What do new V Levels within the Curriculum and Assessment Review mean for IT, Computing and Cybersecurity AAQs?
13 January 2026
Vinay Thawait, Computer Science, IT and Creative iMedia Subject Advisor
The government decision to introduce V Level qualifications at Level 3 will affect our newly-developed and Department for Education (DfE) funded Level 3 Cambridge Advanced Nationals qualifications (AAQs):
What are AAQs?
Cambridge Advanced Nationals are Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs) which were introduced by the previous government’s education reforms to streamline post-16 vocational education in England. AAQs are replacements for many older Level 3 qualifications such as Cambridge OCR’s Cambridge Technicals (2016 suite).
The mixed programme of study: A Levels, AAQs and T Levels
A Levels are smaller size (360GLH) “academic route” qualifications while T Levels are “technical route” qualifications, broadly equivalent in size to 3 A Levels (1080GLH or more).
AAQs were introduced as an alternative and more practical approach to the “academic route”, designed to sit alongside A Levels and T Levels for 16 to 19-year-old learners for first teaching from September 2025. As part of a mixed programme of study learners could be offered AAQs with or without A Levels.
What will happen to AAQs?
Cambridge OCR’s recommendation is to continue to deliver or plan to deliver Cambridge Advanced Nationals (AAQs) in IT: Data Analytics, Computing: Application Development and Cybersecurity and Networks. Funding is approved for all three AAQs to be taught from September 2026 and will continue to be available until V Levels are launched in our subject area.
Post-16 education and skills white paper and CAR final report
In the recent post-16 education and skills white paper and the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) final report the government set out plans to develop a third pathway, known as V Levels, for learners to sit alongside A Levels and T Levels. The intention is to make V Levels the only pathway for vocational qualifications at Level 3 for 16 to 19-year-old learners and withdrawing AAQs within a given timeframe.
V Levels will be launched in ‘waves’ from September 2027 until September 2030/31 in more than 23 subjects with nationally set content linked to the Skills England National Occupational Standards (NOS). The size of an A Level, the intention is that V Levels could be effectively combined as part of the mixed programme of study to allow learners flexibility (Government response to the CAR, page 47, CAR final report, page 32).
V Levels public consultation
The DfE ran a public consultation on the planned design and implementation of the new pathways for 16 to 19 year olds. The consultation ran from 20 October 2025 until 12 January 2026 to test the key design principles of the qualification including subject areas, size, assessment and how best to transition from the existing landscape.
To ensure the quality and consistency of V Levels, the DfE proposes that content, linked to occupational standards, will be set nationally for awarding organisations to follow when developing qualifications. Ofqual will set the design rules for V Level structure, assessment, and grading which each V Level must meet. As well as the General Conditions of Recognition, these V Level specific conditions will be used to regulate awarding organisations’ design and delivery of every V Level, in the same way that each A Level is regulated.
Based on the DfE’s initial analysis on the range of subject areas in scope (Post-16 Level 3 and below pathways consultation), page 19, there will be opportunities to replace IT, Computing and Cyber AAQs with potential V Levels in:
- Animation, Games Design and Visual Effects
- Digital
Once we know the DfE’s V Levels public consultation outcomes, we will be able to plan the development of V Levels in different subjects.
Until the consultation on V Levels is closed and the outcome is shared by the DfE, we won’t know which V Level subjects will be launched first (for teaching from September 2027). As an awarding organisation, Cambridge OCR will have to wait for the DfE’s nationally set content linked to the Skills England National Occupational Standards (NOS) and Ofqual’s design rules for V Level structure, assessment and grading to be able to develop new V Levels. We will engage with the computing community to gather their suggestions.
Post-16 Level 3 data science and AI qualification
The government response to the CAR (page 24 and 29) includes information on the government plans to explore a new Level 3 qualification (general or vocational) in data science and AI to ensure that more young people can secure high value skills for the future and to cement the UK’s position as a global leader in AI and technology. Cambridge OCR already offers a post-16 level 3 Cambridge Advanced National (AAQ) in IT: Data Analytics that includes teaching content on big data, data science, AI and machine learning.
We’d welcome your feedback and thoughts on the proposed Level 3 qualification in data science and AI, so please complete our survey.
Join our briefing webinar
We’ll be running a free CAR briefing webinar on 2 February to explain the impact of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report and V Levels on our IT, Computing, Cybersecurity and Networks AAQs.
There’ll also be the opportunity to ask our subject advisors your questions and pass on your thoughts about the proposed changes. We hope you can join us.
Stay connected
At Cambridge OCR we’re committed to making assessment straightforward and are here to support teachers and students at every step of the way. Contact us if you have any specific questions about the CAR, or what it means for you and your students. You can always join our teacher panels to help us shape the development of these qualifications as we go through reform.
To stay up to date with subject news from us, make sure you sign up to receive our email updates. You can also follow @OCR_ICT on X (formerly Twitter).
About the author
Vinay joined OCR in July 2014 to support the GQ reform and development of the AS and A Level Computer Science qualifications. Since then, he has been involved in the development of the reformed GCSE (9-1) Computer Science, Entry Level Computer Science, Cambridge National in IT, new Level 3 Cambridge Advanced National (AAQ) in IT: Data Analytics, Computing: Application development and Cyber Security and Networks qualifications. Before joining OCR, Vinay spent more than 25 years in IT and Computer Science teaching and leadership roles, working for several schools as well as local authorities educational support team. He was the National Bid Lead for the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative within Capita IT, and the Head of Operations for an audio-visual educational software development company. Vinay has a degree, three post-graduate masters and NPQH from Warwick, Coventry, and Nottingham Universities. Outside work, he takes part in karate, cricket, and badminton. He doesn’t believe in ‘just sitting down and watching TV’.
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