Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the guidance by his Department entitled Qualifications that overlap with T Levels, published on 11 May 2022, what the evidential basis is for his Department's assessment that 160 qualifications overlap with T-levels in waves one and two.

There are over 2,000 qualifications available at level 3, and as part of first overlap process T Levels we asked independent assessors to look at over 700 of these as they are in similar subject areas to wave 1 and 2 T Levels.

Assessors were asked to assess qualifications against three tests:

• is it a technical qualification, in that it primarily aims to support entry to employment in a specific occupational area(s)?
• are the outcomes that must be attained by a person taking the qualification similar to those set out in a standard covered by a T Level?
• does the qualification aim to support entry to the same occupation(s) as a T Level?

Only qualifications which met all three tests in relation to a wave 1 and 2 T Level were included on the provisional list. Assessors considered evidence such as qualification specifications to determine whether these tests were met.

To ensure the rigour of this process recommendations were moderated internally and we published a provisional list of 160 qualification on 11 May. We have put in place an appeals process if awarding organisations do not feel we have applied the criteria correctly, and awarding organisations have until 8 July 2022 to submit appeals.

The assessors commenced work in summer 2021 and their involvement in the wave 1 and 2 overlap process will conclude once the appeals process has been completed in September 2022.