Ofqual and the Department for Education have opened a consultation on what vocational, technical and other general qualifications, including Btecs, will look like in 2021-22 academic year.

In an announcement today, Ofqual and the DfE said plans for VTQs in 2021-22 were “intended to be confirmed” in the autumn term to enable assessments to commence early. However, in the consultation document, the regulator said it “will consider responses to the consultation carefully and are aiming to announce our decisions in early August”. 

Ofqual and the DfE added the consultation would build on the 2021 arrangements, which enabled awarding organisations to put in place adaptations such as streamlining assessments, providing revision guidance, and making changes to invigilation, including the introduction of remote invigilation and remote assessment. 

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Ofqual: Assessed content in VTQs can be reduced

In March 2021, Ofqual introduced the VTQ Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF), which put vocational qualifications into two categories: category A qualifications, where assessments were expected to continue but awarding organisations were permitted to make adaptations to their assessments and qualifications to take account of the ongoing impact of the pandemic; and category B qualifications, where awarding organisations were permitted to award results using alternative evidence, including TAGs, where exams and assessments did not take place.

In today’s consultation document, Ofqual and the DfE said all qualifications in 2021-22 should move to category A, and added: “This will permit awarding organisations to make adaptations to their assessments and qualifications but not to award results using alternative evidence, including TAGs. 

“Ofqual is consulting on the impact of that change and on minor updates to the drafting of the VCRF to reflect the context of academic year 2021 to 2022.”

However, it said although Ofqual was withdrawing the designation of category B qualifications for the academic year 2021 to 2022, category B conditions, requirements and guidance would be “retained within the VCRF”, meaning the designation could be reintroduced to permit the awarding of results using alternative evidence such as teacher judgement, following further consultation.

The consultation added that as vocational students often spend hours on GCSE maths and English, as well as on work placements, “finding sufficient additional time in their timetables for activities to support education recovery will be challenging”. It said that therefore, “it may be necessary and appropriate for adaptations to be made to assessments to recognise the disruption to teaching and learning, and to free up time to focus on catch-up and teaching the remaining qualification content, to support education recovery.”

‘One-size-fits-all approach’

Ofqual and the DfE said a “one-size-fits-all approach” was not suitable for VTQs, and therefore “awarding organisations will need to take decisions regarding the most appropriate approach to awarding based on the detail of their qualifications”.

They added: “Ofqual’s regulatory arrangements require awarding organisations to design and implement adaptations which are appropriate for their qualifications. The principles contained within Ofqual’s framework help to promote consistency of approach and we will look to Ofqual to ensure consistency.

“We also expect awarding organisations to consider whether making some adaptations now will make their VTQs more resilient to any further disruption as a result of a changing public health situation, so that as many exams and assessments can continue, even in light of further disruption to education.  

“For qualifications where the exams and assessments are used to demonstrate occupational competency, it is important that there is consistency in the approach to adaptations taken across awarding organisations for similar qualifications, which are supported by employers and relevant industry bodies, to ensure that occupational and professional standards are maintained.”

The consultation added: “We will permit awarding organisations to roll over any internal assessments (both the task and any evidence generated) into the academic year 2021 to 2022 for any student who was working towards them in 2020 to 2021 but was unable to complete them due to public health restrictions. This will only apply where the task was intended to be used solely in the academic year 2020 to 2021. This is to minimise the disruption for students who might be partway through doing them but who were not able to receive a TAG. This flexibility will not apply to students starting internal assessments in academic year 2021 to 2022.”

Functional skills

On functional skills, the consultation said: “As with other vocational and technical qualifications, we expect all Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) exams and assessments to go ahead in 2021 to 2022, and the full subject content to be taught across all levels. Given their small size and focus on assessing underpinning skills and knowledge, the exams and assessments are not structured in a way that permits a reduction of content or streamlining of assessment.”

Ofqual and the DfE said they expected AOs to put in similar adaptations to 2020-21 where necessary in 2021-22. This includes:

• Changes to invigilation arrangements, including remote invigilation and remote assessment of the speaking, listening and communicating component.
• Additional flexibility for exam dates and windows for assessments.
• Additional guidance about the distribution and collection of papers, for example, collation of scripts after learners have left exam rooms, quarantining papers before and after use, and extended timescales to return scripts after exams.
• Adaptations to guidance for individuals involved in examination delivery, for example, invigilators, readers and/or scribes.

On T levels, the consultation said: “It is not clear at this stage, therefore, that adaptations to the content of T-level assessments will be necessary in 2021 to 2022.”

Ofqual and the DfE added: “It is our firm intention that exams and assessments will return to normal in the academic year 2022 to 2023.”

Slow return to normal

Simon Lebus, Ofqual interim chief regulator, said: “With things slowly returning to normal we are launching a consultation so that the flexibility we are building into qualifications will future-proof them against any public health crisis. And we want employers, colleges and universities to have the confidence in those qualifications to allow students to move to the next stage of their lives.

“We look forward to feedback on our plans from students, parents and teachers to ensure we understand their needs, particularly those whose education has been more harshly affected by the pandemic.”

Also today, Ofqual opened a consultation on GCSE, AS and A-level arrangements, including choices around the topics students will be assessed on for some subjects, and giving schools and colleges advance information about the focus of content of the exams for other subjects.   

The consultation proposes a range of measures to help mitigate the impact of disruption to students’ education, focusing on the following areas:

• Giving schools and colleges some choice about the topics or content their students will be assessed in GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and geography.  
• Providing advance information of the focus of exam content, to help students focus their revision. 
• Giving students a formulae sheet in GCSE mathematics and an expanded equations sheet in GCSE physics and combined science.
• Changing requirements for practical science work and practical art and design assessments.  

Cath Sezen, senior policy manager at the Association of Colleges, said: “AoC welcomes that the joint DfE/Ofqual consultation for VTQ assessment 2022 aims to ensure clear guidance is in place at the beginning of the academic year, especially for those students midway through their programme of study and provides details of contingencies that will be put in place should there be a return to disruption of education in the 2021-22 academic year. We question why as in 2020-21 Functional Skills are being treated differently from GCSEs in English and maths when the majority of delivery to both adults and 16 to 18 college students is in a year long format as it is with GCSE, especially when many of the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have special educational needs.”

Rebecca Conway, head of policy and strategy at the Federation of Awarding Bodies, said: “We’re pleased that Ofqual and the Department for Education have now published details of their planned policy position and regulatory approach for 2021-22. We will be working closely with our members over the two-week consultation period to fully understand the impact of these proposals and to identify any further amendments that could better meet the needs of learners and centres in the coming academic year.”