further education levels

Understanding further education levels

What will i learn in this zone.

As you progress through education, each qualification you complete will belong to a ‘level’, which determines its value. Understanding these levels is important to know as you choose your options after GCSE to make sure you are making the right choice for you.

In this zone, we will look at:

• Different qualifications and levels
• Finding the best next steps for you

Education Levels

Here we have the breakdown of levels in the UK education system.

When you begin your GCSEs in year 9 or 10, you will start at Level 1, however if you are achieving a grade 4 or above, this is classed as Level 2.

When you finish year 11, most students will be working at a level 2 and are likely to go on to do a Level 3 qualification. This could be at sixth form, college or on an apprenticeship.

After completing a Level 3 qualification, you might progress onto Higher Education, which is Level 4 onwards.

Level 7 and 8 includes post-graduate studies, such as a Master’s Degree or PhD.

GCSE – As mentioned above, GCSEs start at Level 1 and progress to Level 2 if you achieving a grade 4 or above.

NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Level 1 – NVQs can be completed at school. Some apprenticeships also include a NVQ qualification. These are generally practical based subjects and can provide valuable knowledge and experience to support with future job applications.

BTEC Level 1 – These may be suited to people who have a basic knowledge of English and Maths and need additional support in these subjects, alongside a specific subject. Some courses will also start at Level 1 and get progressively more advanced as the levels move up.

GCSE – GCSEs are a Level 2 qualification if you achieve a grade 4 or above.

NVQ Level 2 – At Level 2, you may be given additional responsibilities, more complex duties, gaining a good knowledge and understanding of the subject you are studying, and developing your skills. Some workplaces or employers may ask you to have a minimum of Level 2 in an NVQ to be suitable for the role. For example, teaching assistants may be required to have an NVQ or relevant experience. Like Level 1, you could do an NVQ as part of an apprenticeship.

BTEC Level 2 – Some BTEC courses may start at a Level 2 and can be 1-2 years long. If your GCSE grades are below a grade 4, you could start a BTEC at Level 2. They can be taken alongside, or in place of, GCSEs and A levels and alongside Diplomas in schools and colleges.

Level 3 - Further Education

A Levels – Advanced level qualification. A Levels are a UK subject-based qualification for students aged 16 and above. They are usually studied over the course of 2 years, and lead to qualifications recognised for entrance to higher education institutes in the UK and many others worldwide.

BTEC Level 3/BTEC National Diploma – Business Technology Education Council. BTEC Level 3s are more practical based subjects and are usually studied alone, although you can complete one A Level alongside it. You will study the subject in detail across 2 years and cover a range of topics that you might not have studied before.

T Levels – T Levels are new courses which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A levels. These 2-year courses, which launched September 2020, have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work, further training or study.

Advanced Level Apprenticeship – You could go onto studying a Level 3, Advanced Level Apprenticeship after leaving school, or you may start at a lower level apprenticeship and work your way up. A Level 3 Apprenticeship is equivalent to two A Levels, where you will combine practical training in a job with study. To apply for a Level 3 apprenticeship, you may be expected to already have some experience relevant to the role and be able to demonstrate you relevant skills.

Level 4 onwards - Higher Education

Above Level 3 is what we call Higher Education, which is a non-compulsory level of education. As you can see from the diagram, you can work your way all the way up to Level 8.

Level 4 includes the first year of a Higher Level NQV, a Foundation Degree, an Undergraduate Degree or a Level 4 BTEC qualification.

After completing a qualification at Level 4-6, you could go on to do a Master’s qualification and maybe a PhD or Doctorate at Level 7-8.

Beyond Level 3 The Details

Now we are going to look at qualifications beyond Level 3 in a bit more depth.

What you choose to do at level 3 can have an impact on what you can do at higher education, so sometimes it’s helpful to work backwards to see if you need specific qualifications. So what can you do after you complete a Level 3 qualification? There are multiple options available.

You could go to university to do an Undergraduate Degree or Foundation Degree – Foundation Degrees are usually 2 years and equal to two-thirds of a full degree. You could go on to do a full degree after completing a foundation degree or get a job.

Higher Level Apprenticeships

Higher Level Apprenticeship at university – like all apprenticeships, this is a combination of working and studying. At the end of your apprenticeship you could be offered a job by your employer and get a degree qualification.

Advanced Level BTEC

You could study an Advanced Level BTEC also known as a Higher National Certificate (HNC).

Higher National Diplomas

After completing a HNC, you could go on to a Higher National Diploma (HND) which is a 2 year qualification. You could finish studying after doing a HND and go into work, or study a different subject. You can also go to university to “top up” your qualification to a degree. Head to the ‘Further Options after GCSE’ zone (hyperlink here) to find out more about HNCs and HNDs!)

Higher Level NVQs

Lastly, you could do a Higher Level NVQ and work your way up to Level 7. You may only be able to work your way up to a Higher Level NVQ through your job or workplace, and you may be required to pay for the qualification.

Activity Time

Try this short activity to help you decide what you might like to do for your next steps. Grab a piece of paper and write your answers to the following questions.

I like studying (choose more than one subject) ………………………………………

I’m considering studying:

• An apprenticeship
• Something else

As a job, I would like to do

• ………………………………….

What qualifications will I need?

• …………………………………

LOOK AT THE SUBJECTS YOU CHOSE

Which one do you like best? Let’s start with that one.

WHAT TYPE OF QUALIFICATION(S) ARE YOU CONSIDERING STUDYING?

Start researching your local sixth forms, colleges and employers who offer the qualifications in your chosen subject(s).

WHAT JOB WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?

It’s good to keep your options open and choose more than one! Let’s focus on your first choice, research what qualifications you need for that role and how you are going to get there. Ask yourself whether you can imagine yourself being happy in the job long term.

SO WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU NEED?

Ideally, you will need a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades 4-9 including English and Maths, as most education providers and employers will require this. You have to stay in some form of education until you are 18, but it’s entirely up to you what you choose to do and it’s really important that you make the right decision for you. Don’t be afraid if the role you’re interested in requires a university degree – if you believe it, you can achieve it! You also don’t need to rush into going to university – you can take a break out of education and work instead if you want to.

If you ever get stuck and you’re not sure what to do next, go back to question 1 and start the activity again. It’s perfectly normal to change your mind about what qualifications you might like to do and it’s a good idea to keep your options open if you’re unsure.

• Hopefully you will now understand what different qualifications are available to you and the levels of these qualifications.

Got a Question?

Send a message to our friendly team. We're happy to help!

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• What is further education

What is Further Education?

Further Education (FE) refers to all post-16 courses and qualifications that are lower than a degree. Everyone in England has to study FE until they are 18 but if staying on at school does not appeal, fear not - there are plenty of alternatives ranging from sixth form colleges to independent FE providers. You could also consider an apprenticeship.

Examples of widely available Further Education courses include:

A Levels (Advanced Level Qualification)

By far the most common form of further education, A (Advanced) levels are level 3 qualifications offered by nearly all schools with sixth forms, as well as sixth form colleges. They are subject specific qualifications; the equivalent in Scotland is the Higher. Most A levels are based on academic capabilities and examinations although there are exceptions such as DT, music, art and languages. Most students sit three A levels, some pick four. If you’re considering university, research which A levels the different degree courses require – and if you are thinking about Russell Group universities, check their list of ‘facilitating’ A levels.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

This is generally seen as an alternative to A levels in the UK and there are a number of well-regarded, highly-academic schools which choose to offer the IB instead of the more traditional A levels. The IB involves the studying of six different subjects - three higher level, three standard level. Assessment comes in the form of examinations and an extended essay. The diploma course also requires students to take part in a range of non-academic activities, such as sport, creative arts and service to the community, for 150 hours. Read our detailed article on the International Baccalaureate .

BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council)

Alongside A levels, BTECs  are the most widely-recognised level 3 qualification for admission to Higher Education. Providing specialist, work-related learning across a range of sectors, BTECs are best suited to students who want to hone practical skills and theory simultaneously while being tested, largely, by continuous assessment. In other words, there is not just an exam – as with most A levels. Some schools, and many colleges, offer BTECs.

NVQs (National Vocational Qualification)

NVQs are hands-on qualifications available in more than 1,000 subjects ranging from plumbing to hairdressing. Best suited to people who know what job they want to do, they can be taken in a college, school or workplace. There are five NVQ levels, so you can start at a level to suit you and work your way up. It is a flexible route to becoming qualified in the workplace with no examinations and while there’s no time limit to taking them, level 1, 2 or 3 usually takes about a year to complete. 

T levels (Technical Level Qualification)

T levels are new two-year further education courses available at selected schools and colleges across England, with each one equivalent to three A levels. T-levels involve 80 per cent classroom learning and 20 per cent industry placement. The ‘T’ stands for technical and the subjects are wide ranging, including agriculture, catering, engineering and science. Students study for an average of 1,800 hours over two years, including a work placement, with the content based on the same standards as apprenticeships. Ideal for those who have a good idea of what they want to do and are keen to get started in the workplace. T levels are assessed via coursework, exams, and other similar methods, depending on the exact course taken.

Foundation diploma in art and design

Offered at levels 3 and 4, this one-year further education vocational course is aimed at either school leavers who want to test the water to see if they like studying art or students who know they want to study art at university (all students wanting to study an art degree will need an art foundation diploma). Assessment or examinations are held internally by the course provider. Each unit needs to be passed to qualify for the final diploma which will be graded pass, merit or distinction.

UCAS Points Tariff - compare different qualifications

The table below shows the most common Further Education qualifications and the UCAS points they are worth.

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What is higher education.

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Education levels explained

by Michael Cheary

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Don’t know your doctorates from your diplomas? We can help with that…

With so many different qualifications flying around, it can be hard to keep track of what each one means – not to mention where it could lead to next. But with comprehensive education frameworks put in place throughout the UK, it needn’t take too long to get to grips with the basics. No matter what stage you’re currently at.

To help you work out where to go next, here’s everything you need to know about the UK’s education levels: explained.

How many education levels are there?

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are eight different levels of education – as well as an entry level, to help you begin studying. These are set out by something known as the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).

In Scotland, there are 12 different levels of education. These are set out by something known as the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

The RQF provides a formal way of structuring the different levels of education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It was introduced in 2015, effectively combining the two previous frameworks, the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).

Entry level qualifications

What it means

Entry level is the most basic form of qualification, and usually provides an introduction into education. They aren’t generally compulsory.

Entry level qualifications are available in three different sub-categories, which progressively get more difficult: entry levels 1, 2 and 3.

Examples of entry level qualifications include:

• Entry level functional or essential skills
• Entry level awards and diplomas
• Entry level certificates (ELCs)
• Entry level English for foreign language speakers ( ESOL )
• Skills for Life

Perfect for

Anyone looking to learn a new subject or language , as well as those looking to enter formal education.

View all Entry Level courses

Level 1 qualifications

Often achieved in Years 10 and 11 of secondary school, Level 1 qualifications are the first formal rung on the numbered system of qualifications.

Examples of Level 1 qualifications include:

• GCSE grades 3, 2 or 1 (previously grades D, E, F or G)
• Level 1 functional or essential skills
• Level 1 awards and diplomas
• Level 1 certificates
• Level 1 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)
• Music grades 1, 2 and 3
• Level 1 ESOL

Those aged 15-6, or anyone looking to further their education. You won’t necessarily have to complete an entry level qualification to move onto Level 1.

View all Level 1 courses

Level 2 qualifications

Level 2 is the next step up from Level 1, and is also often achieved in Years 10 and 11.

Examples of Level 2 qualifications include:

• GCSE grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 or 4 (previously grades A*, A, B or C)
• O level (grades A, B or C)
• Grade 1 at CSE level
• Level 2 functional or essential skills
• Level 2 awards and diplomas
• Level 2 certificates
• Level 2 NVQ
• Music grades 4 and 5
• Intermediate apprenticeships
• Level 2 ESOL

Those aged 15-6, or anyone looking to further their education. Because of the high standard of their grades, Level 2 learners will usually progress to Level 3 qualifications.

View all Level 2 courses

Level 3 qualifications

Level 3 generally shows greater knowledge in a subject, and is often achieved in Years 12 and 13, or in centres for further education.

Examples of Level 3 qualifications include:

• A level (grades A, B, C, D or E)
• Advanced subsidiary (AS) level
• Applied general
• Level 3 awards, diplomas and certificates
• Level 3 NVQ
• Music grades 6, 7 and 8
• Advanced apprenticeships
• Access to higher education diploma
• International Baccalaureate diploma
• Level 3 ESOL

Those who are looking to continue their education after the minimum school leaving age, or are interested in specialising in a particular subject.

View all Level 3 courses

Level 4 qualifications

Level 4 is indicative of a greater understanding and a higher level of learning than that gained through core modules at secondary education level.

Examples of Level 4 qualifications include:

• Higher national certificate (HNC)
• Certificate of higher education (CertHE)
• Level 4 awards
• Level 4 diplomas
• Level 4 certificates
• Level 4 NVQ
• Higher apprenticeships

Level 4 acts as the bridge between level 3 and 5, and can help people progress to the next stage of education when they might not have been able to with their previous qualifications.

