16 million qualification certificates awarded
22 July 2016
Ofqual has published its annual report on the qualifications market (2014/2015).
The report provides a picture of the qualifications available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by recognised exam boards and changes in take up from one year to the next.
Main findings include:
- Just under 16 million certificates were awarded in the academic year 2014 to 2015; around 3% fewer than the previous year
- The number of awarding organisations recognised by Ofqual fell to 163; 3 fewer than a year earlier
- The number of available qualifications decreased by 2% compared to 2013/2014 to just over 24,500, of which nearly 60% had an award made
- 20 awarding organisations accounted for 90% of all certificates awarded during the academic year
- For GCSE, AS and A Level more certificates were awarded in the science and maths sector subject area (37%) than any other area in 2014 to 2015 while for qualifications other than GCSE, AS and A Level, more certificates were awarded in the preparation for life and work sector subject area (30%) than in any other area.
Ofqual reports that changes in take up of qualifications can be as a result of government policy changes such as performance measures, funding and reform but that overall, market shares are well established and the number of certificates awarded is concentrated in a relatively small number of qualifications.