Vocational Qualification Bulletin
June 2026 |
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Welcome to your June edition |
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With the summer assessment series over for BTECs and T Levels, I want to thank you for everything you do to support your learners.
We know how busy these last few weeks will have been, and your hard work is key to helping learners achieve their results.
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For those of you running programmes with results in the summer, your next big milestone is submitting your claims and cash-ins by 5 July. This is vital to make sure learners get their results on time in August, and we’re here to support you.
Come to a webinar, use our online resources and if you need any help, reach out to us via the Pearson support portal.
Best wishes,
Hayley White
Vice President Assessment, Standards and Services
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This month's news and updates |
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Date |
Activity |
| 5 July |
BTEC claiming deadline for students expecting a summer 2026 result.
- make full award claims and Tech Award cash-ins
- submit all internally assessed grades
- complete all outstanding actions
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| 5 August |
BTEC Level 3 Nationals results released to centres under embargo |
| 13 August |
BTEC Level 3 Nationals results released to students |
| 14 August |
BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts, Level 2 Technicals and BTEC Tech Award results released to centres under embargo |
| 20 August |
BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts, Level 2 Technicals and BTEC Tech Award results released to students |
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To make sure your students receive their results on time this August, you'll need to complete all of the following by 5 July:
- Submit all internally assessed grades
- Complete your full award claims and Tech Award cash-ins
- Resolve any outstanding actions for summer-tagged students in the VQ Learner Tracker
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If a student is no longer completing this year, remove their summer tag so we don’t contact you unnecessarily. You should also check if they need an interim claim or should be withdrawn.
Use the VQ Learner Tracker to check what’s missing and what you still need to do before the deadline so nothing holds up your learners’ results.
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Need help? Join our next online webinar to learn how to identify actions in the VQ Learner Tracker, fix issues early and stay on track for results day. You’ll also have the chance to ask questions.
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If you’re confident you’ll meet the 5 July deadline, let us know with a pledge. This tells us you’ve got everything in hand and won’t need as much support.
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If you spot an error after submitting a student’s BTEC National, First or L2 Technical full award claim, use our new online claim amendment form to send us the amendment.
You can also use the form if you haven’t submitted a full award claim but need to change a grade to a higher one.
You’ll find the new form on the BTEC & Functional Skills landing screen in Edexcel Online. |
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Students receiving some vocational qualifications this summer can also receive a digital credential; a verified, shareable online record of their achievement.
To make sure eligible students receive their digital credential, you need to add student email addresses in Edexcel Online before results day. |
What you need to do now
Add a centre email address for each student in Edexcel Online, and you can do this in bulk. If you don’t add an email address in time, we won’t be able to issue the digital credential.
If you’ve missed our earlier update, read the full email for details, including eligibility, FAQs and step‑by‑step guidance for you and your students.
Read our email about digital credentials if you missed it |
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BTEC qualifications extended in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
From 2027, the government will introduce new Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in England, including Foundation Certificates, Occupational Certificates, V Levels and additional T Levels. These will be phased in by subject, with current vocational qualifications withdrawn by 2030.
We’ve extended all current BTEC qualifications in England line with the reform timeline. This means you can continue to deliver them until reformed qualifications are introduced in each subject area.
We’ve also extended many BTEC qualifications in Wales and Northern Ireland, offering more flexibility as you plan your offer.
Use the funding guide for your country to see the latest qualification availability and funding positions:
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Get involved with the development of new qualifications
If you’d like to be involved in the development of our future qualifications through this reform period, let us know. We rely on your expertise and experience to make sure our qualifications suit the needs of you and your learners. |
Proposals are already in place for the first wave of reformed Level 2 and qualifications in Education, Digital and Accounting & Finance. Complete this short survey to share your views on qualification structure, the balance of internal and external assessment and the best methods of assessment.
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Have your say: Ofqual consultation on regulating post‑16 vocational and technical qualifications
Ofqual have also launched a consultation on regulating post-16 vocational and technical qualifications at levels 2 and 3.
Deadline: 2 July 2026
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Catch up on all the news
Read June's T Level update for all the latest news, key dates and sector updates. |
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Join us at an event near you this summer
Our quality nominee network events continue across the UK throughout June and July, giving you a chance to:
- hear how other centres are handling common issues
- ask questions ahead of claims and results
- stay confident about standards verification and quality processes.
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Meet your VQAM
Book a short Teams call with your vocational quality assurance manager if you have a quick question or want one-to-one support.
Choose a 15‑minute slot at a time that suits you to talk through issues, sense‑check your approach or get reassurance on next steps. |
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Updated English language requirements
To support student success on BTEC Higher National programmes, students need to demonstrate the required level of English (and/or Welsh or Irish, depending on where you deliver).
Programmes delivered in England must be assessed in English. Students must be able to demonstrate English at CEFR B2 or above.