View all Level 4 courses

Level 5 qualifications

Level 5 demonstrates knowledge of a subject which goes beyond the level taught at secondary education.

Examples of Level 5 qualifications include:

• Foundation degree
• Higher national diploma (HND)
• Diploma of higher education (DipHE)
• Level 5 awards, diplomas and certificates
• Level 5 NVQ

Anyone looking to move on to university, or other forms of higher education.

Should I go to university?

  View all Level 5 courses

Level 6 qualifications

Level 6 refers to qualifications gained at degree level, indicating the holder has graduated from a centre for further education.

Examples of Level 6 qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree (with or without honours)
• Graduate diploma
• Graduate certificate
• Level 6 awards, diplomas and certificates
• Level 6 NVQ
• Degree apprenticeship

Anyone who wants to take their knowledge of a subject past secondary education level – whether that’s to gain a degree of a higher level NVQ or certificate. It’s also the first step for those looking to pursue a master’s.

View all Level 6 courses

Level 7 qualifications

Level 7 refers to a level of education equivalent to a master’s degree, and is generally attained in a centre for further education.

Examples of Level 7 qualifications include:

• Master’s degree
• Integrated master’s degree
• Postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)
• Postgraduate diplomas and certificates
• Level 7 awards, diplomas and certificates
• Level 7 NVQ

Anyone looking for a qualification which validates knowledge beyond degree level. After Level 7, there’s only one more level – a doctorate (PhD) or its equivalent.

Which postgraduate degree is right for me?

View all Level 7 courses

Level 8 qualifications

Level 8 refers to a doctorate level of education, often known as a PhD.

Examples of Level 8 qualifications include:

• Doctorate or PhD
• Level 8 awards, diplomas and certificates

Anyone looking to achieve the highest formal level of education possible in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and to become a fully qualified Doctor.

View all Level 8 courses

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework is the name for the structuring of qualifications used in Scotland.

Although it shares some similarities (and recognises some of the same qualifications), the SCQF operates independently from the RQF, and is made up of 12 distinct levels.

Once again, levels and qualifications range in difficulty, but are given to demonstrate as a guideline to see how your qualifications can progress.

Find out more about SCQFs here.

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Further Education System

When students reach the age of 16 and have completed their GCSEs they have a few options to choose from:

Academic Qualifications

Vocational qualifications.

If students opt for carrying on with their education this will take two forms, either by pursuing further academic qualifications or by following a vocational pathway.

Most schools in the UK have what is called a "6th Form" for students to enter after they have taken their GCSEs. As an alternative, there are many "6th Form Colleges" that will offer the same courses from students at schools that do not have a 6th form. Here students typically study A-levels, further academic qualifications required of students before they enter higher education and a degree program.

A-levels, like GCSEs, follow a two-year program and there are two components to them: full A-levels and half AS-levels. Generally A-levels comprise of 6 modules, and an AS-level has 3 modules.

Students will generally take between two to three A-levels, but depending on your academic ability and drive you may take more. Students at independent schools may take anywhere up to 5 A-levels.

For students who are not so academically minded, they still have the option to further their education by studying a vocational course that will provide them with a more hands on experience and education.

The most popular vocation programs include:

• BTEC Awards
• National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)
• City and Guilds Qualification
• Apprenticeships

Most international students coming into the UK will be taking academic programs with the aim of gaining admittance to a degree program. If you are one of those students, visit the UK Higher Education System page.

Please note that Scotland has a separate education system and does not conform to the above structure. Please learn more about the Scottish Education System .

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UK Further Education System

Further education in UK is the stage of education between compulsory education and higher education or university education. As we described here , at the UK education system students enter this stage at 16 years of age and finish it up when 18 years old.

In UK, once you complete the secondary school and get the GCSE results you’re free to decide whether you want to seek an education at higher stages or land the job market right away. As such, further education in the UK marks a vital time in one’s life since it indicates his further life’s track.

That said, a scholar has the following options after finishing secondary school:

• Prepare for University
• Vocational education

The education system in UK is very flexible regarding the fact that it offers numerous options for students in terms of career pathways they can get.

If you have no aspiration to attend education at higher stages, but you would rather like to find a good job and live independently then there are countless options to you at this point. Once you step out of your high school and take your GCSEs you can land the job market. Companies around are eager to recruit young and motivated individuals who are looking forward to starting their adventure in the job market. They value your motivation and therefore take care of your transition into the market comes with ease.

In line with this commitment, colleges in cooperation with many employers establish certain recruiting schemes offering short-courses to prepare candidates with the required skills for the job you’re willing to work.

Also, there are many apprenticeships you can get while under a constant professional provision. These short courses are mainly common for jobs in the industry that require a set of technical skills before start working. Surely this is much common for jobs which may require a bit preparation before start doing it. And also the opportunities to seek better job options afterwards are higher than if you have just landed a job which doesn’t require any level of expertise at all.

Further Education Qualifications

Further education qualifications rely on two purposes: to prepare you for seeking a job or to prepare you to get admitted into the university.

Qualifications that can be attained at this stage of education are divided into four sections

Academic qualifications

• Applied learning-qualifications
• Technical qualifications

Functional skills qualifications

On the other side of the coin, there are students who want to pursue higher stages of education. For these students, further education stage in UK represents a great opportunity to make their academic profile more appealing.

Furthermore, students who haven’t taken their GCSE exams at the age of 16 can still seek to make it through this stage of education. This is a much-desired option since UK universities are highly selective and getting a FE qualification will indicate a higher probability to take a university seat. Fortunately, in UK there’s a wide range of these courses covering particular subjects that lead to certain qualifications.

If you decide to get a university degree in a subject you’re interested than academic qualifications are a suitable option for you. These programs last for up to two years and aim to prepare you in a particular number of subjects required at the degree course you’re planning to apply at the university.

Your GCSE scores at particular subjects like English, Math and Sciences play a major role in your admission, while additional higher grades at particular subjects are required. For example, if you’re willing to apply for an Engineering course you may be required to have higher GCSE in English, Math and Physics.

Usually, further education courses cover 5 up to 5 subjects but are mainly focused on only 3 subjects because that’s how much universities expect from incoming applicants.

The following are academic qualifications  you can attain in UK further education

A-Levels – are subject-based qualifications conferred about several subjects. Most students concentrate on three particular subjects because this is what most universities require to get admitted. Over two years, students gain a grounding in subjects they’ve chosen to study and their knowledge attainment is assessed through several examinations

Cambridge Pre-Us – the course leading to this qualification lasts for two years and students can choose up to four subjects from among 26 subjects available.

Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers – are the qualifications required to enroll a Scottish university. Students can choose to focus their course in four subjects among 60 available subjects. Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers are the equivalents of the A-Levels and AS-Levels.

Baccalaureates – are qualifications that combine several academic subjects and particular skills related to them.

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and Interdisciplinary Project – these qualifications can be taken aside from A-levels or Scottish Highers and you can run an independent study on your favorite subjects.

GCSEs – GCSEs are qualifications that students take when they get over their secondary school, but if one doesn’t score high at particular subjects, particularly in mandatory subjects (English, Maths and Science) he is obliged to undertake these exams during the stage of FE.

If you’re interested in a particular industry and would like to gain the professional skills required to find a job in that industry then vocational courses are are highly recommended to you. These courses are divided into Technical and Functional skills qualifications.

The followings are Technical vocational qualifications awarded as part of the further education in UK .

NVQs and SVQs – qualify you to do a specific job and can be taken if you have a full-time job a course that involves a work placement

Technical levels – several qualifications that grant you a set of practical skills to perform a particular group of tasks in the job environment.

Technical certificates – are designed to equip with a set of skills and knowledge for a particular job where employers hire applicants with level 2 qualifications.

TechBac – is a new programme which is a blending of Technical level qualification, the Extended Project qualification and some elements like teamwork

Aim to prepare you with a set of skills in core subjects of English, maths and ICT to be able to enter higher education or the job market. You can seek to get this qualification as part of an apprenticeship, traineeship or study programme.

Where can I attend a further education course?

Further education courses in UK are offered at so-called sixth form colleges. These are schools that run recognized courses and grant advanced qualifications like A-Levels required to apply at a UK university. Also, they offer similar courses to prepare you to sit in GCSE examination if you haven’t done it by the time you finished secondary school. Note that you can switch places if your school doesn’t offer further education courses.

What is the difference between Further education and Higher education?

For many foreign students when landing a new, unknown educational system which has its original terms and vocabulary, it’s hard to comprehend how it is structured and how it works out.

Many are confounded about the difference between further education and higher education. The reason has to do mainly with the uniqueness and contrast of UK education system to other traditional educational systems applied in other countries of the world.

In UK you cannot head directly to the university once you have completed secondary school, which is the case in most countries of the world. Here the final stage of compulsory education (the secondary school) terminates at 16 years of age in contrast to most countries where the high school is completed when a scholar turns 18.

Further education in UK is the stage at which students decide which path they’re going to take it in the forthcoming stages of their life. Those who have academic goals may choose a course that leads to a specific qualification required to succeed in university application afterwards, others may choose a short course that prepares them for a specific job place and some may drop further education to enter straight into the job market.

But, do universities in UK admit students aged under 18?

Rarely, they do. But there are certain rules applied in such scenario. Commonly a set of conditions and terms must be signed by your parents under an agreement presented by the University of your choice. That said during the further education in UK you either will be seeking to get advanced qualifications to enter university or you will start working full-time.

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By Nik Taylor (Editor, The Uni Guide) | 19 October 2023 | 5 min read

Education levels and qualifications explained

A short guide to understanding different types of qualification, what they are and how they relate to one another

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What are education levels?

What are GCSEs?

What are as-levels, what are a-levels, what are btecs, what are t-levels.

T-levels are a new qualification (launched in 2020) which students can choose to take after GCSEs. A T-level is a two-year course which focuses on developing workplace skills and knowledge. Students spend some of their time learning at school or college, along with time spent on a work placement. In terms of workload, one T-level is intended to be roughly equivalent to three A-levels.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about further and higher education

Want to spend four years studying Vikings? Or maybe you’d like to take a term to learn all about Pokémon. What about three years becoming an absolute expert on Gothic studies?

They’re all options (pretty strange ones, we admit) open to you as part of your further education and higher education. You may have heard them used a lot, but what do these terms actually mean and what’s the real difference between further and higher education?

In this guide, we'll go right back to basics and explain:

What is further education?

What further education courses can i do, what is higher education, what is a higher education qualification.

By the time you finish reading, you’ll know your DipHE from your CertCE, promise.

Basically, further education is the term given to any education after secondary school (aka high school) that is not an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. It’s what you learn after the age of 16, but usually not at university.

As well as A-levels or Scottish highers, there are a huge number of further education (FE) courses you can do. You can take an FE course at technical colleges, Colleges of Further Education (CFE), and Adult and Community Colleges.

You can take level 2 and 3 courses to specialise in a specific technical job. Many of the courses are part-time or fairly short. If you don't know what we mean by level 2 and 3, check out this guide to qualification levels .

So when it comes to the difference between further and higher education, generally speaking, higher education is the term used when we’re talking about education at university . You usually have to be 18 or over to take a higher education course.

Here we’ll run through all the higher education qualifications open to you. They come under two categories: undergraduate and postgraduate .

What are higher education qualifications at the undergraduate level?

These are the next stage after you finish your A-levels  or other further education qualification. The most common qualifications are:

Bachelor’s degree

A bachelor’s degree is probably the higher education qualification you’ve heard the most about. They’re also known as undergraduate, first or honours degree. They most commonly include the bachelor of arts (BA) and bachelor of science (BSci) degrees.

Degrees usually take 2 to 4 years to complete, and the focus is typically on giving you an academic grounding in whatever subject you’re studying . Depending on the course, you’ll learn in lectures and seminars – as well as some practical, hands-on experiences.

There are thousands of degree courses out there – basically anything you can imagine, from beer brewing to yacht operations (here are 15 more 15 more unusual university degree courses you didn’t know existed ).

Important note! University isn’t the only path to get your dream job. Apprenticeships let you work, learn and earn at the same time. There are also some apprenticeships that give you a degree .

Foundation degree (FdA)

Foundation degree courses emphasise “learning by doing”, so you’ll develop skills for the workplace . They blend practical learning in a working environment with academic study so you can train for a specific job, like fashion or 3D animation. After your foundation you can go straight into a job or “top-up” to finish a full degree.

Higher national certificate and diploma (HNC/HND) These are similar to foundation degrees. The HNC lasts one year, and the HND takes around two years if you do it full time. You could do HNDs in business, travel or hospitality, for example. This diploma can lead directly to a job, but it’s also equivalent to the second year of a university degree, so it’s often used as a stepping-stone to a full degree.

Certificate of continuing education (CertCE)

A CertCE is like doing the first year of university – it’s like a “taster” of higher education while also being a recognised qualification. You could also use this as a stepping-stone to a full degree. For example you could do a CertCE in law or criminology. Many of them can be done online.

Certificate and diploma of higher education (CertHE/DipHE)

Similar to the CertCE above, the CertHE is like doing one year at uni, and the DipHE is equal to two years. It’s often given if you have to leave a degree early.

What are higher education qualifications at the postgraduate level?

