T Levels Provider FAQs

Pearson is responsible for the specification development and assessment delivery of the Technical Qualifications (TQ) in:

• Design, surveying and planning for Construction
• Digital production, design and development
• Accounting
• Finance
• Legal Services
• Craft and Design
• Media, Broadcast and Production
• Marketing

These form the substantial component within the T Level.

Other components that must be achieved include:

• Industry Placement 
• Other industry qualifications deemed appropriate by the T Level panel.

T Levels will become one of the main choices for students after GCSE, alongside Apprenticeships, Technical Occupational Entry Qualifications, Alternative Academic Qualifications and A levels.

T Levels will be based on the same standards as apprenticeships, designed by employers and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). Total time for a T Level will be around 1,800 hours over the two years, including an industry placement.

This differs from an apprenticeship, which is typically 80% on-the-job and 20% in the classroom and is more suited to those who know what occupation they want to pursue, want to earn a wage and learn at the same time, and are ready to enter the workforce at age 16.

The government is responsible for the reformation of technical education it set out in the Post-16 skills plan.

Read the action plan.

The full list of T Level providers is available on the government website.

Anyone wishing to become an eligible provider to deliver T Levels is required to submit an ‘intention to teach’ application to the DfE. The DfE will then select providers for each rollout and beyond.

Students who pass all the elements of their T Level will get a nationally-recognised certificate showing an overall grade of pass, merit or distinction. It will also set out the details of what students have achieved on the course.

The T Level certificate will include:

• an overall pass grade for the T Level, shown as pass, merit or distinction

• a separate grade for the occupational specialism, shown as pass, merit or distinction

• a separate grade for the core component, using A* to E

• grades for maths and English qualifications

• details of the industry placement.

Every T Level will include an industry placement with an employer to develop the practical and technical skills required for the occupation. These will last a minimum of 315 hours, but can last longer. Employers can offer industry placements as a block, day release or a mix of these.

Providers will support employers offering industry placements. This will include assistance with the necessary paperwork, a careful planning process and support with designing the industry placement.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and National Apprenticeship Service (part of ESFA) will work with employers and Providers on industry placements.

Please note that Pearson is not responsible for the Industry Placement element of the T Level. Any queries should be directed to the DfE. 

The Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE)can be contacted at the below email addresses:

• enquiries.ifa@education.gov.uk
• institute.media@education.gov.uk (press enquiries)

A Partial Achievement is where a student completes their industrial placement and passes either the Core or Occupational Specialism components but not both.

No, the student doesn’t get a certificate but gets a Partial Pass on their statement of results and UCAS points based upon the grade they achieve in the component they passed.

See tables below showing the points and the A level equivalent:

Awarding Organisations have a responsibility to ensure the integrity of T Level qualifications are being maintained by the Providers offering these qualifications. Each Awarding Organisation needs to demonstrate to the Institute that appropriate monitoring activities are in place and confirm that delivery of the Technical Qualification continues to satisfy the Provider Approval Criteria, protecting the integrity of the qualification. Where this is not the case, the Awarding Organisation is required to demonstrate how they have worked with the Provider to ensure their processes and procedures are in line with the required expectations.

The Core component is split into two assessments:

1. Core exams that assess the knowledge that underpins all the occupations covered by the T Level.
2. Employer Set Project (ESP) - that assesses the core skills and behaviours drawn from the Core content.

Construction: 600GLH split equally between the following three assessments:

1. Exam 1: Science and Building Technology
2. Exam 2: Construction Industry and Sustainability
3. Employer Set Project

Digital: 600GLH split equally between the following three assessments:

1. Exam 1: Digital Technology
2. Exam 2: Digital Working Practices
3. Employer Set Project

Accounting: 500GLH split equally between the following three assessments:

1. Exam 1
2. Exam 2
3. Employer Set Project

Finance: 500GLH split equally between the following three assessments:

1. Exam 1
2. Exam 2
3. Employer Set Project

Legal Services: 535GLH split equally between the following three assessments:

1. Exam 1
2. Exam 2
3. Employer Set Project

We do. The Core assessment is set and marked by the awarding organisation.

We do. The ESP is set and marked by the awarding organisation.