Accepted evidence includes:
- IELTS (Academic or General Training): overall score 5.5 or above
- Pearson PTE Academic: overall score 51 or above
- TOEFL iBT: overall score 72 or above
- Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First (FCE) – Pass (Cambridge English Scale 160+)
- another externally assessed English language qualification benchmarked to CEFR B2
Programmes delivered in Wales must be assessed in Welsh and/or English. Students must be able to demonstrate English and/or Welsh to the required standard.
Programmes delivered in Northern Ireland must be assessed in English and/or Irish. Students must be able to demonstrate English and/or Irish to the required standard.
Where Welsh or Irish is accepted, evidence should be to an equivalent standard to CEFR B2, for example:
- WJEC Uwch (Welsh for Adults)
- CIOL Language Level Assessment
- TEG (Maynooth)
If you deliver a programme wholly or partly in another language but assess in English, students must still be able to demonstrate English at an equivalent standard by the end of the programme. |
Closing the gap at Level 4 and 5: New insights and resources
How can we strengthen progression beyond Level 3 and expand Level 4 and 5 pathways?
Our Missing Middle webinar, now available on demand, explores this in more detail alongside new research from the Lifelong Education Institute, supported by Pearson.
The research highlights a gap in Level 4 and 5 participation, with demand from learners not always matching employer needs.
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Supporting students through Clearing with Higher Nationals
As students consider their next steps this Clearing, BTEC Higher Nationals (Levels 4 and 5) offer a practical higher education pathway equivalent to the first two years of a degree.
Designed with employers and focused on real-world skills, they provide a flexible route into work or further study. Explore available courses and share our student guide to help learners make informed, confident progression choices.
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Level 1 and 2 English: Speaking, Listening and Communication (SLC) OSCA accreditation
If you haven’t completed your OSCA training yet, there are still two windows left this academic year – June and July.
All lead internal verifiers need to complete OSCA accreditation each year, even if your assessors haven’t changed. Without it, your students won’t be able to receive their Level 1 and 2 Functional Skills English certificates.
Once you complete OSCA training, your accreditation will be granted at the start of the following month. |
Entry Level Functional Skills
Key deadlines
- 31 July: complete all sampling activities
- 31 August: submit your certification claims for the 2025–26 academic year
If you submit claims after 31 August, certificates won’t be released automatically and you’ll need to request them manually.
Check for limited release
If you’ve already had your standards verifier visit this year, check your report for ‘limited release’.
This may mean you need to provide more samples before 31 July. Where limited release applies, you’ll only be able to claim certificates for the learners listed in your report.
Handling test papers
You must not keep unused live test papers. Make sure you destroy any unused papers securely. |
Functional Skills End of Year review
The Functional Skills End of Year Review is now live. Share your feedback on resources, support and your overall experience to help shape improvements for next year. |
Festival of Functionality returns this autumn
The Festival of Functionality returns in September and October, with 26 hours of free CPD across Functional Skills English, Maths and Digital, ESOL, EDSQ and SEND and SEMH support.
Join sessions designed to support your delivery and build your confidence across key topics. |
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Quality assurance dates for your diary
- Standards verification activity: November 2025 – July 2026 (although timings may vary by programme)
- Lead standards verifier reviews (if applicable): dates set with each centre
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Summer results
To avoid delays to your learners’ certification, check that the estimated completion dates in Edexcel Online are correct for learners expecting results this summer. If you run into any issues updating these, contact us so we can look into it and help resolve any problems quickly. |
Standards verification
To avoid delays to your learners’ certification, complete any remaining standards verifier and lead standards verifier (where applicable) activity before the end of the academic year.
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Skills for Life and Work qualifications approved for 14–16 delivery in Wales from September 2027
Skills for Life and Work qualifications are now approved for delivery to learners aged 14–16 in Wales from September 2027.
This gives you a new option to support students with qualifications that build confidence, independence and transferable skills.
To help you plan ahead, join our Getting ready to teach Pearson Skills for Life and Work event on 25 November. You’ll get an introduction to the qualification, key delivery information and the chance to ask questions.
This event will introduce the new qualification, highlight key information for delivery, and give you the opportunity to ask questions. |
Getting ready to teach Pearson Skills for Life and Work |
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Increased demand for apprenticeship assessments
To give you the best chance of securing an assessor, share your preferred dates for face-to-face assessments as early as possible, ideally at least four weeks in advance.
Demand increases at this time of year, so availability may be limited and we can’t always guarantee your requested dates.
If your booking is declined in ACE360 (including any alternative dates), contact the apprentice to agree new dates. Once confirmed, upload these to ACE360 so we can review and progress your request. |
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We have a range of recruitment opportunities available to our existing associates across all vocational qualifications, including BTEC, Functional Skills, End-Point Assessments and T Levels.
Whether you’re looking to expand your experience, take on new responsibilities or get involved in different areas of assessment, there are a variety of roles to suit your skills and interests.
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