In the UK education sector, there are a wide range of qualification types offered by the United Kingdom awarding bodies.
Qualifications range in size and type, can be academic, vocational or skills-related, and are grouped together into different levels of difficulty.
However, qualifications within one level can cover a huge range of subjects and take different amounts of time to complete, often expressed in terms of credits.
[1] BTEC qualifications, especially Level 3, are accepted by many universities (excluding Cambridge and Oxford unless combined with more qualifications) when assessing the suitability of applicants for admission, and such universities may base their conditional admissions offers on a student's predicted BTEC grades.
The GNVQ generally involved a lot of coursework (6-8 large assignments), which allowed holders to show their skills when applying for jobs.
AS and A levels are available in a wide range of academic and applied (work-related) subjects, and are often used as entry into higher education.
A graduate diploma (called an advanced diploma at some universities) is an FHEQ Level 6 award, equivalent to the final year of a bachelor's degree and generally offered to graduates who already hold a bachelor's degree in a different subject.
[6][9][10][11] The 14–19 Diploma was a qualification for 14- to 19-year-olds, offering a more practical, hands-on way of gaining the essential skills employers and universities look for.
From September 2008, Diplomas in five subject areas were made available in selected schools and colleges around the country.
Diploma courses were cancelled from September 30, 2013 onwards by the coalition government due to issues surrounding its popularity and how the qualifications were "viewed by employers and universities".
Foundation Degrees are higher education qualifications that combine academic study with workplace learning.
They are broadly equivalent to the first two years of a bachelor's degree.or ordinary National Diploma/Certificate Foundation Degrees are at level 5 on the FHEQ; they are not offered in Scotland.
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) in digital skills are to be available from September 2022, and cycle 2 Digital, Construction, and Health and Science Higher Technical Qualification routes are expected to be available from September 2023.
[14] GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) are the main qualification taken by 14- to 16-year-olds (adults can take them as well) in England and Wales.
They are available in a wide range of academic and applied (work-related) subjects, and as a ‘short-course’ option (equivalent to half a full GCSE).
The IB also encompasses a Core of Theory of Knowledge (ToK), CAS (Creativity, Action, Service), and the Extended Essay (EE).
They are available for those learners who are over 16 years of age, have left compulsory full-time education and do not have an up-to-date English or maths qualification at level 2 (such as a GCSE) on the NQF.
They are based on national standards for various occupations, and cover the practical, work-related tasks designed to help learners do a job effectively.