T Levels January 2025 update
Welcome to January's T Level Update. This is our first update of 2025, covering the cohort confirmation, updated assessment schedules and updates from all our subject sectors.
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We’ve now opened your cohort declaration for you to complete by 31 January 2025. Opening earlier than ever, we’re giving you more time to complete the work you need to do before submitting your cohort declaration. This year you will complete this in the VQ Learner Tracker, a module within Pearson Progress we’ll be using to track your learners from registration to completion.
If you need to make any amendments to your T Level estimated completion dates, you can email completinglearners@pearson.com, using the T Level amendment spreadsheet.
The entry window for Core Component assessments for the summer 2025 series is now open. You must make an entry for every student wishing to enter the assessment.
If you are making resit entries, please ensure you are familiar with the resit rules, which you can find in the TQ specification, or watch our support video on assessment, results and resits on our training and admin support page.
The approval window will open in February for Providers commencing delivery in September 2025. You must gain approval for each Technical Qualification you wish to deliver.
Please watch our Provider approval video before starting your application process (04:09 mins)
You can find support documents and approval forms on our training and admin support page, including:
- a guide to Provider approval
- Pearson T Level technical qualification delivery approval application form
- Pearson Vocational Provider approval application for T Level technical qualifications
- guidance for the Pearson Vocational Provider approval application for T Level technical qualifications.
If you have any questions about Provider Approval, please contact us via the Pearson support portal.
Entries for the Occupational Specialism for the summer 2025 series are now open. You must make an entry for every student wishing to enter the assessment.
On 2 December 2024, the Department for Education announced changes to industry placements.
We have been working with several Providers to initiate some improvements to how assessments are scheduled.
From autumn 2025, all Core exams will have one week’s gap between paper 1 and paper 2.
From summer 2026, the Surveying and Design Occupational Specialism in the T Level in Design, Surveying, and Planning for Construction will be changed so the window for task 2, Practical Surveying, is extended, allowing more time to complete the activity.
These changes will be reflected in our key dates schedules from the 2025/26 academic year onwards.
If you are delivering the T Level in Digital Production, Design and Development we need to know what coding languages you will be using for the Occupational Specialism assessment.
We are currently developing the new specification for the Gen 2 T Level which is in final stages of IfATE approval. We will publish this online as soon as it is available, expected to be by the end of January 2025. We are hosting a webinar to introduce changes in the new 2025 specification on 25 February.
25 February, 4:00 p.m. | Book your place
A new qualification description is now available on our T Level webpage for 2025. This reflects the removal of the Hazardous Materials Occupational Specialism for learners starting from 2025.
The new Occupational Specialism relating to Construction Project Management will be available for new students from 2026.
The transition guide for centres moving from BTEC Nationals in Construction to the T Level, including mapping of BTEC National units to the core content areas, is now available to download from the course materials page.
Download the transition mapping guide
Pearson has been working with the Gatsby Foundation to provide high quality teaching resources for several topics in the Core: Law, Maths and Modern Methods of Construction. These will be published shortly on Gatsby’s Technical Education Networks site.
Explore Construction resources on the Technical Education Networks site
We are currently scoping support materials to help improve students’ performance in the Core exams. This could include support on exam technique or specific resources based on past paper questions and examiner reports. Plus, from the 2025/26 academic year, we will make changes to scheduling to give students more time to revise between the papers. We are keen to hear any other suggestions you may have; please contact gabriel.staples@pearson.com if you’d like to share your ideas.
We are pleased to invite you to the South-West Regional T Level Network event, taking place on 11 February 2025 at Cirencester College. This face-to-face event offers the opportunity to liaise with colleagues from across the region and from Pearson, hear about updates and developments and share best practice in implementing and delivering T Levels in Media, Broadcast and Production and Craft and Design alongside Legal, Accounting, and Digital.