These courses are done after a bachelor’s degree. You could do a:

Master’s degree

Some students will do a master’s after their bachelor’s undergraduate degree. And just like a bachelor’s, there are loads of options. Usually you’ll do more in-depth research and independent learning at this stage.

Postgraduate certificate and diploma (PGCert/PGDip)

PGCert and PGDip are like levels within a master’s, and they’re also standalone qualifications. So if you don’t want to do a full master’s degree, you can do these shorter qualifications. 

Doctorate (PhD)

This is the one where you’ll get to call yourself Dr – and insist everyone else does, obviously. A Doctorate is considered the highest level of academic degree. Students work on their own initiative to complete a major piece of original research. It can take years.

Now you know the difference between further and higher education, find out more about what you might like to do in your career  so you can plan your next steps.

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Further education

Whether you've just finished your GCSEs or are looking to return to education through adult learning, consider what the UK's further education (FE) sector has to offer. Discover how to apply for college courses, and explore studying for A-levels, T Levels, HNCs, BTEC diplomas or higher apprenticeships.

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What’s the difference between further and higher education?

We explore the difference between further education and higher education in the uk, and introduce access creative college’s further education options..

Deciding what to do after leaving school can be quite daunting for many students. There are many education-based terms and sometimes it’s hard to know what the differences are.  We will clarify the differences between ‘further education’ and ‘higher education’.

Is university further or higher education?

Higher education typically refers to degree programs offered at universities or other accredited institutions. The courses offered are mainly academic in nature, and students gain a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree at the end of their studies.

While higher education takes a minimum of three years to complete, some universities offer integrated master’s programs that could run for four or five years.

The further education system is often designed for post-16 students keen on pursuing vocational, technical, or practical courses. These programmes usually run for one to two years, and are focused on gaining skills for a specific profession or industry. Examples of courses available in further education include RSL diplomas , NVQs, A-levels, BTECs, and foundation courses.

What are levels 2, 3 and 4 equivalent to?

Within further education there are level 2, 3 and 4 qualifications. Here is a breakdown of what they are equivalent to.

Level 2 qualifications are roughly equivalent to GCSEs. They provide learners with foundational knowledge and understanding of a subject area. Examples of Level 2 equivalent qualifications include the BTEC First Diploma, NVQ Level 2 and GCSEs at grades A*-C.

Level 3 qualifications are roughly equivalent to A-levels. They are designed to provide students with advanced knowledge and skills in a particular subject area. Examples of Level 3 equivalent qualifications include A-levels, BTEC National Diplomas and NVQ Level 3.

Level 4 qualifications are higher education certificates, diplomas and degrees which are equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree programme. Examples of Level 4 equivalent qualifications include the Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Foundation Degree.

Are there any further education colleges near me?

Further Education (FE) colleges typically offer training programmes in technical skills and vocational qualifications. The courses vary from one college to the other, with most of them geared towards helping students acquire specific skills in preparation for a chosen career.

Access Creative College is an example of an FE college with a presence throughout the country. The college has over 3,000 students and seven campuses across the UK, with colleges in Birmingham , Bristol , Lincoln , London , Manchester , Norwich and Plymouth .

Higher Education institutions such as DBS Institute , on the other hand, are devoted to more academic qualifications. They offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and online degree courses focused on various areas, such as music technology, game art, sound design or music production.

When to choose further education or higher education

The choice between higher education and further education comes down to what stage you’re at with your educational and career journey. Students enrol for higher education to acquire a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree and the full-time university experience – after leaving college.

Those interested in gaining practical expertise in a specific trade or vocation after leaving school, or those looking to access education outside of A-levels, might look into further education.

In some instances, students may find it challenging to gain acceptance into a higher education institution based on their academic qualifications. Enrolling for a foundation or access course in further education can help bridge the gap. It can improve your qualifications, and boost your chances of gaining acceptance to a higher education institution.

Choosing a career path is a vital decision that requires careful consideration. Understanding the difference between further education and higher education can make it easier to make the right choice. While higher education is perfect for those seeking academic qualifications and those pursuing a career in specific fields after college, further education is usually geared towards school leavers, but can also boost your chances of accessing higher education.

With Access Creative College’s further education courses , you can acquire the skills, knowledge, and qualifications required to excel in a range of computing, gaming, music or performance industries.

Reach out to Access Creative College today to start exploring your further education options. You can either visit our open days or start browsing our course options now .

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What is further education?

Further education (FE) includes any study after secondary education that’s not part of higher education, i.e. not a undergraduate degree or postgraduate course.

FE courses in the UK range from basic English and Maths to Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) and Certificates (HNCs).

It also includes 3 types of technical and applied qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds:

•     level 3 technical certificates - for specialising in a specific technical job
•     level 2 technical certificates help get employment or progress to another tech level
•     applied general qualifications to continue general education at advanced level through applied learning

Further education in the UK usually means to attain an intermediate, advanced or follow-up qualification necessary to progress into higher education , or to begin a specific career path outside of university education.

Further Education is provided to those aged over 16 at colleges of further education , through work-based learning, or adult and community learning institutions.

Further education options in the UK

In 2014, it became compulsory for all students to continue in some form of further education until they turn 18. If you're not keen on staying at school, then there are lots of alternatives, including sixth form college, an independent FE provider or other institution.

You could also consider an apprenticeship.

In the UK, the accepted forms of further education for those aged 16 or over are:

• A levels - this is the most common form of further education in the UK and is the qualification you will normally take if you're staying on for sixth form at school.
• Art Foundation Diploma Course - this is a level 3 and 4 BTEC vocational course that lasts for one year, is for school leavers who want to check whether they like studying art or for students who are certain that they want to go on to take a BA in fine art.
• Baccalaureates - these are broad-based programmes that combine academic subjects with other components, with the aim of developing certain skills. The International Baccalaureate is a qualification that is available around the world, although Welsh and Scottish Baccalaureates are also available.
• BTEC Nationals - or The Business and Technology Education Council qualifications, are provided by Pearson , and are aimed at students who want to finetune their practical skills and knowledge, while being continually assessed.
• HNCs and HNDs - these are vocational courses that provide a quicker and more direct route to certain professions than university . As you'll be developing hands on skills, these qualifications are valuable to employers.
• NVQs - National Vocational Qualfications are excellent courses for those looking for a more practical way of learning new skills, and are available in many different subjects.
• Scottish Highers - this is the main qualification required for entry into higher education if you live in Scotland. There are over 60 subjects to choose from and you will normally study four or five of these. Each Higher is made up of units, and you're required to pass all units and the course assessment to achieve the qualification. 
• TechBac - introduced in 2014, the TechBac are vocational, courses run by the City and Guilds aimed at 16-19-year-olds who want to gain both technical qualifications, soft skills and practical experience.
• University Technical College - these are government-funded schools with a STEM focus, using specialist staff to provide students with skills that are highly valued by employers. They provide courses which are taught at local colleges, and are suitable for students looking for traditional academic learning combined with practical tasks.

What's the difference between further education and higher education?

Generally, higher education is the term used when talking about education at university. You usually have to be 18 or over to take a higher education course.

Further education is any course studied that isn't part of higher education. This might include A levels , BTECs , NVQs or HNDs .

How many GCSEs do I need to get into sixth form?

Entry requirements for school and college sixth forms vary – ranging from four to five C grades (so between a 4 and 5 under the new GCSE grading system), with perhaps a B (5 or 6) in the subjects you want to study, through to at least six GCSEs at grade A (7 or above) for the more competitive colleges.

What are A levels?

Advanced Levels or A-Levels are subject-based qualifications that UK students aged 16 or older must obtain if they plan to enter university or just want to gain better knowledge in a specific area or profession they're interested in pursuing.

A level courses are provided by school sixth forms and further education colleges.

Should I take A levels?

Taking A levels is absolutely essential if you plan on applying to university .

However, it's important to remember that employers won't just be looking at your exam grades when you start looking for a job later on.

Your character and people skills are also an important factor.

If you're not sure whether A levels are the right step for you, take a look at your other options to see if something else is better suited to you.

How many A levels can I take?

It's important you are realistic here - if you genuinely feel you can do four A levels without your grades or extracurricular commitments sliding, taking four A levels rather than three could give you a useful safety net.

If you don't do well in one A level, you'll still have three good ones to help you meet your university offer requirements.

What A levels should I choose?

This is a decision that needs careful consideration, as what A level subjects you pick now can impact on what you will be able to do later on, especially if you plan on applying to university.

However, even if you're not sure what you want to do in the future, you'll still need to make the right choices now to leave opportunities open in the future.

To make sure you choose the right A level subjects, think about:

1. If you're planning on applying to uni, do you need to have studied particular A levels as part of the entry requirements? For example, if you want to apply for Medicine, you must have done A levels in Biology and Chemistry as a minimum, with some universities also asking for a third science-related subject and/or Maths.

2. There some subjects that are blacklisted by universities such as UCL and LSE , and won't accept them as part of the entry requirements, e.g. General Studies, Critical Thinking, Business Studies and Art & Design.

3. Choose a range of different subjects if you're not sure what you want to do once you leave sixth form.

4. Check the course content for each A level subject you're thinking about taking, particularly if it's something you've never studied before.. You may have heard things about certain subjects from siblings, cousins or older peers, but it's best to try and forge a realistic picture yourself of what studying a certain A level will be like.

5. Don't choose A levels just because you think they are going to be easy, e.g. Media Studies or Home Economics, or base your decisions on what your friends are taking so you can be in the same classes. These are not good reasons for choosing your A level subjects, and you need to remember to put yourself and your future first.

Remember that many universities will consider you whatever A levels you choose, and if this path doesn't appeal, there will be lots of other options available to you aside from a degree.

For more detailed  information and advice, please see our Choosing A Levels guide.

How many UCAS points is an A level worth?

Each level you take will be worth the following points , depending on the grade you've achieved:

For more information, please see our dedicated UCAS Tariff guide .

What's the difference between AS and A levels?

An AS level is the first full year of an A Level.

This means it only takes one academic year to complete, while a full A level will take two years.

Completing a whole A level is more time consuming and will require twice the amount of work, but they are also worth double the UCAS points in comparison to AS Levels.

As mentioned, A levels are worth up to 56 UCAS points , whereas AS Levels are worth up to 20 UCAS points.

Can I get into university without A levels?

It's possible to go to university without A-levels by studying an Access to Higher Education Diploma.

This course is accepted by many universities and can help you to meet the entry requirements for a number of different courses.

When is A level results day?

In 2024, A level results day is on Thursday 15 August .

If you're studying in Scotland, SQA results are out on Tuesday 6 August .

Check with your school or college for what time they will be opening for students to collect their results, and read more about what do on the day with our in-depth A level results guide .

What's the difference between sixth form and college?

Colleges are usually more informal settings than a sixth form at a school, and tend to be bigger and offer a wider range of study options.

Sixth forms are smaller, and provide a more structured setting. You may also find the quality of education is higher at sixth forms than at FE colleges .

What is a school leaver programme?

School leaver programmes are an option for students who don't want to do more full time study.

They are designed and offered by individual companies to train and develop students who do not want to go to university after finishing school or college.

They are full time paid programmes which involve working for the company while also benefiting from training and development.

What are vocational qualifications?

Vocational qualifications are practical qualifications that relate to a specific job or career sector.

Unlike more academic courses like A-levels, they combine a mix of theory and practical learning and you’ll probably do some work experience too.

There’s a huge range of different courses that you can do, such as BTEC, NVQ, and HNCs, and many types of qualifications you can get, from entry level to advanced.

The length of the course depends on what level you study at.

What are traineeships?

A traineeship is an education and training programme that involves work experience, preparing candidates for their careers by helping them to become ready for the workplace.

Employers are not required to pay trainees for the work placement and traineeships are currently exempt from the minimum wage.

What is Further Education?

In A-Level , General by Think Student Editor January 31, 2022 Leave a Comment

For some people, knowing what to do after they finish their GCSEs (or equivalent qualifications) can be a difficult decision. However you feel about the future of your education, further education is something that you have to do by law. It shouldn’t be something that is scary and the more you know about your options, the less scary it will become.

In short, further education is simply education after you’ve completed secondary school, usually at age 16. There are different types of further education. These include level 3 courses such as A-Levels and BTECs. Alternatively, you can leave school and do other types of further education such as an apprenticeship or traineeship. 

If you interested in learning more about your options after you finish your GCSEs (or an equivalent) then you should definitely continue reading. This article will be especially useful to you if you want to know more on specific types of further education, such as A-Levels.

Table of Contents

Further education is education after Year 11 whereby you have completed your GCSEs, at this stage most students are 16 years old. When in further education it is generally a lot more specialised than secondary school education as you study fewer things and may even only be studying and working in one very specific role (such as with an apprenticeship).

Further education tends to be a lot more advanced than secondary school education because the qualifications that you acquire as a part of further education tend to be Level 3 qualifications . Level 3 qualifications include A-Levels, BTECs and some apprenticeships. however, there are also Level 2 qualifications that can be taken as part of further education.

Further education is often confused with higher education. To ensure you don’t make this mistake I will give you a brief explanation of the latter. Higher education is education after the age of 18 and is usually undertaken at a university. If you want to learn more about what further education is follow this link  by the goodschoolsguide.

