Developing an agile qualifications system

We want to see a qualifications system where awarding bodies respond to the changing needs of the sectors they serve. Where we intervene and set design requirements, we aim to ensure that qualifications are designed and awarded in 
ways that are fair and accessible for learners and enable standards to be maintained over time.

The purpose of regulation is to establish a robust delivery environment, with high standards, that avoids present or future system failures. We do this by setting criteria for the recognition of awarding bodies and provide rules that they must follow in awarding qualifications – we then monitor their compliance and oversee awarding to maintain appropriate standards. 

We look at how well the current and future needs of Wales are identified and addressed, and how effectively and efficiently the system is operating. While we expect awarding bodies to adapt to changing needs, we are able to intervene and incentivise change where necessary. 

Our approach supports a sustainable qualifications system with relevant, inclusive qualifications which help learners develop the skills and knowledge they need to progress to the next stage in their lives.

Qualification arrangements 2024-25

During the 2024 autumn term we informed centres that after the return to pre-pandemic arrangements for the summer 2024 series, exams and assessments taken during 2024-25 would be sat and graded in the full compliance with pre-pandemic arrangements.

This meant that WJEC would not consider extra statistical protections when awarding grades for GCSE, AS and A level qualifications, and statistics would play their usual role alongside examiner judgement in setting grade boundaries.
We reminded centres that grade boundaries can change with each exam series to reflect differences in assessment difficulty. This means the number of marks needed for a particular grade might vary, ensuring maintenance of standards and fairness for learners over time. 

We also confirmed that arrangements would continue to ensure learners taking vocational qualifications get their results on time.

Maintaining performance standards

In January 2025, we published a report that reflected our assessment of the journey back to pre-pandemic arrangements in general qualifications sat by learners in Wales. Evidence of recovery in learner performance was seen in summer 2024 and grade boundaries in many subjects were closer to what they were before the pandemic. 

However, in some subjects, and at some grades, performance standards were still weaker than they were pre-pandemic, and in GCSEs this tended to be at grade C. WJEC did not need to use statistical protection in 2024 but some grade boundaries in some subjects, particularly the C grade boundary at GCSE, were still low.

There are many reasons why this differential recovery may be seen, including that higher-ability learners were less affected by the disruption caused by the pandemic. This could be due to their cognitive ability or independent learning skills. Other factors, such as attendance rates, may have also impacted learner performance.

For 2024-25 series, we required WJEC to award at pre-pandemic performance standards. This was important in order to protect the value of made-for-Wales qualifications and comparability with similar qualifications in other jurisdictions.

2024-25 examinations and assessments

The exams and assessments year began in November 2024 with the first GCSE examinations of the academic year. These cover GCSE English Language, GCSE Welsh Language, GCSE Mathematics and GCSE Mathematics - Numeracy.

In January 2025, there were unit exams for GCSE English Literature and GCSE Welsh Literature. There were also some components and awards of level 2 and 3 health and social care qualifications and level 2 and 3 childcare qualifications, Skills Challenge Certificate qualifications and the Advanced Skills Welsh Baccalaureate.

Most exams and assessments take place during the summer series, which formally begins in June.

Informing learners, parents and centres

In March 2025, we published our guide to exams and assessments for the summer series, to provide learners with information and support as they prepare for their exams and assessments.

The guide is full of lots of helpful information, including:  
• key dates 
• information on grading  
• information on next steps after results day 
• links to helpful websites where learners can access revision tips, wellbeing guidance, and other support 

We communicated with learners, parents and centres using other channels such as:
• letters to schools and colleges
• updating exams officers through our dedicated Exams Officers’ Hub
• weekly social media posts 
• blogs and news stories
• printed materials
• speaking to learners in school settings and at public events 

Once again, we collaborated with key partners including Welsh Government, WJEC, Careers Wales, and e-sgol to support learners taking qualifications through our shared Power Up information campaign. This included a central content hub where learners could access support including revision guides, online revision sessions, wellbeing support, and more. 

Results days

This year’s results days took place on:
• Thursday 14 August - level 3 results day
• Thursday 21 August - level 1 and 2 results day

The results for vocational qualifications are released on or before each results day.

Leading up to summer 2025 qualification results, we: 
• created a dedicated summer 2025 results webpage which we updated throughout the results period 
• produced media releases and held a media briefing for key journalists and then supported their results day reporting 
• shared information and support across our social media channels
• developed videos congratulating learners on their results, with personal messages from our Chief Executive and Chair

On level 3 results days we published a revised single Summer 2025 Results and Series Review which included full data and analysis of A and AS level results. This was then updated with information about GCSE and other qualifications on level 1 and level 2 results day.

