We want to make you aware of the new guidance from the Department for Education (DfE), in relation to the T Levels. Some key updates are included below:

• Updated grade look-up tables, giving more opportunities for a student to achieve Merit and Distinction
• Consultation over the uncoupling of Employer Set Project (ESP) and core exam papers
• UCAS points can now be awarded for completion of first year and placement
• New delivery methods for placement, making it easier for providers to get students their required hours.

Grade look-up tables

If a student has met all the requirements of the T Level programme, including completing the industry placement, T Level grades are worked out from students’ grades for the Technical Qualification (TQ) Core and Occupational Specialism. These are presented in look-up tables. Given the size and demand of T Levels, and to ensure students are appropriately recognised for their achievement, there will be changes to the way the core and occupational specialism grades are aggregated. For all T Levels this change will result in:

• two more grade combinations that result in an overall Merit and one more that results in an overall Distinction
• the same number of overall T Level grades being available across T Levels as before, but these will now be one Distinction*, six Distinctions, seven Merits and four Passes.

50/50 Core/OS split, applies to Health, Healthcare Science and Digital T Levels

40/60 Core/OS split, applies to Science, and Education and Early Years T Levels:

Ofqual consultation on change to Technical Qualification conditions

Currently when sitting the core component (core exams or the ESP), students must take both in the same series at the first attempt.

Due to evidence from providers, more flexibility is needed to meet students’ needs. For example, students entering for the ESP in the summer series and exams in the autumn, freeing up time in first year for development of skills.

Ofqual is now going to consult on changing the rules. Students would still need to sit both parts of the exams in the same sitting, and both parts of the core must be attempted by the end of their T Level to be awarded a core component grade.

If the proposal is agreed, this will be implemented from the 2023-24 academic year.

UCAS points for core and industry placement

Students that have passed the core of the technical qualification and completed their placement hours will now qualify for UCAS points based on the table below:

Updates to placement delivery approaches

There are new delivery approaches for placements, defining proportions of hours that can be spent in various forms of placement delivery. Some options apply to all T Levels whilst some are specific as per the tables below:

The guidance also includes an Annex with a summary table of the approaches, and where they can/can’t be used in combination with other approaches: