In the UK, the government has formulated an educatory system which is grouped into eight levels of difficulty. Each of these levels contains several qualifications, all of which are weighted equally when applying for jobs and university. One of these levels is Level 3 education. Whether you are a student fresh out of GCSEs or an adult looking to finish incomplete qualifications from your past, understanding the level system and how Level 3 education works in particular is vitally important.
Level 3 qualifications are a group of courses which are all equivalent to A-Levels. This isn’t just limited to full-time courses, as some extra-curricular activities containing exams also count towards Level 3, such as music grades. Level 3s can be taken by any person who has completed GCSEs or otherwise, including adults in adult education courses. Level 3 is one of eight levels created by the government in order to represent the difficulty of all qualifications offered in the UK.
For more information about what Level 3 qualifications are available, who Level 3 courses are offered to and what the difference is between Level 3 and other levels, keep reading.
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What are Level 3 qualifications in the UK equivalent to?
Level 3 qualifications are part of the level system created by the government to help students classify the difficulty of their education. This is because there are lots of qualifications in the UK and some are equivalent in weight and difficulty whilst others aren’t. The level system allows the government to group qualifications of the same difficulty together.
Level 3 qualifications are also known as further education because they are taken after students have finished their GCSEs. In terms of Key Stages, Level 3 education is called Key Stage 5. Therefore, Level 3 education, further education and Key Stage 5 are all the same things. Click here for a Think Student article with more information about what further education is.
The greatest defining feature of Level 3 qualifications is that all but one of them carries UCAS points. In order to go to university, students must collect a certain number of UCAS points, and one way to obtain these is through taking Level 3 qualifications. Each grade is equivalent to a set number of points. The higher the grade, the higher the points. To find out more about what UCAS points are, check out this Think Student article.
What are the Level 3 qualification options?
The most popular Level 3 qualification known to students is the A-Level, but there are so many more options available of an equivalent difficulty. This list released by the government provides a full list of all the different Level 3 qualifications for students.
There are four main qualifications which students can choose to study as their full-time course during further education. Students who prefer an academic style of learning generally opt for A-Levels and AS-Levels, which you can read more about here on the Think Student website.
BTEC Levels are the other well-known qualifications which most college students opt to take. You can either study three separate BTEC subjects or take a two-year course going into a single subject. This Think Student article explains more about what BTECs are and this Think Student article explains the different forms they can be taken in.
The International Baccalaureate is a popular alternative to A-Levels. It allows students to study six different subjects of their choice and independently complete an extended essay. They are then also required to develop fundamental life skills through the creativity, activity, service project. You can read more about the IB on the IB website here.
Apprenticeships are the fourth qualification which students might want to take and are a little bit different. Apprenticeships are paid work with a little bit of studying on the side and are taken with an employer rather than at school. They are the only Level 3 qualifications which do not provide any UCAS points. This Think Student article provides more information on apprenticeships.
Which other qualifications are classed as Level 3?
In 2020, the government introduced a new qualification called the T-Level. These have primarily been introduced as a replacement for BTECs, which you can read more about in this article from Think Student. T-Levels are like a cross between BTECs, A-Levels and apprenticeships. This is because they have a mixture of practical, theoretical and workplace-based tasks involved in them. For more information about T-Levels, check out this Think Student article.
In the UK, vocational courses are short courses which can be taken at most levels that prove a student’s ability in certain practical subjects. They cannot be taken at school and so are an extra qualification on top of full-time education. For more information about vocational courses, click here for a Think Student article.
As well as vocational courses, music grades 6, 7 and 8 are all counted as Level 3 qualifications. Again, they are an extra-curricular course but both vocational courses and music grades provide students with UCAS points. This article from Think Student gives you some ideas on how to collect more UCAS points, or you can click here to read this Think Student article about what alternatives to A-Levels are available for Level 3 students.
Some of the qualifications listed above, such as A-Levels and T-Levels, can only be taken at Level 3. However, BTECs, apprenticeships and vocational courses can all be taken at both lower and higher levels of education.
Who are Level 3 qualifications designed for?
Level 3 qualifications are designed for further education students who are bridging the gap between GCSEs and university. In full-time education, the courses take two years to complete, so most often, students aged between 16 and 19 take Level 3 qualifications. You can find most Level 3 qualifications at any school or sixth form college in the UK. Click here to read more on the Think Student website about what you can do at sixth form college.
However, you do not necessarily need to be sixteen to take a Level 3 qualification. The government provides plenty of options for adult education in the UK, such as adult apprenticeships, which you can read more about in this Think Student article. The aim is to aid those who were unable to obtain qualifications in their youth to progress in their careers. For a list of these available qualifications, read this government article.
One of the only qualifications which cannot be taken by adults are T-Levels. This is because, as of 2022, the courses are all extremely new and so provisions for those over 19 have not yet been put in place. However, the government hopes to change this in the future. You can read more about the age limit on T-Levels here on the Think Student website.
What is the difference between Level 3 and other levels of education?
Level 3 is just one of eight different levels which qualifications in the UK can be taken at. Levels 1 and 2 are near enough the same, both being equivalent to GCSE education. The only difference is that grades 3 and lower are Level 1. Any grade from a pass and up is counted as Level 2.
Beyond Level 3, every qualification is part of university education. Levels 4, 5 and 6 make up the three years of a bachelor’s degree respectively. This means that a student could take a Level 5 BTEC, which you can read more about in this Think Student article. After completing this, you could then join university for a single year to complete the degree. The Level 6 qualification marks the end of the degree.
Level 7 is represented by all postgraduate education. This could be a master’s degree in your chosen subject area or a year’s teaching qualification, known as a PGCE. The final and highest level of education is Level 8, reserved for doctorates. These are the PhD students, and the course typically takes at least 3 years to complete.