To ensure stakeholders had access to the necessary information, we shared our results reports and infographics directly with centres and other key stakeholders. 

These were also heavily promoted on our social media channels, results newsletter and through our regular stakeholder engagement meetings and centre visits.

Monitoring

Our aim is to ensure that our monitoring activities are transparent, accountable, proportionate, consistent and targeted. 

We use a range of techniques to monitor awarding bodies against our standard conditions of recognition, including: 
• statements of compliance by awarding bodies
• statement of compliance follow-up monitoring activities 
• regulatory audits 
• regular meetings with awarding bodies to ensure they have a clear understanding of our regulatory requirements

As part of our monitoring of this year’s GCSE, AS and A levels, the Skills Challenge Certificate and Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales qualifications, we monitored a small sample of WJEC’s exam paper production processes. 

Across the summer months we observed a sample of WJEC’s GCSE, AS and A level awarding meetings, as well as closely monitoring the suites of new vocational qualifications. We did not identify any significant concerns with the processes in place to support the effective assessment and awarding of these qualifications. 

We also ran a survey on our Have Your Say engagement platform to gather feedback from learners and teachers and lecturers during the summer exams series. Overall engagement decreased by around 33.9% compared to last year, and there were no major issues or problems highlighted. 

Since the completion of the summer series there have been no concerns raised by centres, or others, about this year’s awarding.

Recognition and compliance

This year, we received two preliminary applications from organisations wishing to become a recognised awarding body in Wales. 

One was rejected due to anomalies in its evidence, and the other failed initial completion checks and was returned. Three awarding bodies — ATHE Limited, Cambridge Assessment International Education, and NOCN — surrendered their recognised status during the year. 

All recognised awarding bodies are required to provide us with an annual self-assessment of their compliance with our standard conditions of recognition. In order to reduce the regulatory burden on awarding bodies, we run this as a joint exercise in collaboration with Ofqual and CCEA Regulation — the regulators in England and Northern Ireland respectively — with whom we share similar conditions. 

This year there were three key lines of enquiry:
• organisational stability 
• resilience arrangements with centres — to protect the interests of learners 
• provision of reasonable adjustments in accordance with equalities legislation 

This year we received 88 statements of compliance. Two awarding bodies surrendered their recognition during the process and 10 others declared current or future non-compliance. 

Two awarding bodies made non-compliance declarations specifically applicable to Wales only. One was related to awarding inactivity in Wales after exceeding two years without certificating any learners. The other was related to compliance with our requirements concerning the provision of bilingual materials, where the awarding body had qualifications on our Qualifications in Wales (QiW) database with a status of available in Cymraeg and English, but some units were not available in Cymraeg.

Incidents

Awarding bodies must notify us of any incidents that may lead to adverse effects for learners, or which threaten the integrity of regulated qualifications. 

These include issues which may arise in any assessment series, such as errors in assessment materials and potential breaches of security for assessment materials.

We received a higher number of incidents this year compared to 2023-24. However, most incidents either related to minor issues or resulted in no significant impact to learners. The increase in incidents reported to us may be a consequence of an increased focus on reporting by awarding bodies and should not in itself be seen as a negative factor. 

Where the impact of the incident may have resulted in learners experiencing an adverse effect, we monitored the awarding body closely to ensure that they took appropriate action to minimise any impact, and to protect the interests of learners.

The majority of security breach incidents received this year related to events in which centres distributed, or almost distributed, incorrect assessment papers to learners during an exam session. Of these events, the majority occurred in centres outside of Wales, but where a small number of Welsh learners may have taken the qualification. 

We additionally received notifications of potential breaches of material online, and where awarding bodies incorrectly made materials accessible outside of the expected controls. 

In all cases, we monitored the actions taken by awarding bodies to ensure that proportionate actions were taken to prevent or mitigate against any potential unauthorised access, and to ensure that Welsh learners did not experience an adverse effect from these matters.

Complaints

Qualifications Wales requires awarding bodies to have effective procedures to handle complaints, in order to provide learners and centres with opportunities to raise their concerns. 

If such concerns are not resolved through an awarding body’s own complaints process, they may be raised to us for consideration. 

This year, we received 11 new complaints. Of these, one complaint was within the scope of our complaints about awarding bodies policy. The other 10 cases were either outside our remit to investigate or had not yet been considered through the awarding body’s complaints process, as required by our complaints policy. 

The case we accepted was brought to our attention as a whistleblowing disclosure. We took this case forward by conducting further monitoring of the awarding body concerned. That monitoring is currently ongoing alongside other regulators. 

From 1 September 2025, we discontinued our Exam Procedures Review Service in its current form and incorporate it into our complaints process. We want to make this change to provide more clarity for centres and learners, creating a single process for all qualifications where a learner is unsatisfied with how an awarding body appeal has been handled.

