About these rules and guidance

About these rules and guidance, including how they relate to the purposes of Technical Qualifications

The rules and guidance set out in this document come into effect at 00.01am on Thursday 13 December 2018.

All awarding organisations offering Technical Qualifications have a legal obligation to:

  • comply with these rules
  • have regard to this guidance

Except where these rules specifically state otherwise, awarding organisations must also comply with our rules, and have regard to our guidance, for all regulated qualifications.

Rules and guidance set out in this document

This document sets out the following rules:

  • Our Qualification Level Conditions for Technical Qualifications (Conditions TQ1 to TQ23), which we have set using our powers under section 134 of the Act, and
  • our requirements in relation to assessments, standard setting and assessment strategies for Technical Qualifications – awarding organisations must comply with these requirements under Conditions TQ3.1(b), TQ6.1, TQ8.1 and TQ8.2(b).
  1. It also sets out a range of guidance for awarding organisations, designed to help them understand how to comply with:
    1. (a) these Qualification Level Conditions and requirements, and
    2. (b) our General Conditions of Recognition (and associated requirements)
  2. when offering Technical Qualifications.

Purposes of Technical Qualifications

We have developed these rules (and the guidance which supports them) with the intention that Technical Qualifications should fulfil the following purposes:

  • To provide reliable evidence of learners’ attainment in relation to:
    • the core knowledge and skills for the relevant T Level route and pathway;
    • the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for at least one occupational specialism relevant to the qualification;
  • To indicate where learners would be able to take up a relevant occupational role by ensuring the minimum pass grade standard for occupational specialisms attests to this, meets employer expectations, and is as close to full occupational competence as possible for the course of study;
  • To enable users to accurately identify and differentiate learners’ levels of attainment; and
  • Along with other performance indicators that form part of a T Level, to provide (where required) a basis for accountability measures at age 18.