Useful guides
UK qualifications
Our UK qualifications guide provides up to date information about a wide range of pre-higher education qualifications and entry routes to higher education.
International qualifications
Our International qualifications guide contains information relating to a wide range of international qualifications offered for undergraduate admission in the UK.
GCE mathematics aggregation rules – guidance for higher education institutions
This is a password-protected document available to members. It is written by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) explaining the rules that govern the generation of awards in the GCE mathematics suite.
Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is a framework for creating and accrediting vocational qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The QCF recognises achievement through the award of credit for units and qualifications. By the end of 2010, most vocational qualifications were accredited onto the QCF and the QCF has largely replaced the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for vocational qualifications.
Further information on the QCF can be found in UK Qualifications.
International General Certificate of Secondary Education (iGCSE)
The iGCSE, or International General Certificate of Secondary Education, is an internationally recognised qualification for pupils in the 14–16 age group. It provides an alternative to GCSEs, and is taken all over the world.
Cambridge IGCSE is now taught in more than 1,000 UK schools as well as in a small number of British overseas schools offering the English National Curriculum. UK independent schools can offer either Cambridge IGCSEs or Cambridge International Level 1/Level 2 Certificates.
As the iGCSE does not follow the national curriculum, it was decided that the similarity of the name to GCSE could cause confusion for learners and their parents. To draw a distinction between iGCSEs and GCSEs, it was decided that for accreditation purposes iGCSEs should be given a more distinctive name. Therefore for teaching in state schools iGCSEs are known officially as Level 1/Level 2 Certificates. For example:
- AQA Level 1/Level 2 Certificate in English Language
- Cambridge International Level 1/Level 2 Certificate in Biology
- Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 Certificate in Mathematics.
It is important for you to be aware of the name change so you can recognise that applicants with these qualifications are holding GCSE equivalents.
University of Cambridge International Examinations has created a leaflet about its new Level 1/Level 2 Certificates, including some sample certificates.
English Baccalaureate
The English Baccalaureate was introduced as a performance measure for the 2010 school performance tables. It is not a qualification in itself – it is simply an indication that a student has achieved a particular combination of GCSE subjects at grade C or above.
Why was it introduced?
The performance measure was introduced to encourage schools to offer a core of traditional academic subjects to their students, following a decline in the study of subjects such as history and modern foreign languages at Key Stage 4. It is also hoped that the performance measure will discourage schools from promoting vocational qualifications that do not prepare pupils for higher education or employment.
It is also hoped that the English Baccalaureate will address some of the discrepancies between schools in disadvantaged and more affluent areas. Currently, pupils from disadvantaged schools are 10 times more likely to take a vocational qualification than their counterparts in affluent schools, and are much less likely to take individual academic subjects. Only 8% of pupils qualifying for free school meals took the English Baccalaureate subjects in 2009/2010, compared to 24% of pupils not qualifying for free school meals.
What subjects are included?
The subjects that must be taken for a learner to have achieved the English Baccalaureate are:
- English (not including English literature)
- mathematics
- two sciences
- history or geography
- a modern or classical language.
These can be taken as GCSEs, Cambridge International Certificates (formerly known as iGCSEs) and Edexcel Levels 1 and 2 Certficates.
Why were these subjects chosen?
The Government chose the English Baccalaureate subjects based on a number of factors, including progression to further and higher education. The following table demonstrates the correlation between the English Baccalaureate subjects and stronger progression to and during 16–19 education:
|
KS4 outcome |
No pupils |
Attempted at least 1 A level |
Average no A level entries |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Achieved 5 A*-C (including equivalents) |
360,888 |
66.6% |
2.3 |
|
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (including equivalents) |
275,780 |
75.2% |
2.5 |
|
Achieved 5 A*-C (full GCSEs) |
270,375 |
76.7% |
2.5 |
|
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (full GCSEs) |
248,138 |
78.5% |
2.6 |
|
Achieved English Baccalaureate |
88,159 |
94.9% |
3.1 |
|
KS4 outcome |
Average points score |
Achieved 1+ A grade |
Achieved 3+ A level A grades |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Achieved 5 A*-C (including equivalents) |
753.2 |
18.5% |
5.5% |
|
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (including equivalents) |
785.5 |
23.8% |
7.2% |
|
Achieved 5 A*-C (full GCSEs) |
787.0 |
24.4% |
7.3% |
|
Achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths (full GCSEs) |
799.2 |
26.2% |
8.0% |
|
Achieved English Baccalaureate |
890.9 |
43.7% |
16.0% |
For more information visit the Department for Education website.
