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Vocational Certificate of Education, usually shortened to VCE or Vocational A-Level or AVCE, was a vocational qualification that used to be available in further education colleges and sixth forms in the United Kingdom.
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Vocational Certificate of Education, usually shortened to VCE or Vocational A-Level or AVCE, was a vocational qualification that used to be available in further education colleges and sixth forms in the United Kingdom.
VCEs were available in many subjects including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Management, Leisure and Recreation, Travel and Tourism and Business. Some students preferred the vocational system due to its practical 'hands-on' nature.
The qualification was created in September 2000 to replace the Advanced GNVQ, with the main change being that the marking system was altered from the three level Distinction, Merit and Pass system to A–E grading, bringing the AVCE into line with A-Levels. The AVCE was intended to lead on to higher education or employment and was made up of modules, each covering different aspects of the subject. Some of these modules overlapped and some institutions chose to merge their content. Students had to complete a set number of modules in order to qualify for an AVCE:
Assessment was by a mixture of continuous assessment, based on a portfolio of evidence, and externally set and marked examinations.
The regulatory body, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), along with Welsh equivalent ACCAC, decided in June 2004 to withdraw the Advanced VCE, with the final candidates starting in September 2004. They created and piloted an "Applied GCE (AGCE)" qualification to replace the AVCE. Edexcel withdrew AVCE ICT in June 2006 but students were able to re-submit coursework until November 2006 and could re-sit exams until January 2007. The GNVQ is still currently available in two forms – Foundation and Intermediate levels – which both work up to the Advanced level. This was withdrawn in 2007. The decision to withdraw the qualification proved unpopular.
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of particular subjects, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private schools in Scotland may choose to use GCSEs from England.
The General Certificate of Education (GCE) is a subject-specific family of academic qualifications used in awarding bodies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Crown dependencies and a few Commonwealth countries. For some time, the Scottish education system has been different from those in the other countries of the United Kingdom.
The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete senior high school level studies in New South Wales and some ACT schools in Australia, as well as some international schools in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. It was first introduced in 1967, with the last major revision coming into effect in 2019. It is currently developed and managed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).
The Victorian Certificate of Education is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria as well as in some international schools in China, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The VCE is the predominant choice for students wishing to pursue tertiary education. An alternative to VCE is the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), a vocational based senior secondary school qualification. About 67% of all 19-year-olds in Victoria had completed the VCE in 2020, compared to about 11% of students completing the VCAL. A small number of government secondary schools, and a somewhat larger number of private schools, offer the IB Diploma Programme as an alternative.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority is the executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for accrediting educational awards. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, and employs approximately 750 staff based in Glasgow and Dalkeith.
In the Scottish secondary education system, the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate (SQC) offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE). Both are normally referred to simply as "Highers".
A General National Vocational Qualification, or GNVQ, was a certificate of vocational education in the United Kingdom. The last GNVQs were awarded in 2007.
Further Mathematics is the title given to a number of advanced secondary mathematics courses. The term "Higher and Further Mathematics", and the term "Advanced Level Mathematics", may also refer to any of several advanced mathematics courses at many institutions.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Diploma in Digital Applications (DiDA) is an optional information and communication technology (ICT) course, usually studied by Key Stage 4 or equivalent school students. DiDA was introduced in 2005 as a creation of the Edexcel examination board. DiDA is notable in that it consists entirely of coursework, completed on-computer; all work relating to the DiDA course is created, stored, assessed and moderated digitally. It was introduced as a replacement to plug the gap in ICT education as GNVQs were withdrawn.
OCR Nationals are vocationally related qualifications which were officially launched by the OCR Board in September 2004. The qualifications are designed to meet the needs of those seeking vocational education in place of the traditional, theory-intensive, academic route. Although the target audience are teenagers (14-19), the qualifications are also suitable for adult learners, much like the GNVQ. The OCR Nationals are being phased out, and replaced by the Cambridge Nationals.
The UCAS Tariff is used to allocate points to post-16 qualifications. Universities and colleges may use it when making offers to applicants. A points total is achieved by converting qualifications, such as A-Levels, into points, making it simpler for course providers to compare applicants. It is used as a means of giving students from the United Kingdom places at UK universities.
The BTECLevel 3 diploma is a Further Education qualification and vocational qualification taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The qualification is organised and awarded by Pearson within the BTEC brand and it is equivalent to A-Levels. It is equivalent to the GCE A Levels, more specifically to three A2 awards and the AVCE.
The A-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1951 to replace the Higher School Certificate. The A-level permits students to have potential access to university if their grade is of satisfactory quality.
In the UK education sector, there are a wide range of qualification types offered by the United Kingdom awarding bodies. Qualifications range in size and type, can be academic, vocational or skills-related, and are grouped together into different levels of difficulty. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, qualifications are divided into Higher Education qualifications, which are on the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and are awarded by bodies with degree awarding powers, and Regulated qualifications, which are on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and are accredited by Ofqual in England, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment in Northern Ireland and Qualifications Wales in Wales. In Scotland, qualifications are divided into Higher Education qualifications, Scottish Qualifications Authority qualifications and Scottish Vocational Qualifications/Modern Apprenticeships, which are on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Scottish Higher Education Qualifications are on both the SCQF and the FHEQ.
Examination boards in the United Kingdom are the examination boards responsible for setting and awarding secondary education level qualifications, such as GCSEs, Standard Grades, A Levels, Highers and vocational qualifications, to students in the United Kingdom.
The General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level, or A Level, is a main school leaving qualification in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is available as an alternative qualification in other countries.
The National Training System is the Australian system for vocational education and training (VET) under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF), in which employers, the States of Australia, and the Commonwealth Government, formalise a curriculum available for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to teach and assess the competency of students.
Alternative pathways in education are alternative means of obtaining educational qualifications, other than the traditional means of gaining access to or completing the required study to obtain the educational qualifications.
In the United Kingdom, the Technical Level, or more commonly the Tech Level, is a school leaving qualification offered by educational bodies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. Tech-Levels are the vocational equivalent of the A-levels and is generally required for university entrance. Tech-Levels are generally worked towards over two years and split into a number of parts, with one part studied in each year. The first part is known as the Certificate Level. The second part is known as the Diploma Level and is more in-depth and rigorous than the Certificate Level. The Certificate Level is a qualification in its own right, and the Certificate Units combined with the Diploma units forms the complete Technical Level qualification. T Levels will offer students a mixture of classroom learning and 'on-the-job' experience during an industry placement of at least 315 hours.