Qualifications – A Quick Guide

Entry level qualifications are:

·       Entry level award

·       Entry level certificate (ELC)

·       Entry level diploma

·       Entry level English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)

·       Entry level essential skills

·       Entry level functional skills

·       Skills for Life 

·       First certificate

·       GCSE – grades 1, 2 and  3 or grades D, E, F and G

·       Level 1 award

·       Level 1 certificate

·       Level 1 diploma

·       Level 1 ESOL

·       Level 1 essential skills

·       Level 1 functional skills

·       Level 1 national vocational qualification (NVQ): Qualifications which train you for
tasks related to specific industries.
·       Music grades 1, 2 and 3 

·       GCSE – grades 4, 5, 6, 7 ,8 and 9 or grades A*, A, B and C

·       Intermediate apprenticeship

·       Level 2 award

·       Level 2 certificate

·       Level 2 diploma

·       Level 2 ESOL

·       Level 2 essential skills

·       Level 2 functional skills

·       Level 2 national certificate

·       Level 2 national diploma

·       Level 2 NVQ

·       Music grades 4 and 5 

·       A level: A qualification  that prepares you for further study

·       Access to higher education diploma

·       Advanced apprenticeship

·       Applied general

·       AS level

·       International Baccalaureate diploma

·       Level 3 award

·       Level 3 certificate

·       Level 3 diploma

·       Level 3 ESOL

·       Level 3 national certificate

·       Level 3 national diploma

·       Level 3 NVQ

·       Music grades 6, 7 and 8

·       T-levels

Level 4 qualifications are:

·       Certificate of higher education (CertHE)

·       Higher apprenticeship

·       Higher national certificate (HNC)

·       Level 4 award

·       Level 4 certificate

·       Level 4 diploma

·       Level 4 NVQ 

·       Diploma of higher education (DipHE)

·       Foundation degree

·       Higher national diploma (HND)

·       Level 5 award

·       Level 5 certificate

·       Level 5 diploma

·       Level 5 NVQ 

·       Degree apprenticeship

·       Degree with honours – for example (BA) hons & (BSc)

·       Graduate certificate

·       Graduate diploma

·       Level 6 award

·       Level 6 certificate

·       Level 6 diploma

·       Level 6 NVQ

·       Ordinary degree without honours 

·       Integrated master’s degree, for example master of engineering (MEng)

·       Level 7 award

·       Level 7 certificate

·       Level 7 diploma

·       Level 7 NVQ

·       Master’s degree, for example master of arts (MA), master of science (MSc)

·       Postgraduate certificate

·       Postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)

·       Postgraduate diploma 

·       Doctorate, for example doctor of philosophy (PhD or DPhil)

·       Level 8 award

·       Level 8 certificate

·       Level 8 diploma