Awarding organisations must follow requirements specified by Ofqual relating to the setting and maintaining of standards.

Awarding organisations must use compensatory approaches in assessment of Foundation Certificates (that is, to allow better performance in one area of a qualification to compensate for lower performance in another).

Awarding organisations should use compensatory approaches where possible in assessment of Occupational Certificates, but may use other approaches where necessary based on the content and use of the qualification.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: Reviews of marking, reviews of Moderation and appeals

We will consult on arrangements for reviews of marking, reviews of Moderation and appeals to ensure that Foundation Certificate and Occupational Certificate students can challenge results in a similar way to students taking GCSEs and A Levels.

Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates: On-screen assessment

We will permit all timetabled and other forms of assessment in both Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates to be provided on screen.

Retaking Core Exams in Technical Qualifications within T Levels

Awarding organisations must permit students to retake individual papers within the Core Exam sub-component of Technical Qualifications within T Levels.