Pre-U qualifications
Cambridge Pre-U is a post-16 qualification available for teaching in the UK since September 2008.
The related documents have been provided by Cambridge international Examinations (CIE).
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)
The SCQF has been created by bringing together all mainstream Scottish qualifications into a single unified framework – HE qualifications, including HNCs and HNDs, National Qualifications, such as Highers and Advanced Highers, and SVQs.
Further information is available in UK Qualifications and at www.scqf.org.uk.
Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)
CfE is the new 3-18 curriculum which has been adopted by all schools in Scotland. It aims to make learning more relevant to the modern world and give young people the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to succeed in learning, life and work.
More information is available in UK Qualifications and at www.sqa.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence.
Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification
The Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification is offered at Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels. At the centre of the qualification at each of the three levels is the Core, which consists of the following component parts:
- Essential Skills Wales/Key Skills
- Wales, Europe and the World
- Work-Related Education
- Personal and Social Education
- Individual Investigation.
Alongside the Core, Welsh Baccalaureate students study Options, which will vary according to the level of the qualification. At Advanced level (level 3), learners must pass two A levels or other equivalent qualifications – for example:
- NVQ at level 3
- BTEC at level 3
- Principal Learning Wales and an Extended Project.
More information is available in UK Qualifications.
European Baccalaureate (EB)
The EB is the school-leaving examination for students who attend one of the 14 European Schools. There are currently around 22,500 pupils in the system as a whole, and approximately 1,400 pupils take the final examination each year.
More information is available in UK Qualifications and guidance from the Department for Education about the European Schools and the European Baccalaureate.
UCAS Tariff
The UCAS Tariff is the system for allocating points to qualifications used for entry to higher education. It allows students to use a range of different qualifications to help secure a place on an undergraduate course.
Course providers use the UCAS Tariff to make comparisons between applicants with different qualifications. Tariff points are often used in entry requirements, although other factors are often taken into account.
Qualifications Information Review (QIR)
UCAS has been undertaking a review to understand what needs course providers, schools, colleges and learners and others have for information about qualifications to enable fair, transparent and efficient admissions to higher education – and how UCAS can support this.
In July 2012 UCAS published the Qualifications Information Review findings and recommendations report explaining the next steps and outcomes of the review.
As outlined in the report the UCAS Board asked for further information on Recommendation 2 (the gradual withdrawal of the UCAS Tariff and the promotion of grade and qualification-based entry requirements and offers) to better understand the challenges and issues that HEIs may face if the recommendation were to be implemented.
Following the outcomes of the UCAS Qualification Information Review (QIR), the UCAS Board in September 2012 approved the decision to continue the existing management model of the UCAS Tariff. The current Tariff management model has been in place since May 2011.
These arrangements allow for the processing of three forms of Tariff applications:
- Type 1: Qualifications that need to be evaluated by dint of changes to qualifications frameworks, for example those qualifications that are transitioning to the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
- Type 2: New qualifications that are to all intents and purposes the same as existing qualifications that attract Tariff points
- Type 3: Qualifications that are on the Tariff on a provisional basis, subject to a review of candidate evidence.
The UCAS Board has agreed that this arrangement will continue until a new replacement service is available, currently anticipated to be in the 2015 admissions cycle.
UCAS fully acknowledges the need for dual running of the Tariff and any new qualification services so as not to disadvantage any learners who may have made decisions based on Tariff information. Based on the above timings it is provisionally scheduled that the current UCAS Tariff tables would be withdrawn in the 2017 admissions cycle.