We work with employers to design each ESP for each assessment window. This makes sure the assessment is set within a realistic and appropriate  industry context.

The Employer Set Project forms part of the assessment for the Core component, and relates to the Occupational Specialisms. The ESP does not assess the Industry Placement in any way.

However, we believe the Industry Placement will help your students apply the knowledge, understanding and skills they are learning in the classroom. And as a result, their placement will help towards them applying their skills within an industry environment, which we hope will support their summative assessment of the TQ.

Following receipt of evidence from providers delivering the first T Levels, the Department for Education (DfE) has decided to change the way in which students can take the Core Exam and Employer Set Project at their first attempt. These form part of the Technical Qualification in a T Level.

Ofqual consulted on changing its rules to allow these changes during March to May 2023 and the feedback received from respondents was positive.

From September 2023, students’ first attempt at the Core Exam and the Employer Set Project will no longer need to be in the same assessment series (this is already the case for students who re-sit assessments).

Students will still need to sit all the Core Exams in the same assessment series (if more than one exam paper is offered) and, as now, need to attempt both parts of the Core component (the Employer Set Project and Core Exams) by the end of their T Level course to be awarded a Core component grade.

No changes have been made to re-sit arrangements, and students can continue to take the Core Exams and the Employer Set Project in different assessment series when re-sitting.

Also see ‘decoupling’ FAQs below.

The Core exams and ESP marks will be combined to give an overall Core component grade between A* - E.

We will be assessing the Occupational Specialism via an extended synoptic project that will be set and marked by us.

The project will be designed to assess all the skills in a realistic context - this ensures students can demonstrate threshold competence and are able to evidence all the skills required by the Performance Outcomes. The project will be a series of tasks that will be done within a specific window or on a specific day.

Construction
Tasks will be set, and briefs given for each of the occupational specialisms:

1. Civil Engineering, Building Services Engineering Design
2. Surveying and Design in Construction
3. Hazardous Materials Analysis
4. Surveying.

Students will be given a work-related problem to solve, where knowledge, understanding, skills and behaviours are drawn together. The brief will require the student to analyse a set of variables provided in context to the occupational specialism; research of a local environment, design a workable solution to the problem and verification of the solution with the client. Students will need to be observed operating safely when carrying out some tasks.

Digital
Tasks will be set, and briefs given for the single occupational specialism:

1. Digital Production, Design and Development.

Students will be given an integration project that will take a business problem, two sets of existing code, and the user requirements.  

Accounting
Tasks will be set, and briefs given for the single occupational specialism: 

1. Accounting assistant 

Finance
Task will be set, and briefs given for each of the occupational specialisms:

1. Retail and Commercial Banking Analyst
2. Investment Banking and Asset and Wealth Management Analyst
3. Insurance Practitioner
4. Financial Compliance/Risk Analyst

Legal Services
Task will be set, and briefs given for each of the occupational specialisms:

1. Legal Services Assistant: Business, Finance and Employment 
2. Legal Services Assistant: Crime, Criminal Justice and Social Welfare 

The Occupational Specialism will be graded Pass, Merit or Distinction.

The Core Component will have two assessment windows per academic year: Summer andAutumn. 

The Occupational Specialist Component will have one assessment window per year: this will be classed as a Summer Window, as this is when the assessment will complete. However, the assessment window may start much earlier in the year (depending upon the TQ) due to the nature of the task.

Please see the specific T Level Key Dates Schedule for all assessment dates.  

Yes. There will be assessment windows for both the Employer Set Project and the Occupational Specialist project.

Yes — each ESP will be taken under some element of controlled conditions. Providers must refer to the specific Administration Support Guide for each ESP and its respective tasks as to the conditions imposed. 

There is no specific ‘resit’ window permitted. However, students will be able to resit in the following assessment window.

Students may resit:

• the Core exams
• the Employer Set Project
• the Occupational Specialism, or
• any combination of these.

But there are some resit rules…. 

Where a student wishes to resit one of the Core exams they must resit both exams in the same assessment window.  

For example, if… following the Summer window - a student passed one of the Core exams but failed the other or wishes to improve their grade – and they wanted to resit in the Autumn series – the student must take both exams.  

However, where a student wishes to resit any of the Core Exams and the Employer Set Project, they do not need to resit both the exams and the Employer Set Project in the same assessment window.  

