Guidance

Glossary of terms

Updated 22 October 2026

Applies to England

A glossary of terms for the 10 national technical outcomes (NTOs) for the T Level foundation year.

Terminology

Behaviours

The behaviours included are enabling attributes and attitudes identified by employers as important to industry and to achieving the outcomes. They are taken from the list developed for T Levels set out in Annex E of the operating instructions for the creation of outline content.

Most of the behaviours have been included as supplementary information for providers in designing teaching and learning. 

Those that can be assessed in context have been incorporated into the skills to be assessed. These are:

• ‘self-reflecting’
• ‘self-managing’

Content

The NTOs set out at a high level the minimum content needed to demonstrate the outcomes for the specified route.

The content includes:

• the outcomes
• all knowledge and skills topic area headings
• the underpinning information

English, maths and digital

There are English (communication), maths (numeracy) and digital topic areas in the knowledge and skills where they are required to achieve the outcome and must be covered in the qualification. 

Supplementary information provides mapping and references to relevant English, maths and digital qualification subject content. This is to support naturally occurring opportunities for these skills to be developed and applied in context, to help consolidate students’ learning and understand their relevance and value to industry. 

The mapping references relate to qualification subject content from:

• GCSE English language
• GCSE mathematics
• Functional Skills – English
• Functional Skills – mathematics
• Functional Skills – digital

Holistic delivery

Holistic delivery involves integrated learning so that students make connections between skills, knowledge and understanding from across the programme.

Illustrative (examples of breadth and depth)

This includes illustrative examples of how breadth and depth could be introduced into teaching and learning. 

Developing breadth supports the consolidation of knowledge and skills at the same level, by applying concepts, facts and theories to different contexts.

Developing depth provides stretch and challenge to move students towards the next level, by analysing information and ideas from across the contexts to draw conclusions and make judgements.

Knowledge and understanding

The knowledge content included in each outcome includes both knowledge and understanding, which relates to the theoretical facts, principles, concepts, procedures and techniques that students should acquire.

Outcomes

The NTOs describe what the student should be able to do by the end of the programme. They encompass:

• the activities that students will undertake to demonstrate their learning
• the content (knowledge and skills) being taught and learnt
• the knowledge, skills and behaviours being developed in students.

Most outcomes include both knowledge and skills. The agriculture, environmental and animal care, and health and science routes include an outcome with knowledge only.

Rationale

This is the reasoning for the content. There is an introductory rationale for each set of NTOs and a rationale for each outcome.

Route

The Sainsbury Review set out 15 routes structuring occupations across the labour market that require technical education. There are T Levels for 12 technical education routes.

Route-based approach

There is one set of NTOs for each of the 12 T Level routes, rather than for each T Level or occupational specialism. This is to enable progression to any T Level within the route.

Route-based project

T Level foundation year students are expected to complete a small project relevant to their route. T Level foundation year: framework for delivery helps education providers design and deliver effective route-based projects.

Skills

There are different types of skills included in the NTOs.

Technical skills are occupation-specific, mostly practical skills. These may vary widely between industry, sector, occupation and job type.

Employability or transferable skills correspond to those developed for T Levels, examples of which are provided in Annex E of the operating instructions for the creation of outline content.

Also included are English, maths and digital skills, which appear under communication, numeracy and digital headings.

Topic areas

The topic areas are the headings that set out, at a high level, the underpinning key knowledge and skills areas required to demonstrate the outcome.