Is it compulsory to be in full time education until age 18?

In England, it is compulsory for people under the age of 18 to be in some form of education . Essentially, this means that students have no choice but to be doing further education.

Although further education is compulsory, this stage isn’t like earlier stages of education and differs from school in many ways. An example of how further education may differ is your timetable won’t be the same as the school timetable, you will have free periods and much more independence. Also, if you are at a sixth form college you are unlikely to have to wear a uniform and may call your teachers by their first name.

When it comes to further education you have a few options. You could continue to study in a traditional way, where you are at sixth form or sixth form college . These options would involve you having to go to lessons and do specific work. Alternatively, you could do an apprenticeship, or you could even have a full-time job as long as you are doing one of the other two options alongside it. 

Further education in England only became compulsory recently as these laws were only put in place in 2014, see this link for more information.  The idea of introducing these laws was to improve the career prospects and opportunities that young people have for the future . This law means young people were able to develop more skills and qualifications that they could use later on in life.

What are A-Levels?

In the UK, taking A-Levels (Which is short for Advanced Levels) is a form of further education (please note that they are not taken in Scotland). As a type of further education, they are typically done after GCSEs and are considerably the most traditional route of further education . You can learn more about A-Levels in this Think Student article.

A-Levels are the most common form of further education, this is due to how A-Levels are taught. A-Levels are studied in a similar way to how you were taught during secondary school. If you go to a sixth form at your school you will actually be taught A-Levels in the same building, by many of the same teachers as you studied your GCSEs.

The experience you have while doing your A-Levels will be significantly different to if you were still a Year 11 in secondary school. For example, you are given free periods and you may even be given other freedoms in sixth form college that you wouldn’t even dream of while in secondary school. A-Levels although similar are different from your GCSEs. A-Levels are generally harder and go into more depth in each subject area. If you want to find out more about the step up from GCSEs to A-Levels check out this Think Student article.

Benefits of Taking A-Levels

Taking A-Levels can have many benefits, especially as they are the most recognised Level 3 qualification in the UK. While they don’t directly prepare you for the working world, they act as a great way for you to work towards your goals.  A-Levels enable students to learn about their favourite subjects in greater detail so that they are able to decide whether those subjects might be of interest when considering future career paths.

You can only study up to 3 or 4 subjects (except for rare occasions) and so you have to think about which subjects are best for you. This may be based on which ones you enjoy, or it could even be based on which ones you need for whatever you are working towards. If you are planning on going onto higher education you may require certain grades in specific A-Level subjects, therefore it’s important to pick the right A-Levels for you.

If you need some help making this decision then look here for 11 Tips to Help You Decide Which A-Levels to Take .

As you pick your subjects (or at least by the end of your courses), you will probably have begun to think about what you want to do next. You may want to go on to higher education (such as university),  taking A-Levels is considered the best route to get to university as it is a rather natural progression and is generally a common requirement for university . Having said this most universities also have entry requirements for other types of qualification, such as for BTECs.

What are BTECs?

BTECs are another form of further education that you can do at sixth form college. BTEC stands for Business and Technology Education Council, which is the council that created them. This council later merged with London Examinations (ULEAC) in 1996 to form the exam board, Edexcel (now known as Pearson Edexcel), click here to learn more.

Although BTECs and A-Levels can be studied alongside each other, they are very different. This is especially true because BTECs are a type of vocational qualification, so unlike A-Levels, they tend to be more practical and work-based.

BTECs also tend not to have the long exams at the end of the two years and instead are assessed more gradually with smaller tests or coursework throughout the course.  At the end of the course, you won’t receive a grade from the A*-G lettering system but instead a pass, merit, or distinction (or distinction star).  For more information about how BTECs are assessed looked at  this Think Student article .

What are the different types of BTECs?

There are different types of BTEC, you would most likely take one (or more) of the Level 3 qualifications, which are BTEC Nationals. Although you could also take the Level 2 option, which are BTEC Firsts (this will depend on what you want to do and also possibly on how well you did on your GCSEs). For more information about the different type of BTECs you can look at this UCAS article.

There are 3 main types of BTEC National, that you can take at sixth form college, these are: the BTEC National Extended Certificate, the BTEC National Diploma and the BTEC National Extended Diploma (although these may also be called alternative names).

The best way to distinguish between them is to think about how many A-Levels they are equivalent to. Generally, the Extended Certificate is only worth one A-Level, the Diploma is worth two A-Levels and the Extended Diploma is worth three A-Levels. To understand more about BTECs check out this article by Pearson.

Studying a BTEC National for further education, can give you plenty of opportunities for the future .  As BTECs are highly job-specific, you can go straight into full-time employment once you turn 18 and finish your course . This option can be exceptionally great for you if you know exactly what you want to do or even if studying and school in general just isn’t for you.

What are Apprenticeships?

Apprenticeships are another, less traditional form of further education that you can do but unlike A-Levels or BTECs, you are not at sixth form college full-time.

Apprenticeships are all at least 12 months long and during this time you will be working alongside experienced staff, allowing you to train for the job. During an apprenticeship, you will also be working towards a nationally recognised formal qualification, so you will also have to go to college or some kind of training centre (but this is generally only about once a week).

The qualification that you get will depend on what apprenticeship you do as well as the level of apprenticeship but the most common are functional skills, a Nation Vocational Qualification (NVQ) and technical certificates (such as BTECs). Look at  this UCAS article  for more information about apprenticeships.

What are the different types of Apprenticeships?

Just like with BTECs, there are different levels of apprenticeship that you can take in the UK. There are intermediate apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships, higher apprenticeships, and degree apprenticeships.  Click here to learn more.

For further education, you would generally take either an intermediate apprenticeship which is a level 2 qualification (equivalent to GCSEs), or you would take an advanced apprenticeship, which is a level 3 qualification which is equivalent to A-Levels.

For higher education, you could take a higher apprenticeship, which would either be a level 4 or a level 5 qualification. Degree apprenticeships are as the name suggests, as they are equivalent to bachelor’s or master’s degrees depending on the level.

Benefits of doing an Apprenticeship

Taking an apprenticeship for further education can really open up new doors for you in the future.  As apprenticeships directly train you for a specific job, you could immediately begin working once you have finished it. 

You would most likely have already built up the skills you need to begin working in that career. This is why 85% of people who finish their apprenticeships are still in employment. You may even be able to work for the company that you did your apprenticeship at as 64% of people who completed their apprenticeships did so. For more statistics about apprentices and apprenticeships look  here .

Alternatively, if you don’t want to go straight into official full-time work then you could begin another apprenticeship at a higher level . If you initially took an advanced apprenticeship, you could go on to take a higher apprenticeship and so on. This could also be a great opportunity for you to gain more experience but still keep the support than you have when doing an apprenticeship. This could also allow you to further your career without fully committing the position.

What are T-Levels?

T-Levels  are another form of further education that are worth 3 A-levels and last 2 years. When studying, your time is split between being taught in a classroom and having work experience at an actual business. T-Levels therefore can be described as something in between BTECs and apprenticeships.

During the course, you will have at least 315 hours at an industry placement, allowing you to build up your skills and put what you have learnt into practice. T-Levels are a much newer form of further education than the other examples as they were only launched in September 2020, so you may not have even heard about them.

This also means that the number of subjects currently available and the  places that you can study them  are both very limited, although this will increase . Click here to see where you can study T-Levels. You can also look at this Think Student article for more information about the subjects that you can take for T-Levels.

T-Levels are graded in a similar way to BTECs. Therefore, you will get either a pass, merit, or distinction grade. These grades can be converted into UCAS points which could help you go onto university if you so choose. Check out this Think Student article to learn how T-Levels are graded.

Taking a T-Level for further education can lead to many different opportunities.  They were created with businesses in mind, you could go straight into work and apply the skills that you have learnt. This is especially great for you if you don’t want to study anymore and if you feel confident to test out your abilities in the real world.

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USCIS Updates Guidance for F/M Nonimmigrant Student Classification

We are updating guidance in the  USCIS Policy Manual regarding when students may be eligible for optional practical training (OPT) extensions for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This guidance, found in Volume 2, Part F, of the Policy Manual, also provides clarifying guidance for F/M nonimmigrant students concerning online study, school transfers, the grace period, and study abroad.

The Policy Manual update:

• Clarifies that students may count one class or three credits (or the equivalent) per academic session (or the equivalent) toward a full course of study if they take the class online or through distance learning not requiring physical attendance for any purpose integral to completion of the class.
• Explains that students may transfer between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified, schools at the same educational level, or move between educational levels.
• Explains that, during the 60-day grace period following an authorized period of post-completion of OPT, students may change their education level, transfer to another SEVP-certified school, or file an application or petition with USCIS to change to another nonimmigrant or immigrant status.
• Clarifies that students may be eligible for post-completion OPT after completion of an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree program.
• Corrects the period during which students may apply for STEM OPT extensions and makes other technical corrections.
• Clarifies that a student enrolled in a SEVP-certified school during a study abroad program may remain active in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System if the study abroad program lasts less than five months, but that the student will need a new  Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status , if the program lasts longer than five months.

This guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after the publication date.

For more information, see the  Policy Alert (PDF, 324.65 KB) .

Blog The Education Hub

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/08/20/gcse-results-day-2024-number-grading-system/

GCSE results day 2024: Everything you need to know including the number grading system

Thousands of students across the country will soon be finding out their GCSE results and thinking about the next steps in their education.   

Here we explain everything you need to know about the big day, from when results day is, to the current 9-1 grading scale, to what your options are if your results aren’t what you’re expecting.  

When is GCSE results day 2024?  

GCSE results day will be taking place on Thursday the 22 August.     

The results will be made available to schools on Wednesday and available to pick up from your school by 8am on Thursday morning.  

Schools will issue their own instructions on how and when to collect your results.   

When did we change to a number grading scale?  

The shift to the numerical grading system was introduced in England in 2017 firstly in English language, English literature, and maths.  

By 2020 all subjects were shifted to number grades. This means anyone with GCSE results from 2017-2020 will have a combination of both letters and numbers.  

The numerical grading system was to signal more challenging GCSEs and to better differentiate between students’ abilities - particularly at higher grades between the A *-C grades. There only used to be 4 grades between A* and C, now with the numerical grading scale there are 6.  

What do the number grades mean?  

The grades are ranked from 1, the lowest, to 9, the highest.  

The grades don’t exactly translate, but the two grading scales meet at three points as illustrated below.  

The bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of grade A, while the bottom of grade 4 is aligned to the bottom of grade C.    

Meanwhile, the bottom of grade 1 is aligned to the bottom of grade G.  

What to do if your results weren’t what you were expecting?  

If your results weren’t what you were expecting, firstly don’t panic. You have options.  

First things first, speak to your school or college – they could be flexible on entry requirements if you’ve just missed your grades.   

They’ll also be able to give you the best tailored advice on whether re-sitting while studying for your next qualifications is a possibility.   

If you’re really unhappy with your results you can enter to resit all GCSE subjects in summer 2025. You can also take autumn exams in GCSE English language and maths.  

Speak to your sixth form or college to decide when it’s the best time for you to resit a GCSE exam.  

Look for other courses with different grade requirements     

Entry requirements vary depending on the college and course. Ask your school for advice, and call your college or another one in your area to see if there’s a space on a course you’re interested in.    

Consider an apprenticeship    

Apprenticeships combine a practical training job with study too. They’re open to you if you’re 16 or over, living in England, and not in full time education.  

As an apprentice you’ll be a paid employee, have the opportunity to work alongside experienced staff, gain job-specific skills, and get time set aside for training and study related to your role.   

You can find out more about how to apply here .  

Talk to a National Careers Service (NCS) adviser    

The National Career Service is a free resource that can help you with your career planning. Give them a call to discuss potential routes into higher education, further education, or the workplace.   

Whatever your results, if you want to find out more about all your education and training options, as well as get practical advice about your exam results, visit the  National Careers Service page  and Skills for Careers to explore your study and work choices.   

You may also be interested in:

• Results day 2024: What's next after picking up your A level, T level and VTQ results?
• When is results day 2024? GCSEs, A levels, T Levels and VTQs

Tags: GCSE grade equivalent , gcse number grades , GCSE results , gcse results day 2024 , gsce grades old and new , new gcse grades

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Teach in further education

If you’re interested in teaching young people and adults over 16 who are not studying for a degree, then further education might be for you.

What is further education?

It covers 3 key areas:

• vocational courses including plumbing, manufacturing and health care
• academic classroom-based learning of subjects including English and maths, including A levels in a sixth form college
• basic skills courses on literacy, numeracy, English for speakers of other languages, and special needs

Whichever route you choose, you could teach a diverse set of learners.

What qualifications do you need to teach in further education?

You do not always need a prior teaching qualification or an academic degree to start teaching in further education.

Many further education training providers offer funded teacher training on the job, so you can start immediately.

To find out more, visit the teach in further education website (opens in new window) .

However, if you’re mainly interested in teaching in a school, explore how to train to teach primary and secondary pupils .

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Further education and skills

Updated to add links to the interactive data visualisation tool

Updated with full, final data covering the 2021/22 academic year (August 2021 to July 2022).

Updated with data covering the first three quarters of 2021/22.

