Key Skills Qualification

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The Key Skills Qualification is a frequently required component of 16-19 education in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

It is generally available in schools (alongside A-levels or other qualifications), FE colleges (alongside NVQ, as part of Modern Apprenticeship traning 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.

1 Subjects
2 Levels
3 England
4 Wales
5 Scotland
6 External links

[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 may be examined using internal and external assessment. Internal assessment means the production of a portfolio of work demonstrating satisfaction of the Key Skills targets. The Internal Assessment (Portfolio) must be Internally Verified and Externally Moderated. External assessment consists of a test or examination in the subject, often in formal examination conditions. Assessment arrangements vary between England, Wales and Northern Ireland (see below)

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 (portfolio).

[edit] Levels

The Qualifications are offered over four levels: level one, two, three and four.

[edit] England

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 Key Skill (i.e. 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 Key Skills if the student has a GCSE (or equiv.) grade C or above.

The exception to this is Key Skills 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] Wales

In Wales Key Skills can be achieved through the medium of Welsh or English. The Key Skills are embedded within Welsh educational initiatives including the 14-19 Learning Pathways, Welsh Baccalaureate and the Skills Employement Action Plan.

Key Skills are included within the Learning Core of the 14-19 Learning Pathways in Wales. The Learning Core states that all 14-16 year olds in Wales are expected to develop all 6 Key Skills (or follow appropriate entry/pre-entry level programmes for learners working below level 1 in the National Qualifications Framework) at the level appropriate to the learner. Post aged 16, students should accredit communication plus a minimum of 2 other Key Skills (or appropriate entry/pre-entry programmes).

Key Skills are one of the four Core components of the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification. The other three components (Wales, Europe and the World, Personal and Social Education and Work-related Education) also offer opportunities to develop and integrate Key Skills in relevant and purposeful contexts. Students are expected to study all 6 Key Skills while achievement varies depending on the level of the Welsh Bac.

Advanced Level: Three key skills at level 3, one of which must be from the first three key skills together with the other three key skills at level 2
Intermediate Level: Four key skills, two at level 2 and two at level 1, including the first three i.e. Communication, Application of Number and ICT. There must be evidence of having pursued all six key skills.
Foundation Level: Four key skills at level 1 (including one of the main key skills) with evidence of working towards all six. Post-16 learners may follow Adult Basic Skills in numeracy and literary, if required instead of the key skills of Application of Number and Communication.

Assessment of Key Skills in Wales is through the portfolio. Tests have been discontinued. However, the standards are the same as in England. Proxies (except for ICT) do not apply in Wales