Ofqual Fines NCFE £300,000 Over 1,200 Students' 2022 T-Level Exam Failings

1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 20

£300,000 was levied by Ofqual against exam board NCFE over “major failings” in health and science T-level papers taken by 1,200 students in 2022.
T-levels, introduced in 2020 for 16-to-19-year-olds in England, combine exams, coursework and at least 315 hours of industry placement, with top grades worth up to 168 Ucas points.
More than 20 T-level subjects are now available, but some courses have been delayed or dropped; students can no longer start the onsite construction T-level because of low take-up.
77% of students who started a T-level in 2024 completed the two-year course in 2026, up from 73% a year earlier but still below retention rates above 90% for most A-levels and equivalents.
The qualification remains central to England’s plan to simplify post-16 technical education, even as some overlapping vocational courses such as BTecs continue alongside it for now.