Rules for Qualifications and Assessments in England

Guidance

Understand our rules

Find out about Ofqual's rules for the qualifications and assessments we regulate.

From: Ofqual Published 19 November 2014 Last updated 14 April 2026
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Applies to England

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Introduction

Ofqual is England’s statutory regulator for:

• qualifications
• early years foundation stage profile and national curriculum assessments (which together we refer to as ‘national assessments’). We have set a range of rules for regulated qualifications, as well as guidance which supports those rules. We have also set out separate rules for national assessments.

This page will help you understand which of our rules and guidance apply to you, and to the qualifications and assessments you offer.

The Ofqual Handbook - rules and guidance for qualifications

For the qualifications we regulate, we have set a range of both general and qualification-specific rules and guidance, which collectively we refer to as the Ofqual Handbook.

General rules and guidance

These apply to all the qualifications and organisations we regulate. All regulated awarding organisations have to follow them.

• General Conditions of Recognition (and associated requirements and guidance)
• Criteria for determining whether a qualification is relevant for the purposes of the Education and Skills Act 2008 We’ve also published information that explains how our General Conditions of Recognition differ from the equivalent rules in Northern Ireland and Wales.

Additional rules and guidance for specific qualifications

These apply to specific kinds of qualifications. Only the awarding organisations that offer (or want to offer) these qualifications have to follow them.

• Qualification Level Conditions for Progression Qualifications
• VTQ Contingency Regulatory Framework
• Conditions and requirements - Level 2 Technical Occupation Qualifications Qualification Level Conditions)
• AS and A levels
• GCSEs
• Technical Qualifications
• advanced extension awards (AEA)
• certain qualifications included in school performance tables
• level 1 and level 2 certificates (international GCSEs)
• functional skills qualifications
• Essential Digital Skills
• English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications
• project qualifications
• Apprenticeship Assessment Qualification Level Conditions​ and requirements and Apprenticeship Assessment Qualification Level Guidance
• Ofqual-regulated apprenticeship end-point assessments
• Alternative Academic Qualifications and Technical Occupation Qualifications
• rules about adjustments to assessments for disabled people (apply to a range of qualifications commonly taken in schools and colleges)
• Extraordinary regulatory framework: VTQ COVID-19 Conditions and Requirements

Advice notes

Advice notes support awarding organisations to further understand both Ofqual’s Conditions and Ofqual’s operational processes.

Advice notes are not statutory guidance, and do not form part of our statutory regulatory framework.

Rules and guidance for national assessments

Ofqual regulates statutory early years foundation stage profile and national curriculum assessments, which together we refer to as ‘national assessments’.

The Regulatory Framework for National Assessments sets out the rules to make sure national assessment standards are properly set and maintained and the results are used appropriately.

Updates to this page

Published 19 November 2014 Last updated 14 April 2026 show all updates
1.
14 April 2026

Added links to Qualification Level Conditions​ and requirements and Qualification Level Guidance for Apprenticeship Assessments.
2.
16 September 2025

Added section on advice notes and removed section referring to videos that are no longer in use.
3.
9 July 2024

Removed links to special rules for general qualifications during 2002, which were only valid for that year.
4.
30 November 2023

Updated to include newly-published Qualification Level Conditions for Progression Qualifications.
5.
13 July 2023

Added link to Conditions and requirements - Level 2 Technical Occupation Qualifications Qualification Level Conditions
6.
11 July 2023

Removed links to some of the special rules for general qualifications during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as rules for legacy GCSEs, AS and A levels, as they are no longer in force.
7.
10 January 2023

Added link to confirmed Alternative Academic and Alternative Technical Qualifications Qualification Level Conditions, Requirements and Guidance, following consultation.
8.
11 November 2021

Added links to the GCE and GCSE subject-level conditions and guidance documents for qualifications awarded in 2022.
9.
24 March 2021

Added links to the General Qualifications Alternative Awarding Framework and VTQ Contingency Regulatory Framework.
10.
5 November 2020

Added links to the 2021 GCSE, AS and A level subject-level conditions that will apply to qualifications awarded in 2021.
11.
1 October 2020

Added a link, under 'general rules and guidance', to a document that briefly details the regulatory differences between England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
12.
11 June 2020

Added extraordinary conditions relating to awarding general qualifications in summer 2020.
13.
22 May 2020

Added a link to the Extraordinary regulatory framework: VTQ Covid-19 Conditions and Requirements.
14.
18 February 2020

Added new rules for certain qualifications included in school performance tables
15.
11 June 2019

Added new link to online 'handbook' for Essential Digital Skills qualifications
16.
26 April 2019

Updated to include Essential Digital Skills Conditions and Requirements
17.
12 December 2018

Published new rules and guidance for Technical Qualifications
18.
10 December 2018

Added information about our new video series, Ofqual Explains
19.
1 November 2018

Updated to reflect release of Ofqual Handbook
20.
28 September 2018

We have added more information about the upcoming launch of a new, online format for our rules and guidance.
21.
26 July 2018

Added new rules for Ofqual-regulated apprenticeship end-point assessments
22.
12 October 2017

Updated following launch of beta version of Ofqual handbook.
23.
19 September 2017

Updated following withdrawal of rules for key skills qualifications, and changes to qualifications covered by our specifications under section 96 of the Equality Act 2010
24.
2 February 2017

Updated following withdrawal of our rules for adult literacy and numeracy qualifications
25.
2 December 2015

Added a link to National Assessment framework.
26.
30 September 2015

Updated to reflect withdrawal of requirements for the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
27.
17 September 2015

Updated to include documents published to support our new Regulated Qualifications Framework, and our criteria for determining whether a qualification is 'relevant' for the purposes of the Education and Skills Act 2008
28.
10 December 2014

Added a link to the 'Regulatory Documents List'.
29.
19 November 2014

First published.

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