Updated with data covering the first two quarters of 2021/22. Achievement rate data also added covering 2020/21

Introduction

This statistical release presents full year data on adult (19+) further education (FE) and skills in England for the full 2021/22 academic year (August 2021 to July 2022). This includes apprenticeships and traineeships in the overall FE and skills numbers, but for statistics relevant to apprenticeships and traineeships please see the ‘ Apprenticeships and traineeships release ’. 

From January, our proposal is to change the structure of the release but not reduce the amount of data published on a quarterly basis.  These changes will address the complexity of the current release to improve user access to content and allow for easier maintenance. Please see section below headed “Future changes” for further details.

Impact of COVID-19 on reporting of FE and apprenticeship data

Data in this release covers a period affected by varying COVID-19 restrictions, which will have impacted on FE provision and also provider reporting behaviour via the Individualised Learner Record. Therefore, extra care should be taken in comparing and interpreting data presented in this release.

Please note that the ‘ Explore data and files ’ section contains the underlying files that underpin this release and allows expert users to interrogate and analyse the data for themselves. For pre-populated summary statistics please see the relevant section underneath, from which the data can be further explored using the ‘Explore data’ functionality. You can also view featured tables or create your own table using the ‘ create tables ' functionality.

Headline facts and figures - 2021/22

The figures covering the 2021/22 academic year show:

Adult government-funded further education and skills participation including apprenticeships increased by 4.8% to 1,719,600 compared to 1,640,300 in the same period in 2020/21.

Of the 1,719,600 adult learners participating in 2021/22:

• Females account for 61.0% (1,048,800).
• Higher level (level 4 or above) participation increased by 12.7%, to 245,100 from 217,500 in 2020/21.
• Adult education and training participation increased by 1.0% to 878,500 compared to 869,600 in 2020/21.
• Community learning participation increased by 24.9% to 304,400 compared to 243,700 in 2020/21.

Explore data and files used in this release

View or create your own tables.

View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

Data catalogue

Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

Data guidance

Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance

Download all data (ZIP)

Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

Additional supporting files

All supporting files from this release are listed for individual download below:

Advanced learner loans applications - top 10 qualifications (csv, 13 Kb)

Advanced learner loans applications - top 10 qualifications

FE and skills (FES) learner achievements (excluding Community Learning) (csv, 817 B)

Adult (19+) Further education and skills (FES) learner achievements (excluding Community Learning) from 2011/12 to 2020/21. This file was published in January 2022. This summary file contains a count of learners achieving any funded Further education and skills learning aim, with the exception of community learning. The main Further education and skills publication contains total FES learner achievements that include Community Learning.

FE and skills (FES) learner achievements (excluding Community Learning) by local authority (csv, 39 Kb)

Adult (19+) Further education and skills (FES) learner achievements (excluding Community Learning) by local authority from 2018/19 to 2020/21. This file was published in January 2022. This summary file contains a count of learners achieving a funded Further education and skills learning aim, with the exception of community learning. The main Further education and skills publication contains total FES learner achievements that include Community Learning.

Metadata for underlying data files (pdf, 187 Kb)

Explanatory information for using the underlying data files that accompany the Further Education and skills 2021/22 statistics publication.

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) aims achievements (zip, 99 Mb)

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) aims achievements

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) aims enrolments (zip, 196 Mb)

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) aims enrolments

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) demographics by level - pre 2020/21 only (csv, 5 Mb)

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) demographics by level - pre 2020/21 only

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) learner participation (zip, 71 Mb)

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) learner participation

Underlying data - free courses for jobs starts on individual courses (csv, 36 Kb)

Total enrolments on individual Courses through the 'Free courses for Jobs' offer , April 21 to July 22

Underlying data- FE and skills (FES) demographics (zip, 1 Mb)

Underlying data - FE and skills (FES) demographics Nov 2021/22 full year

About these statistics

This statistical release presents information on adult (19+) FE and skills participation in England for the full 2021/22 academic year (covering August 2021 to July 2022).

The data includes Apprenticeships, Community Learning, and Education and Training provision taken at General Further Education Colleges (including Tertiary), Sixth Form Colleges, Special Colleges (Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges, and Art and Design Colleges), Specialist Colleges and External Institutions.

A separate release covers apprenticeships and traineeships data, please see ‘ Apprenticeships and traineeships release ’, but note that apprenticeships and traineeships are included in the overall FE and skills numbers in this release.

Individualised Learner Record (ILR) administrative data

The ILR is an administrative data collection system designed primarily for operational use in order to fund training providers for learners in FE and on apprenticeship programmes. We publish a high volume of FE statistics using provisional, in year data and use latest data as soon as available despite not being ‘final’. This enables us to provide the earliest picture of FE performance and allows users to assess the impact of government-funded provision and hold the ‘system’ to account.

However, the FE and skills data in this release are based on the final (fourteenth) ILR data return from FE and apprenticeship providers for the 2021/22 academic year.

National achievement rate tables data

Figures in the ‘national achievement rate tables’ section are as published in March 2022. These official statistics cover achievement rates for the 2020 to 2021 academic year and would have been previously released as part of the standalone National achievement rate tables publication. As confirmed in our  guidance (opens in a new tab) , due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), we have not published institution-level qualification achievement rates (QARs) in the national achievement rate tables for the 2019 to 2020, or the 2020 to 2021 academic years. We have published high level summaries of QARs for statistical purposes. 

Achievement rates covering the 2021/22 academic year are planned to be published as part of our March 2023 statistics update.

Provider reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic

The data in this publication covers periods affected by varying COVID-19 restrictions which will have impacted on further education including apprenticeship learning. Therefore, extra care should be taken in comparing and interpreting data presented in this release. It is likely to have impacted on provider behaviour in terms of the reporting of FE and apprenticeship learning during the affected period, and this could vary by provider.

Comparison of achievements, particularly with 2019/20 and 2020/21, should be treated with caution because the disruption to exams and assessments and breaks in learning etc will have led to less achievements in 2019/20 than would normally have been expected to achieve. Likewise, the 2020/21 year might have more achievements than would have otherwise been the case, given delays in training or passing assessments etc.

How to use this release and find data

This section provides guidance on finding data and providing feedback. 

Find my data 

To find information on topics of interest, expand the content sections i.e. Subject, Geography, Provider. In each section, there will be: 

• Tables/charts and summary commentary on the relevant area
• Links to additional pre-prepared tables

You can also create your own tables through the  table tool  or modify the pre-prepared tables which use the same files. 

In the ‘Interactive data visualisation tool’ section, there is a link to a new experimental data tool which has been developed to complement the release.

There is a Methodology document which is linked under ‘Useful information’ at the top of this release, which contains further information on the statistics published here.

At the top of the release, there is a link ‘Explore data and files’ which includes:

• Data that sits underneath the release
• Supporting tables created outside the EES platform
• Underlying CSV files that contain richer base data, and associated metadata files

Summary tables displayed in each of the sections contain full year data for 2021/22 (August 2021 to July 2022), along with 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 figures as reported at the equivalent point in the relevant years. 

The pre-prepared tables (available at the bottom of each section) contain more information, and where possible show full year final data from 2016/17 to 2021/22. However, due to performance limitations, some files contain a shorter period of data than the standard six years.

If you are looking for historical data not available in this release, see the  FE data library (opens in a new tab)  where there is more than six years’ worth of data.

To find previous publications on FE and Skills see the  Statistics: further education and skills (opens in a new tab)  collection.

Related Releases

The latest apprenticeship and traineeships statistics can be found here  Apprenticeship and traineeship release .

Other related releases include: 

• FE choices employer satisfaction survey (opens in a new tab)
• FE choices learner satisfaction survey (opens in a new tab)
• National achievement rates tables collection- older data (opens in a new tab)

This release is a completely new approach to publishing our data and statistics which we are looking to evolve over time. As a result, your feedback is important to help us improve and develop. To provide feedback on this release please email us at  [email protected] (opens in a new tab) .

Interactive data visualisation tool

A new experimental data tool (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) has been developed within the Microsoft Power BI software application to complement the further education and skills release in EES.

This new approach allows a more visual, interactive exploration of provider data with a number of different views and ‘drilldown’ capability to allow users to investigate education and training and community learning provision within different geographical areas and across providers.

Latest headline statistics

The cycle of updates for this section now aligns with full academic year data which can be found in the Annual time series section.  Latest headline statistics will resume in this section when we publish quarter one for 2022/23.

Annual time series

The figures in this section cover adult (19+) further education and skills in the 2021/22 academic year and were first published in November 2022. This is a summary of all adult further education activity including Apprenticeships, Community Learning, and Education and Training provision.

Adult (19+) further education and skills:

Between 2014/15 and 2021/22, participation decreased by 34.2% from 2,613,700 to 1,719,600, and achievements decreased by 44.8% from 1,983,200 to 1,094,100.

Of the 1,719,600 adult learners participating in 2021/22: 

• The number on below Level 2 courses (excluding Basic skills) was 278,800.
• The number on a Basic skills course was 434,100.
• The number on Level 2 courses was 551,100 (on Full Level 2, there were 139,400 learners) and on Level 3 there were 391,900 learners (on Full Level 3, there were 322,400 learners). 
• The number on Level 4 or above courses was 245,100.

In 2021/22, the number of adult (19+) learners in receipt of benefits when they started their learning was 281,500. Based on self-reporting through the ILR, these are defined as those learners reporting that they were in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance - Work Related Activity Group (ESA WRAG), Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit (if unemployed and looking for work).

Further education and skills participation has changed over the years and has included different types of provision, including Apprenticeships, Community Learning, and Education and Training. Some of provision and data sources are now more historical in nature such Workplace Learning and that relating to the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers, as well as data relating to pilots such as the Employer Ownership Pilots. Please see the Further education and skills statistics: methodology for further information.

Additionally, learners can participate at more than one level in different types of learning during an academic year and also on different types of provision, therefore it is not possible to sum individual levels to obtain the overall total. For more detail on how we count different measures please see the Further education and skills statistics: methodology .

Adult education budget:

In 2021/22, adult education budget funded participation increased by 8.9% to 1,007,400 compared to 925,300 in 2020/21. Between 2016/17 and 2021/22, adult education budget participation decreased from 1,295,200 to 1,007,400, and achievements decreased from 1,090,300 to 841,500. 

Further education and skills learner characteristics

The  figures in this section cover adult (19+) further education and skills in the 2021/22 academic year and were first published in November 2022. This is a summary of all adult further education activity including Apprenticeships, Community Learning, and Education and Training provision.

Of the 1,719,600 adult learners participating in the 2021/22 academic year:

• Females account for 61.0% (1,048,840).
• Learners aged 19-24, 25-49, and 50 and over accounted for 26.0% (447,840), 57.6% (990,040) and 16.4% (281,370) respectively.
• Those declaring a learner learning difficulty and/or disability (LLDD) account for 17.5% (291,010).

Create your own tables 

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Further education and skills learners data. The following tables offer a range of useful breakdowns for 2016/17 to 2021/22. 

Education and training learner characteristics

Adult (19+) participation in education and training increased by 1.0% to 878,520, compared to 869,560 in 2020/21.

Most learners participated in Level 2 courses (431,860), followed by Basic skills (270,630).

Of the 878,520 learners participating in adult education and training: 

• Females account for 64.3% (564,550).
• Learners aged 19-24, 25-49, and 50 and over accounted for 20.9% (183,780), 62.9% (552,890) and 16.1% (141,850) respectively.
• Those declaring a learner learning difficulty and/or disability (LLDD) account for 20.5% (175,060).

For 2021/22, the most deprived fifth (20%) of areas contained 34.7% (304,220) of participating learners

For information on education and training by sector subject area, please see the ‘Subject' section.

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Further education and skills learners data. Select ‘Education and Training’ using the ‘Provision Type’ filter to view education and training statistics. The following tables offer a range of useful breakdowns for 2016/17 to 2021/22. 

Community learning

Community learning participation increased by 24.9% to 304,400 in 2021/22, compared to the same period in 2020/21. 

• Personal and community development learning participation was 245,300.
• Neighbourhood learning in deprived communities participation was 25,900.
• Family English, maths and language participation was 13,300.
• Wider family learning participation was 27,700.

Community learning learner characteristics in 2021/22 showed: 

• Females accounted for 74.4% (226,600).
• Learners aged 25 and over, represented 92.8% of participation (282,500).
• Those declaring a learner learning difficulty and/or disability (LLDD) account for 20.5% (58,900).

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Community learning learners data. The following tables offer a range of useful breakdowns for 2015/16 to 2021/22. 

Adult further education and skills enrolments:

Out of 3,899,200 aim enrolments in adult  further education and skills in 2021/22:

• Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects represent 17.7%.
• Preparation for life and work accounted for most enrolments with 31.7% (1,235,900) followed by health, public services and care with 19.6% (765,400) and business, administration and law with 13.1% (509,300).

Education and training aims enrolments:

Of the 1,691,340 education and training learning aim enrolments in 2021/22:

• Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects represent 14.5% (245,640).

• Preparation for life and work was the sector subject area with the most enrolments (770,140), followed by health, public services and care (297,840).

• Entry and Level 1 courses together make up 52.4% of enrolments – 886,990 enrolments in total. The majority of these are in preparation for life (72.3%).

