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Context

For assessments taken in quarter 1 2023 (January to March), specific adaptations put in place to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic were no longer permitted. Qualifications awarded during this period may use results from adapted assessments taken before September 2022 (see the backgroundnotes for more information).The trends seen in this quarter may have beenaffected as a result.

Key Headlines for quarter 1 2023 (January to March)

1. The number of certificates awarded in quarter 1 2023 was just above 900,000, an increase of about 8% fromquarter 1 2022. The number of certificates issued between April 2022to March 2023 (4,970,545) increased by 3% relative to the numberof certificates issued between April 2021 to March 2022 (4,845,500).Despite this increase, the numberof certificates issued in quarter 1 2023 (908,610) is still belowpre-pandemic levels, with 154,220 fewer certificates issued thanin quarter 1 2019 (1,062,830).

2. Several qualification types saw anincrease in numbers of certificates issued compared to quarter1 2022. The largest absolute increase in the number of qualifications awarded by type in quarter 12023 was seen for Vocationally-RelatedQualifications (from 300,875 certificates in quarter 1 2022 to321,850 certificates in quarter 1 2023, an increase of 7%). Essential Digital Skills showed the largestdecrease in qualifications awarded by type inquarter 1 2023 (from 2,945 certificates in quarter 1 2022 to 2,635certificates in quarter 1 2023, a decrease of 10%).

3. Most qualification levelssaw an increase in the numbers of certificates issued compared toquarter 1 2022. The largest decrease incertificates awarded by qualification level in quarter 1 2023was seen in Level 4 qualifications (from 15,745 certificates inquarter 1 2022 to 15,010 certificates in quarter 1 2023, a decreaseof 5%). The largest increase in certificates awarded byqualification level in quarter 1 2023 was seen for Level 2qualifications (from 282,685 certificates in quarter 1 2022 to307,175 certificates in quarter 1 2023, an increase of 9%).

4. Quarter 1 2023 saw increases in the number of certificates awardedfor most sector subject areas. Construction, Planning and theBuilt Environment saw the largest decrease innumber of certificates compared to quarter 1 2022 (from 58,845certificates in quarter 1 2022 to 57,735 certificates in quarter 12023, a decrease of 2%). The largestincrease in the number of certificates was seen in Health, PublicServices and Care (from 279,815 certificates in quarter 1 2022 to306,240 certificates in quarter 1 2023, an increase of 9%).

5. The qualification with the highest number of certificates awarded inquarter 1 2023 was the Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aidat Work (RQF) with 35,390 qualifications, followed by the FAA Level3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work with 28,185 qualifications. Inquarter 1 2023, TCL Entry Level Certificate in ESOL InternationalSpeaking and Listening (Entry 3) (GESE Grade 5) (B1.1) had the thirdhighest number of certificates, with 23,715 qualifications. The top 3 qualifications were in the same ranking order in quarter 1 2022.

6. The awarding organisation with the highest number of certificatesissued in quarter 1 2023 was City & Guilds, followed by Highfieldand Qualsafe. City & Guilds saw an 8% increase in the number ofcertificates compared to quarter 1 2022 (from 97,600 certificates inquarter 1 2022 to 104,960 certificates in quarter 1 2023). Highfieldsaw a 14% increase in the number of certificates compared to quarter1 2022 (from 75,955 certificates in quarter 1 2022 to 86,700certificates in quarter 1 2023), and Qualsafe saw a 7% increase inthe number of certificates compared to quarter 1 2022 (from 62,290certificates in quarter 1 2022 to 66,570 certificates in quarter 12023).

7. The awarding organisation with the highest number of certificatesissued between April 2022 to March 2023 was Pearson, followed byCity & Guilds, then NCFE. These 3 awarding organisations had alsoissued the highest number of certificates in April 2021 to March2022 in the same order.

Datasets

The dataset used to produce thisreleaseis available separately, and can be explored visually via

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