Regulatory framework

In March 2025, we published a new regulatory framework in the form of an interactive toolkit. 

Our fundamental requirements have remained relatively unchanged. The updated framework sets out the rules that we apply when regulating awarding bodies and the qualifications they develop, deliver and award to learners in Wales, in a clear and accessible format.

The new framework brings together all of our regulatory documents in one place and is designed for awarding bodies and wider stakeholders to gain easy access to our requirements and guidance. 

“I think that Qualifications Wales have a really impressive outlook and are doing some really innovative stuff with children and young adult education.”
 
Awarding Bodies Forum delegate

Approving new qualifications

While schools and colleges focused on their preparations to teach the first wave of the new National Qualifications, from September 2025, we continued our oversight of the development of the second wave of GCSEs and level 2 qualifications. 

We approved specifications for 10 GCSEs and one level 2 qualification, enabling their publication by WJEC one year ahead of first teaching in September 2026 — these are:

• GCSE Dance
• GCSE Design and Technology
• GCSE Digital Media and Film
• GCSE Digital Technology
• GCSE Health and Social Care, and Childcare
• GCSE History
• GCSE Integrated Science (Single Award)
• GCSE Physical Education and Health
• GCSE Social Studies
• GCSE The Sciences (Double Award)
• Level 2 Award in Additional Mathematics
We are confident the specifications developed for these qualifications meet the expectations set out in our approval criteria, align with Curriculum for Wales, and meet the needs of learners. 

We have also progressed with the process of granting recognition to awarding bodies wishing to offer the new VCSE, Skills and Foundation qualifications. This includes a comprehensive review of applications submitted by awarding bodies seeking recognition to develop and award these qualifications.

Following these reviews, we are pleased to confirm that eight awarding bodies have successfully met all of our required criteria and have been granted recognition.

Modernising assessment

Digital competence is embedded throughout Curriculum for Wales, shaping why, what and how young people are learning. This includes enabling learners’ experiences, such as accessing historical resource material or taking virtual tours of natural environments, or places of work. 

Qualifications Wales has a modernising assessment team which works with others across the qualifications and assessment community to explore the benefits that digital technologies can offer. 

Digital assessments can be hugely beneficial for both learners and the wider qualifications system. They can improve validity, increase learner engagement and make assessments more inclusive. Qualifications Wales always considers the appropriateness and manageability of digital assessment when establishing the design of new qualifications. Research conducted on our behalf by Beaufort Research highlighted strong recognition among stakeholders of these benefits, including the ability to incorporate audiovisual materials and accessibility features. 

To ensure that learners, and learning providers, can make the best use of the digital technologies available to them, we are investigating their use as part of the assessments taken in the qualifications we regulate. This has included the exploration of wider applications of digital technologies, such as multimodal test items, simulated models, and remote invigilation, while gathering feedback from learners and schools. 

This work reinforces the significant potential of digital technologies to transform assessment in Wales, and we remain committed to collaborating with partners to realise these opportunities.

We recognise that adapting to an increased use of digital technology can present challenges to schools in terms of space, resources, training and implementing new ways of working. We are working closely with Welsh Government, WJEC, and local authorities to ensure smooth implementation, including measures such as pre-downloadable exams to mitigate connectivity issues.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) models are becoming more advanced and, while we are positive about the potential benefits that AI could bring to teaching, learning and assessment, we can also see that they present challenges to how we assess learners reliably and fairly on their knowledge and skills.
 
Qualifications Wales wants to ensure that the authenticity of learners’ responses, and therefore the integrity of assessments, is protected. In November 2024 we published an updated position statement on artificial intelligence.

We have taken steps to understand how the availability of AI models could impact the delivery and assessment of existing qualifications by awarding bodies and learning providers. We are also engaging widely to understand the opportunities of AI technologies for qualifications in the future. 

This includes regular dialogue with AI leads from other UK qualifications regulators, enabling the sharing of developments and learnings relevant to qualifications offered across different areas of the UK. 

Fair access by design

Awarding bodies are required to consider the needs of all learners when developing qualifications. Every effort should be made to enable all learners to participate in the whole assessment, without affecting the integrity of the qualification. 

Consideration of fair access early in the design of a qualification or assessment can help to reduce the need for subsequent modifications or adjustments. 

During the year we reviewed our guidance on fair access by design and published an updated document in June 2025. The guidance, developed jointly with CCEA Regulation, is intended for awarding bodies, but may also be of interest to disability groups, examiners and assessors, centres and others interested in inclusive qualifications.

The guidance is intended to support and complement good practice by awarding bodies in the design of qualifications and assessment, and to promote compliance with regulatory requirements. 

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