What are T-levels and what are the grades worth?

Many thousands of students who have just received their GCSE results will be considering T-levels as they move on to the next stage of their education.

These two-year courses are still fairly new and combine study with career experience.

More than 100 universities and other higher education institutions accept them as A-level equivalents but if you have not heard of them, here are a few more details.

What is a T-level?

T-levels, introduced in 2020, are vocational qualifications aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in England, which focus more on practical subjects than academic ones.

Each course lasts two years and is roughly equivalent to three A-levels.

The qualification includes a mixture of both classroom learning and on-the-job experience, with a work placement of at least 315 hours - or about nine weeks - making up roughly 20% of the course.

T-levels are designed to cater for students who want an alternative to A-levels but do not wish to take an apprenticeship, which usually requires as much as 80% of a student's time to be spent with an employer.

Final grades are based on a combination of exams, coursework and completion of the industry placement.

For 2024, the overall pass rate for the 7,262 students who got their grades was 88.7%, a fall from 90.5% in 2023.

However, dropout rates remain high, with 71% of the 10,253 students starting in 2022 finishing their course after the two years.

That compares with retention rates which are consistently above 90% for most A-levels and applied general qualifications.

What are T-level grades worth?

T-level qualifications are equivalent to three A-levels.

Students get one of four grades, ranging from a distinction* to a pass. Their certificate shows their overall grade and lists their experiences on the course.

A distinction* is worth 168 Ucas points - the same as three A*s at A-level - and a merit is equivalent to three Bs at A-level.

For those wanting to go on to higher education, the Department for Education (DfE) says T-levels are accepted as an entry qualification by more than 150 UK universities and colleges.

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What T-level courses are available?

The number of T-level courses has expanded each academic year since 2020, with a total of eight subjects sat by students in 2023.

They include accountancy, digital business, finance, healthcare and manufacturing.

T-levels in legal services, and agriculture, land management and production rolled out in September 2023.

From September 2024, three more courses will begin:

• Animal care and management

• Craft and design - which was originally planned to start in 2023

• Media, broadcast and production - which was also originally planned for 2023

Another, in catering, has been delayed until "after 2024", and a marketing T-level is due to roll out in 2025.

A T-level in hairdressing, barbering and beauty therapy was due to begin in 2023, but was delayed before eventually being scrapped altogether.

As part of the roll-out of T-levels, the previous government had been withdrawing funding for other post-16 courses, like BTecs, which were deemed to "overlap" with the new T-level programmes.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has confirmed the rollout of T-levels will continue but said the defunding of some BTecs would be paused ahead of a review.

In the first three years, T-levels have faced delays, high dropout rates and an exam board being fined £300,000 over "major failings" with the papers.

Why were T-levels introduced?

In 2020 there were more than 12,000 vocational qualifications at all levels, offered by more than 150 awarding bodies, according to Ofqual, which oversees qualifications.

T-levels were brought in by the previous government to streamline post-16 education and make things less confusing for students and employers.

Under those plans, funding was set to be withdrawn for some other vocational qualifications.

However, days before the first changes to funding were due, Ms Phillipson said the new Labour government would pause and review the plans.

But campaigners want the review to be extended to include BTecs and other qualifications due to be scrapped in the coming years.

The Sixth Form Colleges Association said Ms Phillipson's announcement was "deeply disappointing" and that there was still uncertainty around the fate of other courses due to be scrapped further down the line.

Other vocational courses available in the UK include:

• BTecs (available across the UK)

• NVQs (available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

• Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs).