Supporting Centres in 2020-2021

This page was archived and will no longer be updated. The guidance provided here is retained for reference only.

For details on the process for the academic year 2021-22 please visit our Supporting Centres in 2021-2022 page.

The Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual have published a joint consultation on the proposals for the assessment and awarding of vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) and other general qualifications in 2021/22.

Consultation on ​arrangements for assessing and awarding VTQs in 2021 to 2022

There is a lot to remember to ensure you have everything covered when claiming results this year. We have done as much as possible to keep the process as close to normal for you and, in many cases, Centres will have used existing flexibilities to register, assess and claim as usual.

The list below sets out the key activities involved and the deadlines or timescales by which they need to be completed in order to claim results under the VCRF.

• Register learners
  Please register any outstanding learners immediately.
• Select Units
  Before you generate an RAC or begin to claim.
• Inform your EQA which learners, cohorts and units you wish to apply a TAG to
  Please inform your EQA as early as you can, and before the closure of the VCRF in August 2021.
• Complete Head of Centre declaration (TAGs only)
  When submitting TAGs. TAGs cannot be processed until this declaration is completed.
• Details of Samples Required
  Your EQA will be in touch regarding the sample required within 48 hours of your TAG claim being submitted. Please ensure the requested samples are returned within 5 days to enable speedy processing of your results. Please speak to your EQA if you need to arrange an alternative timescale.
• Issue of e-certificates
  Within 24 hours of a fully completed claim.
• Submission of results data to Learner Records Service
  Where a learner’s ULN has been provided, results are submitted to the LRS overnight following results being processed.
• Deadline for submitting results under the VCRF
  By 20th August 2021 to allow for processing before the VCRF closes on 31st August 2021.
• Deadline for Appeals
  Centres have four weeks from the receipt of results to submit an appeal. Learners should follow their Centre’s appeals process in the first instance.
• Retention period for evidence
  Sampled learner work should be retained for three years. You should retain the evidence for TAGs in line with your own data retention schedule and ensure this is long enough to allow for any appeals to conclude.

If any of these timescales pose a problem for you, please contact us to discuss your concerns at the earliest opportunity.

In the event of a need to appeal a decision under the VCRF, you may find the following links helpful:

• Appeals should follow our Appeals Policy and Procedure.
• Information for Centres on handling an appeal about a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) is contained in our Centre Guidance for Teacher Assessed Grades.
• Learners who wish to make an appeal should either be supported by their Centre or should have exhausted their Centre’s own appeals process before appealing to Gateway Qualifications.
• Access to HE learners who wish to appeal should refer to the Access to HE Diploma Learner Appeals Policy.

Appeals Form

Any other feedback or complaints can be submitted using this dedicated form.

Ofqual has today published a guide for Centres aimed at helping providers through the awarding process this year.

The guidance covers a range of topics, including; quality assurance, appeals, additional assessment opportunities and cybersecurity.

Guidance for centres: awarding of VTQs: summer 2021

We have added links to the Head of Centre and the Tutor-IQA Declarations below and to the Guidance Documents section.

Head of Centre Declaration for Vocational and Technical Qualifications 2020-21

Tutor-IQA Declaration VCRF – Gateway Qualifications

Ofqual has published a guide for students on how GCSEs, A levels, vocational and technical qualifications will be graded and awarded in summer 2021.

You may wish to make this guide available to your learners to help explain the arrangements in place for awarding grades in summer 2021, and where they can go for additional information.

Ofqual Student guide to awarding: summer 2021

As we approach the end of the academic year 2020-2021, we have made some changes to the process for claiming results to take into account the requirements of the Vocational Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF).

We have launched updated result options to enable a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) to be entered for eligible learners. This update has been made to both methods of claiming results: RACs and Direct Entry of Results (DER).

We recommend working through the following process to ensure grades are entered in a timely manner and learners can progress as planned.

Please refer to the Centre Guidance for Teacher Assessed Grades for full details.

1. Check through the Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) eligibility criteria to ensure your learners meet the requirements.
2. Inform your EQA which learners, cohorts and units you wish to apply a TAG to.
3. Your EQA will request remote samples for review.
4. Following successful completion of sampling, your EQA will inform you that you may proceed to enter your TAG result via your usual method of claim.
5. Using the Claiming Results using Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) guidance you may enter and upload your TAG claims.

Please note that TAG grades will not auto process regardless of whether you hold Direct Claims Status (DCS) for the qualification or not. Please allow 5 working days from upload for verification to take place and for results to be processed.

If you are not using TAGs to claim, you can continue to claim in the usual way and DCS will still apply where appropriate.

We have updated our Centre guidance for adaptations to qualification delivery and assessment 2020-2021 and this webpage to include an update from the Education and Training Foundation on the adaptations permitted for the suite of Education and Training qualifications whereby, assuming lockdown lifts and FE delivery returns to ‘normal’, the covid mitigations will cease to apply.

We have updated the following guidance to remove references to the ERF and Extended ERF and have added information about the VCRF and Teacher Assessed Grades:

• Centre guidance for adaptations to qualification delivery and assessment 2020-2021
• Centre guidance for adaptations to delivery and assessment of ESOL Skills for Life qualifications 2020-21
• Centre guidance for adaptations for Surpass Online Multiple Choice Assessments 2020-21
• Centre guidance for adaptations to of Essential Digital Skills Qualifications 2020-21

We have also published new guidance for Teacher Assessed Grades:

• Centre guidance for Teacher Assessed Grades 2020-21

We have reorganised the information on this page to help make it easier to find the information you need.

Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs)

Please be aware that we cannot accept any TAGs until Ofqual implements the Vocational and Technical Qualification Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF) and we have confirmed our arrangements with centres.

We anticipate receiving the outcome of the Ofqual Technical VCRF consultation on 25th March after which we will be able to finalise our requirements and processes for Awarding 2021.

A further webinar will then be scheduled and new guidance to support our centres will be published mid-April as requirements will be different from last year.

To enable a smooth claiming process, it is essential you have pre-selected the units that will be claimed for each cohort. Please refer to the guidance on our website to assist with this process.

Following Ofqual’s announcement of the proposed Vocational Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF), we have produced a tool to enable you to check which category we expect each of our qualifications to be in, and, therefore, whether qualifications you are delivering are eligible for teacher-assessed grades (TAGs).

Qualification Awarding Arrangements 2021 – Qualification List

Gateway Qualifications is allowing learners to take online multiple-choice assessments remotely from 8th March 2021.

QAA has released an update for Access to HE students and providers on the Assessment and Award of the Access to HE Diploma in 2020-21.

• Information for Access to HE Students
• Information for Access to HE Providers

Ofqual has confirmed that it will implement a new Vocational Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF) for awarding vocational and technical qualifications in 2021. Read more about this announcement in our news update.

Gateway Qualifications is allowing learners to take Essential Digital Skills live assessments remotely from 8th February 2021 during the current national lockdown.

The Department for Education has clarified that assessments which have been scheduled during January 2021 may still take place. If you have scheduled an externally set assessment, for example for Essential Digital Skills or ESOL, you can go ahead and conduct the assessment if you are able to do in a safe way. Alternatively, since all our assessments are available on-demand, you may rebook the assessments free of charge, following our normal processes.

Information Sheet: Provider flexibilities for supporting Access to HE Diploma students in 2020-21

QAA has released an update for Access to HE students and providers on the Assessment and Award of the Access to HE Diploma in 2020-21.

• Information for Access to HE Students
• Information for Access to HE Providers

ESOL – Centre guidance for adaptations 2020-21 – Centre guidance for adaptations to delivery and assessment of ESOL Skills for Life qualifications 2020-21

ESOL adaptations webinar – specifically covers adaptations for ESOL Skills for Life qualifications.

Prison adaptations webinar – focused on adaptations for those delivering our qualifications in the secure environment where some adaptation approaches are not suitable. Prisons delivering our ESOL qualifications are best-suited to watch this webinar but may find the ESOL Adaptations webinar useful too.

Gateway Qualifications is allowing learners to take Essential Digital Skills live assessments remotely from 8th February 2021.

More details and guidance on taking EDSQ assessments remotely

Centre guidance for adaptations to of Essential Digital Skills Qualifications 2020-21

Gateway Qualifications is allowing learners to take online multiple-choice assessments remotely from 8th March 2021.

More details and guidance on taking online multiple-choice assessments remotely

Centre guidance for adaptations for Surpass Online Multiple-Choice Assessments 2020-21

Direct Observation in Health and Care Qualifications – the following documents from Skills for Health and Skills for Care and Development set out the adaptations permitted where direct observation in the workplace is required for assessment. This applies to the following qualifications:

• 603/2826/5 – Gateway Qualifications Level 2 Diploma in Care
• 603/2819/8 – Gateway Qualifications Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care
• 603/2681/5 – Gateway Qualifications Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care

Skills for Health assessment principles – flexibilities Sept 2020

Skills for Care and Development: Adaptions to Assessment Principles Covid-19

Direct Observation in Education and Training Qualifications – the following document from the Education and Training Foundation sets out the adaptations permitted where direct observation in the workplace is required for assessment. This applies to the following qualifications:

• 601/2324/2 – Gateway Qualifications Level 3 Award In Education and Training
• 601/2444/1 – Gateway Qualifications Level 4 Certificate In Education and Training
• 601/2445/3 – Gateway Qualifications Level 5 Diploma In Education and Training

ETF additional guidance for qualifications in Education and Training

Centres seeking to make adaptations to these qualifications must seek agreement from us before applying those adaptations, by completing the form below.