• Level 2 courses account for 34.6% overall (585,040) –just over a third of which are in health, public services and care (200,540).

• At Level 4 or above, the largest proportion of enrolments are in health, public services and care (42.1%) followed by business, administration and law (21.4%).

Level 3 Free Courses for Jobs

As part of the government’s  Plan for Jobs (opens in a new tab) , certain adults can now access free level 3 courses as part of the Free Courses for Jobs offer.

From April 2021, people have been able to access one of the  free level 3 qualifications (opens in a new tab)  if they are aged 19 or over and do not already have a level 3 qualification (equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or A levels) or higher. Previously, learners aged 24 or over, would have had to pay the course fee for these qualifications, normally through an Advanced Learner Loan. 

From April 2022, the offer was extended to adults in England who are earning under the National Living Wage (£18,525 per annum) or are unemployed, regardless of whether they have a full Level 3 qualification or higher. Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) are able to set their own wage thresholds for learners accessing Free Courses for Jobs under this extension.   Full details regards funding rules and eligibility can be found in the  ESFA funded adult education budget: funding and performance management rules 2021 to 2022 (opens in a new tab) .

Learners enrolled on courses as part of the Free Courses for Jobs offer

Full year final figures for the 2021/22 academic year show that;

• The cumulative number of enrolments on the offer, reported between April 2021 and July 2022, stands at  24,470  (with  4,780  having started in the 2020/21 academic year). This includes those taking up free courses for jobs under the extended offer in April 2022.
• The number of enrolments based on the eligibility criteria before it was extended (i.e., excluding those already holding full level 3 qualifications) stands at  23,550 . This is 70% higher than equivalent enrolments for the same months in 2018/19, by adults who would have been able to access the offer before eligibility was extended. 

Level 3 qualifications can take longer than a year to be completed and for learners to receive achievement status – especially if, for example, learners are balancing study with employment. We estimate that there have been 10,670  achievements by learners enrolled and funded through Free Courses for Jobs since April 2021.

• Free Courses for Jobs figures are based on enrolments in level 3 offer courses by eligible learners that have been coded in the ILR with  Learning Delivery Monitoring (opens in a new tab)  as ‘Adult Level 3 Offer funded via the National Skills Fund’ and ‘Free Courses for Jobs (Level 3 Offer) for Low Wage Learners’.
• Eligible learners are identified as a) those without prior attainment at Full level 3 or above; and b) from April 2022 those unemployed or earning below the national living wage and with prior attainment at Full level 3 or above; and c) those not enrolled on the course as part of an apprenticeship; and d) all those aged 24 and above or those aged 19-23 where there is not already a statutory entitlement to the course through the adult education budget. Eligible Learners is not limited only to those on the Adult Level 3 Offer – it includes learners who don’t receive the direct funding, yet enrolled and meet the underlying criteria.
• The list of courses approved for funding as part of the offer included 447 qualifications as at July 2022 (up from 387 at 1 April 2021). The number of qualifications has changed slightly from month-to-month, as some were removed, and others added. The latest reported full academic year figures (and comparisons with the same months in previous years) are based on the eligible courses that were part of the offer in those months. Comparisons for 2020/21 and earlier are also provided based on the original 387 valid qualifications at the start of the offer. 
• There are four months of data (April 2022 to July 2022) relating to the eligibility extension from April 2022 when those unemployed or earning below the national living wage and with prior attainment at Full level 3 or above could access Free Courses for Jobs.
• Enrolment figures based on the earlier qualifications list are available through ‘Explore data’ below the table.
• There will be a lag between qualifications being added to the list and some learners starting on Free Courses for Jobs. We define whether the course is eligible in a given month based on whether it was eligible for funding on the first of the month. For eligibility start dates after the first day of the month, the course is deemed active from the following month.

Further breakdowns of the total number of adults taking up Free Courses for Jobs since April 2021 can be accessed through the link below in ‘Create your own tables’.

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Subject data. The following tables are set up as a useful starting point.

Geographical breakdowns

Of the 1,719,600 adult learners participating in 2021/22 academic year: 

The region with the highest further education and skills participation was London with 310,300 learners.

• London also had the highest participation at below Level 2 (excluding Basic skills) with 72,500 learners, Basic skills with 104,700 learners, and Level 2 with 80,500 learners. 
• The region with the most participating learners at Level 3 was the North West (56,800).
• At Level 4 or above, the South East had the greatest number of learners (37,900) followed by the North West (35,200).

Further education and skills rate per 100,000 population

Accounting for population size in each region:

• the North East has the highest rate of further education and skills participation (6,417 of adults aged 19-64).
• the East of England has the lowest rate of participation (4,183 of adults aged 19-64).

More detailed breakdowns of further education and skills participation and achievement rates per population are available through the ‘Create your own tables’ link below. 

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Geography data. The following tables offer a range of useful breakdowns for 2021/22. 

Adult further education and skills:

Of the 1,719,600 learners that participated in 2021/22 academic year:

• Further education colleges accounted for the majority, 39.2% (673,500)
• Private sector public funded providers account for 33.2% (570,600) and other public funded (i.e. local authorities and higher education institutions) providers a further 22.7% (389,700)
• Schools, sixth form colleges, and special colleges make up 5.0% of participation (85,800)

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the provider data. The following tables offer a range of useful breakdowns for 2015/16 to 2021/22. 

Basic skills

Note: we have amended how we refer to this type of provision, which was previously referred to as ‘English and maths’, which included English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Since January 2021 we have also started to report on participation on new essential digital skills provision (Essential Digital Skills) in this section of the release. 

We will now be referring to ‘English and maths’ provision as ‘basic skills’ to better reflect this type of learning, and we will show basic skills participation with and without essential digital skills to preserve our previous time series.

Adult basic skills including digital skills participation reported for 2021/22 was 443,850. Of these:

• Participation on an English course was 239,160.
• Participation on a Maths course was 258,310.
• Participation on an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course was 123,730.
• Participation on an Essential Digital Skills course was 17,590.

Adult basic skills excluding digital skills participation increased by 5.1% to 434,120 in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21.

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Basic skills data. The following tables offer a range of useful breakdowns for 2021/22. 

Advanced learner loans

Of the 65,800  learners participating with an advanced learner loan  in 2021/22:

• Most of the learners were at Level 3 (57,300).
• Of those at Level 3, the highest participation was from the 31-40 age group (17,700) followed by the 24-30 age group (15,900).
• Level 4 or above participation was 9,000.

Applications for advanced learner loans:

49,200 applications received for an advanced learner loan in 2021/22, a decrease of 21.7% on the 62,900 applications in 2020/21.

Of the 49,200 applications received for advanced learner loans in 2021/22:

• The number of applications approved was 42,500.
• The total value for loans approved was £130.4 million.
• Level 3 diplomas received the most applications (21,800).
• Majority of the loan demand continues to be from females with 77.1% (37,900) and by UK nationals with 85.7% (42,100).
• By age group, the highest demand was from age groups 31-40 with 30.4% (15,000) and 24-30 with 26.4% (13,000).
• The highest number of applications received were in the health, public services and care (18,300) and retail and commercial enterprise (10,600) sector subject areas.

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Advanced learner loans applications data. The following table offers a useful breakdown for 2014/15 to 2021/22. 

An underlying file 'Advanced learner loans applications - top 10 qualifications' contains information about the 10 learning aims that received the most advanced learner loan applications each academic year since 2014/15. This can be found in the Explore data and files section of the release.

National achievement rate tables

In March 2020, the Secretary of State announced that the summer 2020 exam series in England would be cancelled to help fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). This announcement also stated that Government would not publish any school, college, or provider-level educational performance data based on tests, assessments or exams for the 2019/20 academic year.

In 2020/21, as a consequence of the ongoing disruption to the assessment process, the Government announced a change to its accountability arrangements  published here (opens in a new tab)  where it states providers will not be held to account on the basis of exams and assessment data from summer 2020. Given the continued disruption, in February 2021, it was confirmed that no provider-level data would again be published for the 2020/21 academic year. This release will therefore not contain any provider level data.

For performance management purposes users should refer to data from 2018/19 which can be found here (opens in a new tab) .

Apprenticeship achievement rate statistics are available here .

Headline facts and figures

Overall achievement rates within the 19+ Education and Training cohort have decreased from 86.0% in 2019 to 2020 to 85.5% in 2020 to 2021, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points. Compared with 2018 to 2019 they are down by 3.7 percentage points.

Level one and higher level rates have increased since last year by 0.6 and 5.1 percentage points respectively. Rates at level 2 have decreased by 2.0 percentage points whilst level 3 has decreased by 1.0 percentage point.

Things you need to know about this release

Care should be taken when comparing outcomes with previous years. 

The purpose of releasing national level achievement rate data for 2020/21 is to maintain the continuity of information and to provide context alongside the achievement volumes found elsewhere in this publication. It is important to maintain transparency by presenting the national level data for this cohort of learners whilst recognising the extraordinary circumstances surrounding 2019/20 and 2020/21 achievement rates.

Care should be taken when comparing with previous years due to the effects of the pandemic such as disruption to exams and assessments. 

Additionally, the methodology for creating achievement rates has been partially affected in two ways. Firstly, the announcement that Government will not publish any provider-level educational performance data for the 2019/20 or 2020/21 academic years. Therefore, we did not share any provider level data with providers for 2019/20 which normally helps them to improve the quality of their final data return. Secondly, this limited the fuller quality assurance processes including working closely with providers on anomalies in their data. Whilst we were able to re-introduce the fuller quality assurance process for the 2020/21 data, we are aware that providers were still affected by disruption due to the COVID pandemic.

Different sectors have been affected in different ways and as a result, care should be taken when comparing data with previous years.

19+ Education and Training overall achievement rates by qualification type and level

Significant change in the way some assessments happened in 2019/20, and to a lesser extent in 2020/21, compared to previous years. Additionally, a significant change in some qualifications with the size of the cohort participating. As a result, care should be taken when comparing 2019/20 and 2020/21 data with previous years.

19+ Education and Training overall achievement rates by sector subject area

Significant change in the way some assessments happened in 2019/20, and to a lesser extent in 2020/21, compared to previous years. Additionally, a significant change in some qualifications with the size of the cohort participating. Different sectors have been affected in different ways and as a result care should be taken when comparing 2019/20 data with previous years.

Overall achievement rates by ethnicity

The figures in this section cover the achievement rates for those learners who are from minority ethnic groups. Please note the figures for “White ethnic groups” includes white minorities.

In 2020/21, learners aged 19+ from minority ethnic groups had an overall education and training achievement rate of 84.8%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from 84.7% in 2019/20.

The number of learners from minority ethnic groups was 499,790 which represents 36.7% of all learners. The take up of education and training for learners from minority ethnic groups varies according to the sector subject area. The sector with the highest proportion of learners from minority ethnic groups was Preparation for Life and Work where 50.9% of learners were from minority ethnic groups. The sector with the lowest proportion was Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care at 10.6%.

Methodology

Qualification Achievement Rates (QARs), previously referred to as qualification success rates, are calculated for individual qualifications, or programmes for apprenticeships. They show how many learners that started a qualification or programme went on to successfully complete it. Achievement rates are typically calculated at a qualification or programme level, but can be aggregated across different types of course, or for particular colleges or providers.

Technical specifications for how achievement rates are calculated can be found here: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/qualification-achievement-rates-and-minimum-standards (opens in a new tab)

Further information on how the performance management process works can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/funding-allocations-and-performance-management-for-providers (opens in a new tab)

Changes for the 2020/21 reporting year

At the start of each academic year, the business rules by which QARs will be calculated for that year are published. The full set of user guide, business rules, and the technical specifications behind the 2020/21 calculations are also available here (opens in a new tab) . We publish detailed tables to provide transparency on the measures we use for provider performance for the latest year only. These data will not always be calculated on the same basis as previous years detailed tables, which remain available for transparency of the measures used in those particular years. Additionally, we provide some tables with time series to provide transparency on how performance has changed over time. To provide comparable data we retrospectively apply the latest methodology to the previous two years. This will revise our estimates of what 2018/19 and 2019/20 would have been if calculated on this new basis. To illustrate the change this has made on our time series: 

Data presented here in this release entirely covers adult 19+ provision only. In common with previous years, we do provide links to detailed tables which also incorporate data for 16-18 year old learners for completeness.

You can create your own tables in the table builder using the Education and training achievement rates data. The following tables offer a range of useful breakdowns for 2019/20. 

Future Changes

In recent years we have focussed on expanding the range of data being published, such as free courses for jobs. Additionally, there are a lot of sections, commentary, and extra tables built into the main release. Discussions with users have suggested it’s hard to find and access content within this release.

We are therefore considering simplifying the release structure to have less sections so, we can refocus content into two initial sections that provide an annual summary using full year data, followed by a section showing in-year provisional data.  We are also introducing a section to focus on helping users to find all the tables and files in the release rather than use the release structure to achieve the same thing.

Please note we are not intending to reduce the data files that are available quarterly. We will be looking at naming conventions of files and tables, as a one-off change from the January release as part of improving the ability of users to find files. We are considering making these changes and welcome your feedback. Should you wish to provide feedback please contact us on  [email protected] (opens in a new tab) . 

