Regulation

Notice in relation to Category B Qualifications

Updated 18 January 2024

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vocational-and-technical-qualifications-contingency-regulatory-framework/notice-in-relation-to-category-b-qualifications

6 August 2021

To: Responsible Officers of all awarding organisations offering Category B Qualifications

Notice in relation to withdrawal of designation of Category B Qualifications

Under Condition VCR1.8, a Category B Qualification [footnote 1] is defined as a qualification designated as such by Ofqual. The definition states that Ofqual will notify awarding organisations of any changes to that designation, as well as any saving or transitional provisions.

An awarding organisation must comply with any such transitional and saving provisions under Condition VCR1.3(b).

Ofqual gives notice that all qualifications currently designated as Category B Qualifications will have that designation withdrawn from 1 September 2021 subject to the saving and transitional provisions set out below.

Saving and transitional provisions

In respect of each Learner who fell within Condition VCR3.1 as it stood on 24 March 2021, an awarding organisation must continue to comply with Conditions VCR3 – VCR8 as if –

(a) the qualification taken by that Learner remains designated as a Category B Qualification, and

(b) any reference to Condition VCR3.1 in those conditions is read as a reference to that condition as it stood on 24 March 2021.

An awarding organisation must retain all records of decision-making required under Condition VCR5 in respect of a Category B qualification for three years after the date of this notice, and provide those records to Ofqual upon request.

  1. Terms in this notice have the same meaning as under Conditions VCR1.4 and VCR1.8. ↩

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