It is expected that with lockdown restrictions lifted and FE delivery returning to ‘normal’, that the covid mitigations will cease to apply. Further details are included in our Centre guidance for adaptations to qualification delivery and assessment 2020-2021.

Observations in Assessor and Quality Assurance Qualifications – the following document from the Education and Training Foundation sets out the adaptations permitted where direct observation is required. This applies to the following qualifications:

• 600/8239/2 – Gateway Qualifications Level 3 Award In Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement
• 600/8240/9 – Gateway Qualifications Level 4 Award In Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice
• 600/8241/0 – Gateway Qualifications Level 4 Award In Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice
• 601/1825/8 – Gateway Qualifications Level 3 Award In Assessing Competence in the Work Environment
• 601/1845/3 – Gateway Qualifications Level 3 Certificate In Assessing Vocational Achievement
• 601/2007/1 – Gateway Qualifications Level 3 Award In Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment
• 601/2045/9 – Gateway Qualifications Level 4 Award In the External Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice
• 601/2123/3 – Gateway Qualifications Level 4 Award In Understanding the External Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice

ETF additional guidance for Assessor/Quality Assurance qualifications

Centres seeking to make adaptations to these qualifications must seek agreement from us before applying those adaptations, by completing the form below.

It is expected that with lockdown restrictions lifted and FE delivery returning to ‘normal’, that the covid mitigations will cease to apply. Further details are included in our Centre guidance for adaptations to qualification delivery and assessment 2020-2021.

Qualifications from Entry to Level 6 fall into scope of the Vocational Technical Contingency Qualification Framework (VCRF). Please note not all qualifications are eligible for a Teacher Assessed Grade.

TAGs are not permitted for all qualifications. TAGs should be a last resort where learners have not been able to complete assessments in the usual way. Please note that a TAG is not the same as a centre assessed grade, and there must be evidence to support the claim.

The Extended ERF has been withdrawn and replaced by the VCRF.

More information available here: Ofqual confirms Vocational Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF)

No, centre assessed grades are not permitted this year. Teacher assessed grades, which are different, are permitted for some qualifications, please check the Summer 2021 Qualification Explainer Tool to see if a qualification is eligible.

The expectation is teaching and learning off all units should take place. Where learners are enrolled on a large qualification e.g. Diploma size, a degree of adaptations are permitted, please refer to the Centre guidance for adaptations to qualification delivery and assessment 2020/2021

Please refer to the Centre guidance for adaptations to qualification delivery and assessment 2020-2021 – Gateway Qualifications for further information.

This online webform should also be completed where adaptations are required.

Projects may be delivered in whichever way is appropriate to the project objectives.  However, we would advise that learners complete assessments throughout their programme and bank units as soon as they have been assessed and QA’d.

Please refer to the published adaptations guidance: Centre guidance for adaptations to Essential Digital Skills Qualifications 2020-21

No, centres are able to use their own forms to conduct adapted assessments or centres may use proformas available on our website.

For ESOL Skills for Life qualifications, centres should use the ESOL Skills for Life Observation Record that’s available within individual assessment packs.

Yes, audio recordings would be accepted as valid evidence.

Writing assessments Entry 1 – Level 1 can be remotely supervised, for further details please refer to the Centre guidance for adaptations to delivery and assessment of ESOL Skills for Life Qualifications 2020/2021.

Speaking and listening assessments can be conducted online.

Reading cannot be remotely supervised

Writing assessments Entry 1 – Level 1 can be remotely supervised, for further details please refer to the Centre guidance for adaptations to delivery and assessment of ESOL Skills for Life Qualifications 2020/2021.

Speaking and listening assessments can be conducted online.

Reading assessment cannot be taken online.

Please refer to the published adaptations guidance: Centre guidance for adaptations for Surpass Online Multiple Choice Assessments 2020-21

Electronic signatures are acceptable from learners as evidence of the authenticity of their work. This should be supported with a confirmation of learning statement completed by the tutor.

Please refer to the Centre guidance for adaptations to qualification delivery and assessment 2020-2021 – Gateway Qualifications for further information.

DCS does not apply to Teacher Assessed Grades.

We cannot accept any TAGs until Ofqual has confirmed the VCRF and we have confirmed our arrangements with centres.

Yes, we recommend that wherever possible the learner work is saved electronically.  This will facilitate sharing of work with EQAs.

Yes, as soon as the work has been assessed and quality assured.

Yes, our EQAs would be happy to attend online sessions.