Help and support

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

• Further education and skills statistics: methodology

Accredited official statistics

These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics . Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 .

Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority's Code of Practice for Statistics which broadly means these statistics are:

• managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
• meet identified user needs
• produced according to sound methods
• well explained and readily accessible

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing [email protected] or via the OSR website .

If you have a specific enquiry about Further education and skills statistics and data:

FE Stats Dissemination

Press office.

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Telephone: 037 0000 2288

Opening times: Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)

Further Education vs. Higher Education

What's the difference.

Further education and higher education are both forms of post-secondary education, but they differ in terms of their focus and level of study. Further education typically refers to education beyond the age of 16, often pursued at colleges or vocational institutions. It offers a wide range of courses and qualifications that are more practical and skill-based, aiming to equip students with specific vocational skills for employment. On the other hand, higher education refers to education pursued at universities or colleges, usually after completing further education. It offers more specialized and in-depth study in various academic disciplines, leading to degrees such as bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Higher education focuses on theoretical knowledge, research, and critical thinking, preparing students for professional careers or advanced academic pursuits.

Further Detail

Introduction.

Education plays a crucial role in shaping individuals' knowledge, skills, and future prospects. Two common paths individuals can take after completing their secondary education are further education and higher education. While both options offer opportunities for personal and professional growth, they differ in various aspects such as entry requirements, duration, curriculum, and career outcomes. In this article, we will explore and compare the attributes of further education and higher education to help individuals make informed decisions about their educational journey.

Entry Requirements

When considering further education, such as vocational courses or apprenticeships, the entry requirements are often more flexible compared to higher education. Further education programs typically focus on practical skills development and may require a minimum age or specific qualifications related to the chosen field. On the other hand, higher education institutions, such as universities, generally have stricter entry requirements. These requirements often include specific academic qualifications, such as A-levels or equivalent, and may vary depending on the chosen course of study.

Duration of Study

The duration of study is another significant difference between further education and higher education. Further education programs are typically shorter in duration, ranging from a few months to a couple of years. This allows individuals to acquire specific skills quickly and enter the workforce sooner. On the contrary, higher education programs, such as bachelor's degrees, usually span three to four years of full-time study. Some courses, like medicine or engineering, may require additional years of study or practical training. The longer duration of higher education programs allows for a more in-depth exploration of the chosen subject area.

Curriculum and Focus

The curriculum and focus of further education and higher education programs also differ significantly. Further education programs often have a more practical and vocational approach, aiming to equip individuals with specific skills required for a particular industry or trade. These programs may include hands-on training, work placements, and industry-specific certifications. On the other hand, higher education programs emphasize a broader and more theoretical understanding of a subject. They often include a mix of lectures, seminars, research projects, and assessments designed to develop critical thinking, research skills, and a deeper understanding of the chosen field.

Career Outcomes

Both further education and higher education can lead to promising career outcomes, but the nature of these outcomes may differ. Further education programs are often tailored to meet the demands of specific industries, providing individuals with the necessary skills to enter the workforce directly. These programs can lead to immediate employment opportunities in fields such as healthcare, construction, hospitality, or information technology. On the other hand, higher education programs, particularly bachelor's degrees and beyond, offer a broader range of career options. They provide individuals with a solid foundation in their chosen field, enabling them to pursue various career paths or even continue their education at an advanced level.

Cost and Financial Considerations

Cost and financial considerations are crucial factors to evaluate when deciding between further education and higher education. Further education programs are generally more affordable compared to higher education, as they often have lower tuition fees and shorter durations. Additionally, individuals pursuing further education may have the opportunity to earn while they learn through apprenticeships or part-time work. On the other hand, higher education programs, especially at universities, can be more expensive. Tuition fees for higher education can vary significantly depending on the institution and the course of study. However, higher education graduates may have access to a wider range of financial aid options, such as scholarships, grants, and student loans, to support their studies.

Personal Development and Networking

Both further education and higher education offer valuable opportunities for personal development and networking. Further education programs often provide individuals with practical skills that can enhance their employability and confidence in their chosen field. These programs may also offer networking opportunities with industry professionals, allowing individuals to establish connections and gain insights into their desired career paths. Similarly, higher education programs foster personal growth by encouraging critical thinking, research skills, and independent learning. They often provide a vibrant campus environment where students can engage in extracurricular activities, join clubs and societies, and build a diverse network of peers and mentors.

Choosing between further education and higher education is a significant decision that depends on an individual's goals, interests, and circumstances. Further education programs offer practical skills development, shorter durations, and immediate employment opportunities in specific industries. On the other hand, higher education programs provide a broader and more theoretical understanding of a subject, longer durations, and a wider range of career options. It is essential to carefully consider the entry requirements, duration, curriculum, career outcomes, cost, and personal development opportunities associated with each path. Ultimately, individuals should choose the educational path that aligns with their aspirations and sets them on a fulfilling and successful journey.

Comparisons may contain inaccurate information about people, places, or facts. Please report any issues.

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Mathematics Education Degrees Explained by the Numbers

Degrees in mathematics education provide the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for professionals to teach math at various educational levels. These programs combine in-depth mathematical coursework with training that ensures graduates are well-prepared to foster mathematical understanding in students. 

This article explores how—across education levels—a degree in math education presents future mathematics teachers with the tools to make complex concepts accessible and engaging.

Understanding Mathematics Education Degrees

A mathematics education degree equips students with both advanced mathematical knowledge and the instructional skills to teach these concepts effectively. These degrees are designed to prepare future educators for a range of educational settings, from elementary to high school and beyond.

What Is a Mathematics Education Degree?

Focused on the dual components of advanced mathematics and effective teaching methodologies, mathematics education degree programs typically include coursework in mathematical theories, calculus, algebra, and statistics, as well as education-focused classes like instructional strategies, classroom management, and educational psychology. Students also engage in practical teaching experiences, often through student teaching placements, which provide hands-on training in real classroom settings​.

Different Levels of Mathematics Education Degrees

Mathematics education degrees may be offered at various academic levels, each catering to different career goals and educational needs:

• Associate degree – Usually a two-year program, an associate degree in mathematics education introduces students to foundational mathematical concepts and basic teaching principles. Graduates often pursue math education jobs as teaching assistants or continue their education in a bachelor's program.
• Bachelor’s degree – This four-year program combines in-depth mathematics coursework with education theory and practice. Graduates are prepared for certification and licensure to teach mathematics at the middle and high school levels. Common courses include calculus, linear algebra, educational psychology, and methods for teaching mathematics​.
• Master’s degree – These programs are designed for both current teachers seeking advanced knowledge and those looking to enter the teaching profession. Master's degrees often include specializations in areas such as curriculum development or educational leadership. Programs may offer initial certification for new  mathematics teachers or advanced certification for experienced educators​.
• Doctoral degree – The highest level of education in the field, doctoral programs focus on research, advanced mathematical theories, and educational leadership. Graduates often pursue careers in academia, research, or high-level administrative roles within educational institutions.

The Core Curriculum of a Mathematics Education Degree

A mathematics education degree program is designed to provide a balanced mix of rigorous mathematical coursework and educational theory, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared to teach math. The core curriculum typically includes courses that build a strong foundation in mathematics, along with specialized courses that focus on pedagogical techniques and educational psychology. 

Essential Courses for Future Educators

Mathematics education degree programs generally require students to complete a series of core courses that cover both mathematical content and teaching methodologies. Several such courses may include:

• Calculus and analytical geometry – Students learn fundamental concepts of calculus—including limits, derivatives, integrals, differential equations, and their applications. Analytical geometry topics like conic sections and polar coordinates are also covered​.
• Linear algebra – This course focuses on vector spaces, linear transformations, matrices, and determinants. It explores applications of linear algebra in various fields, too, such as physics and engineering.
• Statistics and probability – Students are introduced to statistical methods, probability theory, and data analysis techniques. Topics include descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and probability distributions​.
• Educational psychology – This course covers theories of learning and development, motivation, classroom management, and assessment strategies. It helps future educators understand the psychological principles that underpin effective teaching and learning​.
• Mathematics learning and teaching – This course emphasizes instructional strategies for teaching mathematics, including lesson planning, curriculum development, and the use of technology in the classroom. It also addresses the challenges of teaching diverse learners​.
• Introduction to mathematical reasoning – Students learn the foundational principles of mathematical proof, logic, and set theory. This course is essential for developing critical thinking skills and a deep understanding of mathematical concepts​.

Specializations Within Mathematics Education

Mathematics education programs often offer specializations that allow students to focus on specific areas of interest within the field. These specializations can enhance a teacher’s expertise and open up additional career opportunities. Common specializations include:

• Elementary mathematics education – Focuses on teaching math at the elementary school level. Courses cover methods for teaching basic arithmetic, geometry, and introductory algebra as well as strategies for engaging young learners​.
• Secondary mathematics education – Prepares students to teach middle and high school mathematics. The curriculum includes advanced topics such as calculus, trigonometry, and discrete mathematics, along with secondary education teaching methods​.
• Mathematics curriculum and instruction – Designed for educators interested in developing and evaluating math curricula. Courses cover curriculum design, instructional materials, and assessment techniques​.
• Mathematics education research – Focuses on conducting research in mathematics education. This specialization is ideal for those interested in academic or research careers. Topics include research methodologies, data analysis, and the study of educational practices and outcomes​.
• Technology in mathematics education – Explores the integration of technology in teaching mathematics. Courses cover the use of educational software, online learning platforms, and other digital tools to enhance math instruction​.

Career Paths and Jobs With a Math Education Degree

A mathematics education degree can pave the way to a variety of math education jobs and career opportunities. And while many graduates pursue traditional teaching roles, there are numerous other paths available for those interested in applying their expertise beyond the classroom, too. 

Teaching Positions in Various Educational Settings

• Elementary school –  Math educators in elementary schools introduce young students to basic mathematical concepts, fostering a firm foundation for future learning. According to the United States  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) , elementary school teachers earn a median annual wage of $63,670 as of May 2023. 
• Middle school –  Mathematical teachers in middle schools build on students' foundational knowledge, introducing more complex topics such as algebra and geometry. They focus on developing critical thinking and analytical skills, preparing students for high school coursework. The  median annual wage for middle school teachers is $64,290. 
• High school – High school mathematics teachers delve into advanced topics, including calculus, trigonometry, and statistics. They prepare students for college-level math and various standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. The  median annual wage for high school teachers is $65,220, and employment in this field is projected to see about 67,100 openings each year due to the need to replace teachers who retire or leave the profession​.
• Higher education –  A mathematics education degree can lead to teaching positions at colleges and universities. These math education jobs typically require advanced degrees and involve teaching undergraduate or graduate students, conducting research, and contributing to academic publications. Postsecondary mathematical science teachers earn a  median annual wage of $81,020. 

Beyond Teaching: Alternative Jobs With a Math Education Degree

Mathematics education graduates have a variety of career options beyond teaching, including roles in curriculum development, educational consulting, and instructional coordination, where they design and implement educational programs and materials. They may also work in educational technology creating tools to enhance math instruction or pursue careers in business, finance, or government—using their analytical skills in data analysis, statistical research, and policy development. A few possible math education job titles for which this degree may be applicable include mathematician, statistician, data scientist, and management analyst.

Advancements and Continuing Education in Mathematics Education

Staying current with advancements and continuing education is crucial for mathematics educators to remain effective and innovative in their teaching practices.

Graduate Degrees and Professional Certifications

Graduate degrees in mathematics education, like a master’s or doctorate, offer educators the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of both mathematical content and educational theory. These advanced degrees often focus on specialized areas such as curriculum development, educational leadership, or mathematics education research. 

For instance, a master’s degree might include courses on advanced mathematical concepts, instructional technology, and educational psychology, while a doctorate could involve research methodologies and the study of educational policies and their impacts on mathematics instruction​.

Professional certifications also play a significant role in advancing an educator’s career. Those such as the National Board Certification for teachers or state-specific advanced teaching credentials demonstrate a commitment to professional growth and mastery of teaching skills. These certifications often require rigorous assessments and provide educators with recognition and opportunities for career advancement​.

Trends and Innovations in Mathematics Teaching Methods

Innovations and  modern teaching strategies are transforming mathematics education: 

• The integration of technology like interactive whiteboards and online platforms enables dynamic and personalized learning experiences. 
• Inquiry-based learning encourages students to explore concepts through problem-solving and critical thinking, fostering deeper understanding. 
• Collaborative learning promotes group activities that enhance understanding and communication skills. 
• Culturally responsive teaching incorporates students' cultural backgrounds into lessons, making math more relevant and improving engagement and learning outcomes.

Real-World Applications of Mathematics Education

Mathematics education extends far beyond the classroom, influencing various aspects of everyday life and professional fields. Not to mention, educators equipped with a foundation in mathematics education can shape future generations by instilling important skills and promoting analytical thinking.

How Mathematics Education Shapes Future Generations

Mathematics education plays a central role in developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills key to academic success and navigating modern life's complexities. By learning to approach problems methodically and think logically, students are better prepared to tackle challenges in various contexts, from personal finance to scientific research. 

A solid foundation in mathematics also opens up numerous career opportunities in STEM fields (like engineering, economics, technology, computer science, and the physical sciences), ensuring that students are well-equipped for high-demand careers that drive technological advancements and economic growth.

