GovWire

Key headlines for quarter 3 2023 (July to September)

1. In quarter 3 2023, 2.2 million certificates were issued for vocational qualifications, a decrease of 2.8% from quarter 3 2022 (2.3 million). The number of certificates issued in the 12-month period from October 2022 to September 2023 (5.0 million) increased by 3.1% from the previous 12-month period from October 2021 to September 2022 (4.9 million) but remains below pre-pandemic levels when compared with the 12-month period to September 2019 (5.8 million).
2. The largest increase in the number of certificates issued for a qualification type was seen for English for Speakers of Other Languages (from 134,565 certificates in quarter 3 2022 to 155,065 certificates in quarter 3 2023, an increase of 15.2%). The largest decrease was seen for Vocationally-Related Qualifications (from 1.1 million certificates in quarter 3 2022 to 953,730 certificates in quarter 3 2023, a decrease of 10.4%).
3. The largest increase in the number of certificates issued for a qualification level was seen for Level 1 qualifications (from 329,690 certificates in quarter 3 2022 to 348,335 certificates in quarter 3 2023, an increase of 5.7%). The largest decreases were seen for Level 1/Level 2 qualifications (from 402,755 certificates in quarter 3 2022 to 357,040 certificates in quarter 3 2023, a decrease of 11.4%) and for Level 3 qualifications (from 681,305 certificates in quarter 3 2022 to 637,520 certificates in quarter 3 2023, a decrease of 6.4%).
4. The largest increase in the number of certificates issued for a subject area was seen for Preparation for Life and Work (from 394,215 certificates in quarter 3 2022 to 414,365 certificates in quarter 3 2023, an increase of 5.1%). The largest decrease was seen for Leisure, Travel and Tourism (from 203,515 certificates in quarter 3 2022 to 168,405 certificates in quarter 3 2023, a decrease of 17.3%).
5. The top 3 qualifications with the highest numbers of certificates issued in quarter 3 2023 were Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Health and Social Care with 38,595 certificates, followed by OCR Level 1/Level 2 Cambridge National Certificate in Creative iMedia with 37,215 certificates and AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Maths with 32,300 certificates.
6. The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest numbers of certificates issued in quarter 3 2023 were Pearson with 500,150 certificates, followed by City & Guilds with 232,245 certificates and OCR with 173,205 certificates.
7. The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest numbers of certificates issued in the 12 month period from October 2022 to September 2023 were Pearson with 721,890 certificates, followed by City & Guilds with 557,525 certificates and NCFE with 347,230 certificates.

Context

For assessments taken in quarter 3 2023 (July to September), specific adaptations put in place to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic were no longer permitted. Certificates issued during this period may use results from adapted assessments taken before September 2022 (see the background notes for more information). The trends seen in this quarter may have been affected as a result.

In 2023, there was an increased emphasis across the vocational and technical qualification system to ensure that students received results in sufficient time to inform decisions about future progression. As a result, in 2023 the number of certificates issued in each quarter may follow a different pattern than in previous years.

Datasets

The dataset used to produce this release is available separately, and can be explored visually via this interactive tool.

Statistics collection

All our published vocational and other qualifications publications are available as part of the collection for vocational qualifications statistics.

User feedback

We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.