The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that an assessment by examination must be taken at the end of a pupil’s course of study for technical awards to be first taught from September 2021.

This ‘terminal assessment’ for pupils typically sitting the exam at the end of year 11, is one of the new criteria to be applied following an earlier consultation which focused on technical awards offered to 14 to 16 year olds.

Taken by 35% of key stage 4 pupils alongside GCSEs, technical awards are Level 1 and 2 non-GCSE performance table qualifications that are designed to provide pupils with applied knowledge and practical skills of a sector or occupational group.

Awarding organisations must now submit technical awards for inclusion on the 2023 performance tables under new DfE criteria. These include:

• The assessment by examination must contribute at least 40% of the total marks available for the qualification. Passing this assessment will not be a requirement for achieving a pass grade for the qualification, but the DfE says it is unlikely to approve a qualification where it is possible for candidates routinely to achieve a pass grade whilst demonstrating a low level of performance on the assessment by examination.
• The assessment by examination must be set and marked by numerical means by the AO and taken simultaneously by pupils on a date decided by the AO.
• The qualification should be at least 120 guided learning hours in size.
• Non-examined assessment, set and moderated by the AO, may contribute up to 60% of the marks available.
• Each technical award submission must include an assessment strategy setting out the AO’s approach to the design, delivery and awarding of the qualification.

As previously determined, technical awards must be designed to be engaging for pupils who have chosen to take them as an alternative to GCSEs, with a comparable level of demand to support attainment and future progression.

None of the technical awards approved for use in performance tables in previous years will automatically be eligible for inclusion in the 2023 tables.

All technical award submissions by AOs will be reviewed by Ofqual and the DfE against their requirements with the final decision on inclusion in performance tables resting with the Secretary of State. The deadline for submitting qualifications to the DfE is 30 April 2020. There will be one submission window with one subsequent opportunity for AOs to request a review of the DfE decision.

Ofqual has published a new regulatory framework for technical awards that will apply to those qualifications once they are approved for inclusion in the performance tables.