Furthermore, mathematics education fosters a deeper understanding of the world. Concepts such as geometry, algebra, and statistics are integral to everyday life, from understanding architectural designs to interpreting data in the news. Educators help students see the relevance of mathematics and cultivate a lifelong appreciation for the subject by making these connections clear. 

In addition to individual benefits, strong mathematical skills even help individuals contribute to informed decision-making in their communities and address societal issues—from voting on policies to managing budgets and understanding scientific reports.

Challenges Facing Mathematics Educators Today

Mathematics educators encounter a variety of challenges in their efforts to deliver engaging instruction. 

Addressing Common Misconceptions in Mathematics Learning

A major challenge in mathematics education is overcoming students' misconceptions that math is inherently difficult and requires natural talent. Educators can counter this by promoting a growth mindset, emphasizing that mathematical skills are developed through practice and persistence. Demonstrating math's relevance in daily life and careers can boost student motivation as well. 

Additionally, educators should focus on conceptual understanding rather than rote memorization, using real-world examples and problem-solving activities to show how mathematical concepts are interconnected and practically applied.

Strategies for Overcoming Classroom Challenges

Classroom challenges in mathematics education include managing diverse learning styles and addressing behavioral issues. The following can help overcome these obstacles: 

• Differentiated instruction tailors teaching methods to individual needs, helping all students succeed. 
• Incorporating technology, like interactive software and virtual manipulatives, makes concepts more tangible and allows for real-time feedback. 
• Effective classroom management with clear expectations and positive reinforcement minimizes disruptions. 
• Engaging students through collaborative activities and hands-on learning reduces behavioral issues. 
• Ongoing professional development and collaboration among educators are essential for sharing best practices and refining teaching strategies.

Level Up Your Mathematics Education Degree at UC

Ready to make a difference in the world of education? Interested in any of the aforementioned jobs with a math education degree? University of the Cumberlands’  Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education offers the optimal blend of rigorous mathematical training and cutting-edge teaching methods, focused on secondary education. Prepare to inspire the next generation of learners and take the first step toward becoming an exceptional math educator: Apply to our mathematics education program today. 

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In 2024, one in two respondents in Poland rated Poland's higher education system as average. On the other hand, every fifth stated the higher education system was bad.

Assessment of the Polish education system at the university level in Poland in 2024

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• Students with an average of 10 at the National Evaluation Exam in Romania 2013-2023
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• PISA results in Romania and in OECD countries 2022, by category
• Number of educational units in Romania 2010-2023
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• Best high schools in Bucharest, Romania 2023
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• Total consumer spending on education in Romania 2014-2029
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• Educational staff in Romania 2017-2024
• Distribution of educational staff in Romania 2022-2023, by level of education
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• Share of school population in Romania 2022-2023, by gender and educational level
• Share of school population in Romania 2022-2023, by region
• Number of students in vocational education in Romania 1998-2024
• Children enrolled in special education units in Romania 2022-2023, by education level
• Number of students enrolled in bachelor's degree programs in Romania 2011-2023
• Number of students enrolled in tertiary education in Romania 2011-2024
• Students in tertiary education institutions in Romania 2023-2024, by field of study
• Outgoing students and staff with Erasmus+ programs from Romania 2017-2022
• Incoming students and staff with Erasmus+ programs in Romania 2017-2022
• Number of Erasmus+ mobility projects in Romania 2022, by program
• Value of Erasmus+ mobility grants in Romania 2022, by program
• Number of Erasmus+ mobility organizations in Romania 2022, by program
• Number of Erasmus+ cooperation projects in Romania 2022, by program
• Value of Erasmus+ cooperation grants in Romania 2022, by program
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• Pre-primary education in Romania 2020-2023, by instruction language
• Primary and lower secondary education in Romania 2020-2023, by instruction language
• Upper secondary education in Romania 2020-2023, by instruction language
• First foreign language studied by pre-university students in Romania 2020-2023
• Second foreign language studied by pre-university students in Romania 2020-2023

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School enrollment

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Statistics: further education and skills

Statistics on participation and learner outcomes in the further education (FE) and skills sector, including apprenticeships, reported from January 2014 to date.

The latest data and additional breakdowns are available on explore education statistics , along with historic data going back up to 6 years.

Breakdowns of older data from earlier releases are available in the FE data library . The table finder tool allows you to find specific datasets in the FE data library.

Latest releases

The most recent statistics covering apprenticeship starts, apprenticeship service registrations, learner participation and achievements in the further education and skills sector.

• 15 August 2024
• Accredited official statistics
• 18 July 2024

Related releases

Related statistical publications

• 28 March 2024
• Official Statistics
• 9 November 2023
• Transparency data
• 8 December 2022
• 30 March 2023
• 31 March 2022
• 25 July 2024
• 28 April 2022
• 4 March 2021
• 24 November 2022
• 24 October 2019
• 10 September 2019
• 27 June 2019

Apprenticeships and traineeships - older data

Earlier statistics covering the number of apprenticeships and traineeships in England.

• 13 June 2024
• 11 April 2024
• 21 March 2024
• 15 February 2024
• 25 January 2024
• 30 November 2023
• 12 October 2023
• 7 September 2023
• 10 August 2023
• 20 July 2023
• 8 June 2023
• 13 April 2023
• 16 February 2023
• 26 January 2023
• 22 December 2022
• 13 October 2022
• 8 September 2022
• 11 August 2022
• 21 July 2022
• 9 June 2022
• 12 May 2022
• 24 February 2022
• 27 January 2022
• 22 December 2021
• 25 November 2021
• 7 October 2021
• 26 August 2021
• 22 July 2021
• 24 June 2021
• 20 May 2021
• 29 April 2021
• 25 March 2021
• 25 February 2021
• 28 January 2021
• 17 December 2020
• 26 November 2020
• 8 October 2020
• 27 August 2020
• 30 July 2020
• 25 June 2020
• 29 May 2020
• 30 April 2020
• 26 March 2020
• 27 February 2020
• 16 March 2020
• 11 July 2019
• 24 January 2019
• 12 July 2018
• 25 January 2018

FE and skills - older data

Earlier statistics covering post-16 learner participation and achievements in further education (FE) and skills training.

• 16 July 2020
• 15 April 2020
• 28 November 2019
• 28 March 2019
• 29 March 2018
• 12 October 2017
• 13 July 2017
• 15 June 2017
• 14 March 2017
• 16 December 2016
• 25 October 2016
• 20 September 2016
• 13 September 2016

Apprenticeships and levy - older data

Earlier releases covering the number of apprenticeship starts and apprenticeship service registrations. These statistics are released monthly.

• 10 October 2019
• 29 August 2019
• 25 July 2019
• 30 May 2019
• 30 April 2019
• 31 January 2019
• 20 December 2018
• 6 December 2018
• 25 October 2018
• 13 September 2018
• 16 August 2018
• 14 June 2018
• 17 May 2018
• 19 April 2018
• 22 February 2018

Public sector apprenticeships in England - older data

• 22 November 2018

Apprenticeship service stats - discontinued dataset

Experimental statistics on the use of the apprenticeship service after changes to the system were introduced in May 2017 . This release was replaced by monthly ‘Apprenticeship and levy statistics’ from January 2018.

• 7 December 2017
• 2 November 2017
• 5 October 2017
• 7 September 2017
• 10 August 2017
• 6 July 2017

Updates to this page

Added ‘Apprenticeships: August 2024’ to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships in England by industry characteristics: 2021 to 2022' to the 'Related releases' section.

Added ‘Apprenticeships: July 2024' and 'Further education and skills: July 2024'.

Added 'Apprenticeships: June 2024' to latest releases. Moved 'Apprenticeships: May 2024' to Apprenticeships and traineeships - older data.

Added ‘Apprenticeships: May 2024’ to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships: April 2024' to latest releases. Moved 'Apprenticeships: March 2024' to Apprenticeships and traineeships - older data.

Added 'Apprenticeships and 19-plus further education skills index: 2022 to 2023' to related releases.

Added 'Further education and skills: March 2024' and 'Apprenticeships: March 2024' to latest releases. Moved ' Further education and skills: January 2024' to FE and skills - older data and 'Apprenticeships: February 2024' to Apprenticeships and traineeships - older data.

Added 'Apprenticeships: February 2024' to 'Latest releases'.

Added 'Apprenticeships: January 2024' and 'Further education and skills: January 2024'

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: November 2023' and 'Further education and skills: July 2023'.

Added 'Skills Bootcamps: starts 2022 to 2023'.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: October 2023' to 'Latest releases'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: September 2023’ to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: August 2023' to 'Latest releases'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: July 2023’ and 'Further education and skills: July 2023' to the collection.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: June 2023’ to the collection.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: May 2023’.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: April 2023’.

Added 'Further education skills index' for 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: March 2023' and 'Further education and skills: March 2023'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: February 2023’ to the 'Latest releases' section and moved 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: January 2023' to the 'Apprenticeships and traineeships - older data’ section.

'Apprenticeship and traineeships: January 2023' and 'Further education and skills: January 2023' added to 'Latest releases' section.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: December 2022’

Added 'Skills Bootcamps: starts 2021 to 2022 '.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: November 2022' and 'Further education and skills: November 2022'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: October 2022’

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: September 2022’.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: August 2022’.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: July 2022' and 'Further education and skills: July 2022'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: June 2022’.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: May 2022’.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: April 2022’ and 'Apprenticeships in England by industry characteristics: 2020 to 2021'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: March 2022' and 'Further education and skills: March 2022'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: February 2022’.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: January 2022' and 'Further education and skills: January 2022'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: December 2021’.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: November 2021' and 'Further education and skills: November 2021'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: October 2021’.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: August 2021’ to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: July 2021' and 'Further education and skills: July 2021'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: June 2021’ to the collection.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: May 2021’ to the collection.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: April 2021’ to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: March 2021' and 'Further education and skills: March 2021'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: February 2021’ to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: January 2021' and 'Further education and skills: January 2021'.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: December 2020'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: November 2020' and 'Further education and skills: November 2020'.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: October 2020'.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: August 2020' to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: July 2020'.

Added 'Further education and skills: July 2020' to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: June 2020' to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: May 2020' to the collection.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: April 2020’ to the collection along with an update on publications in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Added ‘Further education and skills: March 2020’ and ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: March 2020'. Added 'Further Education for Benefit Claimants, England: 2017 to 2018' and removed the 2016 to 2017 release.

Replaced 'Apprenticeships in England by industry characteristics' with the latest version 'Apprenticeships in England by industry characteristics 2018 to 2019'.

Added ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: February 2020'.

Added ‘Further education and skills: January 2020’ and ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: January 2020’ to the collection.

Added Further education and skills: November 2019 to Latest releases. Added Apprenticeship and levy statistics: October 2019 to the Apprenticeships and levy - older data Added Further education and skills: March 2019 to the FE and skills - older data Added Public sector apprenticeships in England: 2017 to 2018 to new section Public sector apprenticeships in England - older data

Updated the page to indicate forthcoming changes to our statistics publication.

Added Apprenticeship and levy statistics: October 2019

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: August 2019' to latest releases.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: July 2019' to latest releases. Moved May 2019 release to older data group.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: July 2019'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: May 2019'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: April 2019'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: March 2019' and 'Further education and skills: March 2019 to latest releases.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: February 2019'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: January 2019'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and traineeships: January 2019' to latest releases.

Added Apprenticeship and levy statistics: December 2018 to latest releases. Moved Apprenticeship and levy statistics: November 2018 to older data.

Added 'Further education and skills: November 2018' and 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: November 2018' to latest releases.

Added 'Public sector apprenticeships in England: 2017 to 2018'.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: October 2018' to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: September 2018' to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: August 2018' to the collection

Added the 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: July 2018' and 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: July 2018' publications.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: June 2018' to the collection.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: May 2018' to the collection and updated the introductory section to explain publication changes.

Added 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: April 2018' along with amended contact details.

Added 'Further education and skills: March 2018' and 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: March 2018' to the collection.

February 2018 release showing the latest monthly apprenticeship service registrations and commitments and monthly apprenticeship starts for 2017 to 2018 academic year.

Added 'Apprenticeships and traineeships: January 2018' and 'Apprenticeship and levy statistics: January 2018' to the collection.

Apprenticeship service registrations and commitments to October 2017

Added 'Further education and skills: November 2017', which includes information about planned changes to this and other further education statistics releases.

Change to include latest statistics from the apprenticeship service which includes registered apprenticeship service accounts and commitments, reported to 30 September 2017.

Added 'Further education and skills: October 2017'.

Added 'Apprenticeship service registrations and commitments: August 2017'.

Added apprenticeship service statistics to 31 July 2017.

Apprenticeship service registrations and commitments to June 2017 added.

Added a request for feedback as part of a development review for the statistical first release.

Added 'Further education and skills: July 2017' and 'Apprenticeship service registrations and commitments to May 2017'.

Update to include the March 2017 SFR

Updated to include January 2017 release on 26 January 2017.

Further education and skills: November 2016 added to collection on 17 November 2016.

New page titled Further education and skills: statistical first release October 2016 added to collection on 6 October 2016.

First published.

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