Ofqual has published its decisions following the consultation on the Vocational Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF), which has come into effect from Wednesday 24th March 2021.

With the implementation of the VCRF, Ofqual has also published a notice closing down the ERF and Extended ERF and these frameworks are no longer in force, except in limited specific circumstances, predominantly to facilitate deferred results and appeals.

You can read more about the VCRF consultation responses and Ofqual’s decision in the news story on the Ofqual website.

This information and our approach will be explained further in a webinar on Thursday 15th April 2021.

Watch VCRF Awarding 2021 support webinar

Qualification Explainer Tool

Ofqual has also launched an interactive Qualification Explainer Tool.

This tool will allow users to search for a specific regulated qualification to find out how results will be generated for the majority of learners. Users can enter the awarding organisation name, qualification level and qualification title. The tool contains details for all Awarding Organisations’ qualifications regulated by Ofqual, Qualifications Wales and CCEA Regulation (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively).

Gateway Qualifications has published a list of all of our qualifications showing which categories they are in.

Ofqual Qualification Explainer Tool

Qualification Awarding Arrangements 2021 – Qualification List

What should you do now?

Now that the VCRF has been confirmed and implemented, we are aiming to confirm our approach and finalise our requirements and processes before Easter and will share additional support and guidance with Centres. In the meantime, Centres should

  • continue teaching, learning and assessment as much as possible using the existing flexibilities of our qualifications and the adaptations that have already been made
  • check Ofqual’s Qualification Explainer Tool and our qualification list to confirm which categories the qualifications you are delivering are in
  • Register learners as early as possible to ensure they are recorded on our systems.
  • Select units as soon as you know what you will be delivering. To enable a smooth claiming process, it is essential you have pre-selected the units that will be claimed for each cohort. Please follow our usual guidance when doing this: Registering Learners – Selecting Units at Registration and Registering Learners – Selecting Units at a Later Date.
  • Claim regularly for completed qualifications or partial achievement of larger qualifications. There is no limit to the number of times you can claim, and you will not be charged any more for doing so.

Teacher Assessed Grades

For the majority of our qualifications, assessments will continue and learners will sit them when they are ready to do so.

If learners are ready but unable to sit an exam or assessment, either in person or remotely, then in some cases they may be able to receive a result based on a Teacher Assessed Grade. Not all of our qualifications are eligible for TAGs and it is essential that you check on the Qualification Explainer Tool to determine if this is an appropriate course of action.

Where assessments continue, they may take place as normal or there may be some changes to the assessments. For example, where it is possible to do so, some assessments may take place remotely instead of in the school, college or training provider.

We do not anticipate that Teacher Assessed Grades will be necessary in the majority of cases, due to the nature of the types of assessments used in our qualifications and the adaptations we have already implemented.

We will provide further guidance on the circumstances in which learners will be eligible to receive a result through a Teacher Assessed Grade instead of sitting an exam or assessment, but it is important to note that the process is different to the one used in 2020 for Centre Assessed Grades.

Results for learners where they are eligible for TAGs will be based on one or more of the following sources of information:

  • a Teacher Assessed Grade for the overall qualification
  • a Teacher Assessed Grade to replace any exam or assessment that has not been completed
  • any exams or assessments that have been completed

We will also provide information to schools, colleges and training providers about:

  • how teachers should determine Teacher Assessed Grades
  • the arrangements they need to put in place to check Teacher Assessed Grades before they are submitted to the awarding organisation
  • how awarding organisations will check the Teacher Assessed Grades submitted to them
  • how learners may appeal their results

More information about our approach will be provided in our upcoming webinar on Thursday 15th April 2021.

Sign up for VCRF Awarding 2021 support webinar