The student could – taking the example I previously mentioned – resit both exams in the Autumn series and then resit the Employer Set Project in the following Summer window. 

For further information please refer to the Ofqual Handbook: Technical Qualifications.

Yes.

We will provide a free Provider Support package.

For teaching and delivery this will include: 

• Specification
• Delivery Pack, including resources to support the holistic delivery of topics
• Getting Ready to Teach events
• Getting Ready to Assess events
• Getting Ready to Know the Specification events
• Q&A webinars

For assessment this will include: 

• Getting Ready to Assess events
• Specimen Assessment Material
• Sample marked learner work
• Principal Examiner Report

Yes. We will be using both Results Plus and Exam Wizard for the TQ. However, please note that these are Pearson-owned systems - therefore they will only be used for the TQs we have the contract/s to deliver.

We have no plans to produce a textbook. However, a third party may choose to publish textbooks for the TQs.

No, the industry placement isn’t part of the Technical Qualification.

It is one of the components of the T Level and managed by the DfE.

Yes. In order to complete the T Level your students must complete the industry placement.

To complete their placement students must:  o demonstrate sufficient progress towards their learning goals  o work directly to an external employer and  o have been on placement for the minimum number of hours 

Pearson have no involvement with the Industry Placement. 

Providers are responsible for deciding whether students have completed their placement or not, and they must consider the feedback from employers when making this decision. 

Yes. There have been some changes to the industry placement. For the most up-to-date information, please see the DfE's Industry Placement webpage.

No. Students don't need English or maths prior to starting the TQ. 

Students do not require L2 English and maths in order to achieve their T Level.  

There are no formal entry criteria set by us for the TQ. Entry requirements can be set by providers - but this is outside our remit as an awarding organisation.

We would suggest that students have achieved a good grounding at Level 2, either in GCSE or in vocational qualifications such as BTEC, and particularly in subjects that will aid progression to T Levels.

Yes, it has been confirmed that T Levels will attract UCAS points.

This is managed by the DfE and they hold the relationship with UCAS as to the allocation of UCAS points.

Please note: UCAS points will be allocated to the T Level not the Technical Qualification.

We have engaged with HEIs during the development of the TQ in order to ensure that its content is appropriate for progression to degree programmes.

The final grading of the T Level will be Pass, Merit, Distinction and Distinction*.

For the Technical Qualification, the Core is graded A*- E and the Occupational Specialism is graded Pass, Merit, Distinction. Both of these component grades will be given to the ESFA who will formulate the overall T Level grade, inform providers of T Level results and issue T Level certificates.

Please note: we will not be providing a grade or certificate for the Technical Qualification.

At this moment in time, we would suggest that the Qualification Descriptions should be used for this purpose. These can be found on the student page under the ‘What will I learn on my Technical Qualification? section. 

We ask providers not to use any draft technical information on content and assessment for marketing purposes, but general information provided by the DfE promoting the T Level could be used.

The following resources provided by the ESFA can also be used:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-levels-resources-for-teachers-and-careers-advisers

At this moment in time, we would suggest that the Qualification Descriptions should be used for this purpose. These can be found on the student page under the ‘What will I learn on my Technical Qualification? section. 

We ask providers not to use any draft technical information on content and assessment for marketing purposes, but general information provided by the DfE promoting the T Level could be used.

The following resources provided by the ESFA can also be used:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-levels-resources-for-teachers-and-careers-advisers

Following receipt of evidence from providers delivering the first T Levels, the Department for Education (DfE) has decided to change the way in which students can take the Core Exam and Employer Set Project at their first attempt. These form part of the Technical Qualification in a T Level.  

Ofqual consulted on changing its rules to allow these changes during March to May 2023 and the feedback received from respondents was positive.  

From September 2023, students’ first attempt at the Core Exam and the Employer Set Project will no longer need to be in the same assessment series (this is already the case for students who re-sit assessments). 

Students will still need to sit all the Core Exams in the same assessment series (if more than one exam paper is offered) and, as now, need to attempt both parts of the Core component (the Employer Set Project and Core Exams) by the end of their T Level course to be awarded a Core component grade.  

