Key Skills Qualification
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The Key Skills Qualification is a frequently required component of 16-19 education in the England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
It is generally available in schools (alongside A-levels or other qualifications), FE colleges (alongside NVQ or other equivalent vocational or academic courses) and other places of learning (sometimes alongside other qualifications and sometimes independently). The qualifications can be taken at levels 1-4
The Department for Education and Skills defines Key Skills as "a range of essential skills that underpin success in education, employment, lifelong learning and personal development". The DfES website states that the Key Skills Qualification is offered as a response to concern from employers about lack of essential skills in young recruits and as part of the response to the 1996 Dearing Report.
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[edit] Subjects
Key Skills Qualifications are offered in six subjects, split in to two groups. The first group is generally seen as the core group and consists of:
- Communication
- Application of Number
- Information Communication Technology
This group is examined using internal and external assessment. Internal assessment means the production of a portfolio of work demonstrating satisfaction of the Key Skills targets. External assessment consists of a test or examination in the subject, often in formal examination conditions.
The second group is described as the 'wider' key skills:
- Working with others
- Improving own learning and performance
- Problem solving
This group is examined only using internal assessment. The wider key skills are rarely compulsory.
The majority of colleges require students to gain the Key Skills Level 2 qualification alongside other qualifications. There also often seems to be a lack of skilled teachers for this subject as well as there often being problems such as portfolios not being submitted, or confusion over criteria to pass.
[edit] Levels
The Qualifications are offered over four levels: level one, two, three and four. Schools generally determine the level of entrance dependent on past achievement. Those who achieved under grade C at GCSE in the corresponding subject (English, Mathematics or Information Technology respectively) are asked to take the corresponding level two Qualification. Those who achieved over grade C at GCSE are recommended to take level three or four.
Those who take the corresponding subjects at AS/A-level (or equivalent) are generally excluded from the external assessment in that subject, as the completion of the corresponding subject certifies the academic achievement required.
Proxy
Students with a GCSE (or equiv.) up to grade D in the subject associated to the keyskill (eg IT, English or Maths) are exempt from taking the test for level 1 and can be entered for a proxy, this means that only the portfolio need be completed. The same applies to level 2 keyskills if the student has a GCSE (or equiv.) grade C or above.
The exception to this is Keyskills ICT where a proxy makes the student exempt from both the test AND the portfolio. It is important to establish the correct level to be aimed for initially, especially when it comes to ICT.
[edit] Scotland
Scotland has a separate Core Skills qualification. [1]
[edit] Wales
In Wales assessment is through the portfolio. Tests have been discontinued. However, the standards are the same as in England.
