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Ofqual聽has today announced measures to ensure students taking vocational聽qualifications聽聽get their results on time in 2024 and beyond, following the success of this year.

The measures are part of Ofqual鈥檚 ongoing聽commitment聽to ensuring that students taking vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs), in subjects such as engineering, health & social care and digital media, have parity of treatment with those taking A levels or GCSEs.聽聽聽聽

Following the implementation of the聽VTQ Results Action Plan聽for 2023, students taking Level 3 VTQs聽successfully received their results聽when they expected them in August,聽after around 20,000 did not the previous year.聽More than 378,000 results were issued on time to students in summer 2023, across over 575 qualifications. This meant that students were able to progress, confirming their university places at the same time as their peers taking A levels.聽

Today鈥檚 measures will embed and strengthen this year鈥檚 arrangements in response to feedback from schools and colleges, awarding organisations, exams officers and education leaders.聽聽聽聽聽

Details of the measures are confirmed in . They include:

• A聽term-time checkpoint聽聽for schools and colleges to confirm which students need a result in August to progress to higher or further education

• Awarding organisations will issue results on or before A level and GCSE results days, as appropriate.聽聽Results will be provided to schools and colleges in advance, in sufficient time for exams officers to check and prepare them for final release to students

• Level 1/2 and Level 2 qualifications used for progression will be included in the term-time checkpoint and results issue arrangements to ensure students taking qualifications alongside GCSEs also receive their results when they need them

• Ofqual鈥檚 VTQ Information Hub will bring together key dates and deadlines from a wider range of awarding organisations, to support school and college staff working in the administration or delivery of these qualifications

• Ofqual will continue to work with awarding organisations to encourage clear, timely, precise and consistent communications

• Ofqual will convene a VTQ Results Group, building on the successful work of the Taskforce established in 2023, to bring together key sector representatives and awarding organisations to ensure timely results for students

Ofqual鈥檚聽聽Chief Regulator Dr Jo Saxton said:

Ofqual remains committed to strengthening and improving the VTQ system, in order to secure parity of treatment聽for all students, whichever regulated qualification they take. One unexpected late result is one too many.

This year鈥檚 success was thanks to the hard work of teachers and exams officers in schools and colleges as well as awarding organisations. Introducing a new process was challenging but worthwhile, as students got their results on time. The sector rose to the challenge. More can now be done to embed and streamline these improvements, so I鈥檓 pleased we鈥檝e strengthened the process for 2024 and beyond.