No changes have been made to re-sit arrangements, and students can continue to take the Core Exams and the Employer Set Project in different assessment series when re-sitting.   

 The changes apply to all students, meaning those starting courses from September 2023, and those who started in previous years and are already part-way through a course. It is possible some students already on courses will already have taken the Core Exam and Employer Set Project. If this is the case, they will, as currently, be able to retake one or both parts of the Core, together or separately. 

Evidence from providers delivering the first T Levels has shown that there would be more flexibility to meet students’ needs if students were able to take the Core Exams and Employer Set Project in different assessment series from the first attempt. For example, if students enter for the Employer Set Project in the summer assessment series and Core Exams in the autumn, this may free up more time in the first year for development of practical specialist skills. 

This may also provide benefits for students who may feel that attempting both the Core Exams and the Employer Set Project in the same series would not allow them to perform at their best. 

Every student still needs to take both the Core Exams and the Employer Set Project by the end of their T Level course and the number of opportunities each year for students to take these assessments has not changed.

Prior to the changes being made to the TQ Core, typically students have taken both the Core Exams and the Employer Set Project in the Summer assessment series of year 1*. Students could then use the Autumn assessment series of year 2 as a resit opportunity if needed, before taking their Occupational Specialism assessments in the Summer assessment series of year 2. This Summer series would also provide a contingency for any Core resits if needed.

When entering students for assessments, Providers will need to ensure that they have allowed enough time to complete all guided learning hours to prepare students ahead of assessments and that they have considered scheduling of assessments to ensure that there is sufficient contingency for any resits that may be required.

Providers should check assessment scheduling in advance as some resits may take place around the same time as the OS in the summer series of year 2.

*References to years refers to Academic Years.
 

No, this option is designed to introduce greater flexibility for Providers in entering students and therefore students can continue to sit their first attempt of the Core exams and Employer Set Project within the same assessment series if Providers consider that this is the best option for their individual students.

No, all Core Exam papers (if there is more than one) must be sat together in the same assessment series as each other, including if a student is retaking. All tasks or activities associated with the Employer Set Project must also be sat together in the same assessment series as each other, including if a student is retaking.

Students are not expected to be entered for core assessments (either the Core Exams or the Employer Set Project) in the Autumn assessment series in year one or to be entered for Occupational Specialism assessments in the Summer assessment series in year one*. This is to give students more opportunity to develop the required knowledge and skills and more opportunity to perform well in the assessments.

Providers are free to design T Level courses to best meet the needs and learning styles of their students and ensure their best chance of success in the assessments. Providers are encouraged to draw on support offered by Awarding Organisations when planning courses, including using Specimen Assessment Materials and exemplification materials and use formative assessment to check whether students should be entered for later assessment series than originally planned.

*References to years refers to Academic Years.
 

No, there are no changes to the current number of assessment series offered. Students have two opportunities in each Academic Year to sit their core assessments which remain available in Autumn and Summer of each year of the T Level.

Previously first bookings for the core assessment would automatically select both the core exams and the Employer Set Project. Providers will now need to select either the core exams or the Employer Set Project or both when making entries for the core assessments.

Students will be provided with a certificate or statement of achievement by the DfE in the November following their second year of study. Updated certificates and statements of achievement following assessments in the Autumn series will be issued in the following June. Students will not receive an aggregated core component result until they have taken both the Core Exams and the Employer Set Project. Students who take one of the Core sub components (either the Core Exams or the Employer Set Project) will be provided with a breakdown of attainment on results day for the sub-component that they have taken, via results slips issued by their T Level Awarding Organisation.
 

Awarding Organisations delivering the Technical Qualification are responsible for submitting entry and results data to the DfE through the Manage T Level Results Service. This will not change and therefore there is no additional action for Providers following the introduction of the changes to the Core Component. For more information on the Manage T Level Results Service, please see About Manage T Level results – T Levels support for schools and colleges.

For more information on the changes to the TQ Core assessments but also wider information about how the Department for Education are reforming technical education and developing T Level qualifications for post-16 students, please refer to the T Level Action Plan published on gov.uk:

T Level action plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If you have a question, please check out the DfE’s T Levels support for schools and colleges pages on gov.uk or contact the DfE using the ‘Contact Us’ option at the bottom of that page.