Consultation on the general qualifications alternative awarding framework

We must set a framework of conditions and requirements to require awarding organisations to deliver and award qualifications in accordance with the latest policy decisions. We announced these policy decisions following our joint consultation with the Department for Education in respect of the awarding of GCSE, AS and A level qualifications in summer 2021.

This consultation explains the conditions and requirements we propose to set, and incorporates two further draft documents which we intend to publish to support centres (the ‘centre guidance’ and the ‘objectivity guidance’ ). We are seeking views on the proposed framework of conditions and requirements, the proposed ‘centre guidance’ and the proposed ‘objectivity guidance’. We are not seeking views on the underlying policy decisions, which we explained in our analysis and decisions documents.

This consultation is open to anyone who may wish to make representation but may be of most interest to awarding organisations, teachers, schools, colleges and others who deliver qualifications, as well as students and their parents and carers.

We received over 100,000 responses to our policy consultation, conducted jointly with DfE, which expressed a wide range of views on the options and proposals we put forward. We recognise, therefore, that some potential respondents to this consultation will disagree with the policy decisions which the draft conditions and requirements reflect. We would invite respondents to confine responses to this consultation to the proposed framing of the conditions and requirements, as well as the draft centre guidance. We will read all responses to this consultation, but will not include in our analysis any responses which concern only the underpinning policy decisions, which are now settled.