Guidance

Level 3 VTQ results Action Plan: measures for 2023

Published 16 March 2023

Applies to England

As qualifications regulator, Ofqual is committed to using its powers to protect students. Ofqual has introduced 3 new deadlines for 2023 to ensure that awarding organisations issue complete and correct level 3 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQ) results to students.

The 3 deadlines are:

1. 26 May 2023 – the latest date by which awarding organisations must have agreed with schools and colleges which students expect to receive a result by 17 August

2. 23 June 2023 – the latest date by which awarding organisations must have agreed with schools and colleges the remaining information or evidence needed for each student to receive a result

3. 14 August 2023 – the latest date by which awarding organisations should issue VTQ results to schools and colleges

Ofqual has made clear to awarding organisations (AO) that they must take account of these dates to comply with our rules.

Further details

In December, Ofqual published an Action Plan to support the correct and complete delivery of vocational and technical qualifications (VTQ) results for 2023. The Action Plan brings forward the eligibility checks and quality assurance awarding organisations, schools and colleges will need to conduct, so that these are completed during term time. 2023’s arrangements are a significant change to how many VTQs have operated historically in order to support parity of treatment for students, irrespective of the qualification they are taking.

Having sought the views of schools and colleges, and with the support of the 2023 VTQ results taskforce, Ofqual is now confirming the additional measures to which the awarding organisations listed below have committed.

Additional measures

AOs will collect and maintain details of a senior designated contact in schools and colleges who is responsible for exam delivery. These contact details will enable AOs to promptly reach those who are best placed to resolve any outstanding issues and queries relating to results, even if they are made outside term time. We expect these instances to be rare, however clarifications and errors in data or information need to be swiftly resolved so there is no negative impact on students.

AOs will work with UCAS to track students applying to higher education. Where AOs receive data from UCAS that identifies students are using qualifications for admission to higher education, they will reconcile this with data they receive from schools and colleges. This tracking and reconciliation will support a smoother transition for students. AOs, liaising with schools and colleges and UCAS, will take the steps required to resolve any gaps and inconsistencies in this data.

Ofqual will shortly launch a new VTQ Information Hub. This will bring together key information from AOs, including important dates, into one central location to support schools and colleges.

The AOs listed here have also committed to work together to improve their communications to schools and colleges and support effective training for exams officers.

Awarding organisations committed to deliver these measures

The measures above apply only to those Level 3 VTQs that are used alongside or instead of A levels, for progression to further or higher education. The measures listed here are intended to secure that students will receive a result as expected in August, to support their progression to their next phase of study in the following academic year.

The following AOs, that offer Level 3 VTQ qualifications that are used for progression to further or higher education, have committed to deliver the measures as set out here:

• Active IQ
• AIM
• AQA^{[footnote 1]}
• City & Guilds
• EAL
• Institute of the Motor Industry
• London Institute of Banking & Finance
• NCFE
• OCR
• Pearson
• RSL
• University of the Arts London
• VTCT
• WJEC^{[footnote 1]}

Ofqual’s rules require AOs to take all reasonable steps to issue results according to their own published dates or timescales and to ensure that the issue of results is timely.

1. AQA and WJEC operate their VTQs in a similar way to their A level qualifications, requiring assessment entries rather than operating a claim process. Therefore, they will continue to issue results to centres on 16 August in line with the release of their A level results. ↩ ↩²