The Key Skills Qualification is a frequently required component of 14-20 education in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Key Skills qualifications at levels 2-4 attract UCAS Tariff points for University admissions.
The UCAS tariff is a points system used to report achievement for entry to higher education (HE) in a numerical format.
Key Skills may be examined in a variety of ways including internal, external or set tasks.
Internal assessment means the production of a portfolio of work demonstrating satisfaction of the Key Skills targets.
It recognises their ability to take responsibility for some decisions about how they select and apply these skills to meet the demands of largely straightforward tasks.
Key Skills Level 3 marks a shift from straightforward tasks to being capable of responding to the demands of more complex activities.
Candidates need to demonstrate more explicit reasoning ability and personal responsibility in making decisions about how tasks are organised.
According to the UK National Statistics office, up to September 2006, almost 2.2 million Key Skills qualifications had been awarded.
IT, English or Maths) are exempt from taking the test for level 1 and can be entered for a proxy, this means that only the portfolio need be completed.
The exception to this is Key Skills ICT where a proxy makes the student exempt from both the test AND the portfolio.
One of the main aims of Higher Still qualifications in Scotland is to develop the capabilities people need to be responsible members of society.