Whether you are already delivering, or gearing up to start from September, we have a wealth of support materials available in the ‘course materials’ section of the qualification pages, including:
- Schemes of work
- Delivery guides
- Example delivery model
- Specimen assessments for the Core and Occupational Specialisms
- Administrative support guides for the employer set project
We’ve recently added guide standard exemplification materials that exemplify how students might respond to the Occupational Specialism at different grades (Pass and Distinction).
On our training and admin support page, you’ll find Getting to know the specification videos for an introduction to key information in the specifications and overview of the course structure. We are producing more videos for the Occupational Specialisms, so look out for these soon.
Watch our getting to know the specification videos
You can also sign up for live Getting ready to teach training events running in June on our events page, or you can watch the recordings of past sessions:
Getting Ready to Teach the T Level in Media Broadcast and Production
Getting Ready to Teach T Level in Craft and Design
We are releasing monthly podcast updates throughout our refresh of the Digital qualifications. We released our second episode in December, focusing on the Occupational Specialisms.
Listen to the Digital T Levels Development podcast on Spotify
If you are delivering the T Level in Digital Production, Design and Development, we need to know which coding languages you will be using for the Occupational Specialism assessment.
Let us know which programming language you’re using with your learners
We have worked with Cisco and their Networking Academy on teaching resources for Python and other programming languages used in the Occupational Specialism. It's completely free to sign up and become a Cisco Networking Academy centre.
Access the resources and find out more at the Cisco Networking Academy
Gatsby are continuing the rollout the Digital T Level; they have been created by industry experts like Raspberry Pi and our own examiners to support your delivery. For information, keep an eye on Gatsby's website.
Get Ahead in Digital Week
Gatsby and BCS are launching their Get Ahead in Digital Week from 20–24 January.
This free event will showcase inspiring sessions from leading IT industry figures, exploring key themes from the T Levels curriculum. It's a fantastic opportunity for your students to develop essential skills and engage directly with experts during live Q&A sessions.
These T Levels will be delivered by Pearson from September 20254. This will not affect your 2024 intake; those students will complete their T level with NCFE.
We have shared updated versions of the specification, Core Exams, ESP, and Occupational Specialisms with our panels. We are now addressing feedback in preparation for the final submission in February.
Please email Andrew.Hambelton@pearson.com if you'd like to join our panels.
We have resources to support your delivery, including schemes of work for the Core and Occupational Specialism components, exemplar materials for the Employer Set Project, and a Content Overview for Core Paper 2.
We've recently added a podcast series from our examiners that will guide you through the core papers, our schemes of work and other aspects of our qualification.
Explore the resources on the course materials page
We will release new teaching and learning materials for the Core in December and January. The first set will focus on Core Element 14: the legal services sector.
Curriculum planners for the Core and Occupational Specialism components are now available with a range of other new support materials.
Explore the resources on the course materials page
Our partner, The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), has a dedicated T Levels page to support you.
Our partner, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), has a range of support for the Accounting T Level.
The Technical Qualification specification is now available on our website.
Download the Marketing specification
Registrations are now open for our Getting Ready to Teach events later this year on our events and training page.
Getting Ready to Teach T Level in Marketing (CORE)
2 April, 16:00–17:30 | Book your place
16 June, 16:00–17:30 | Book your place
Our training and admin support page gathers everything you need to support your T Level delivery:
- On-demand training such as Getting to Know the Specification, Employer Set Project training, Keeping it Simple materials, and our termly policy update.
- T Level live training where you can search for events and book Q&A networks, Getting Ready to Teach events, Getting Ready to Assess events.
- Our training archive collects recordings of past events if you are unable to attend any of our live training sessions or want to listen again.
- Administration documents and support, including key dates schedules, Provider approval guidance, administration support guides for assessment, videos to support making registrations and entries, understanding resit rules, and much more.
- Teaching support materials are padlocked, meaning they require an Edexcel Online account to access them. If you don't have Edexcel Online access, please speak to your centre exams officer.
If you need specific support with your T Level, our subject advisors are here to help. You can book a 15-minute one-to-one call where you can discuss any issue you are having with regards to planning or delivery of your T Level.
