Attainment ages 16 to 19
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Time period refers to the academic year in which the young person turned 19.
The numbers and proportions achieving Level 2/3 by cohort year, age, qualification type (GCSE, A level etc.) and institution type (state-funded schools, sixth form colleges etc.)
Overall cohort numbers are taken from school census population data when learners were academic age 14 (i.e. age 14 at the start of the academic year; 15 by the end of the academic year).
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Data set details
- Theme
- School and college outcomes and performance
- Publication
- Level 2 and 3 attainment age 16 to 25
- Release
- Academic year 2022/23
- Release type
- Geographic levels
- National
- Indicators
- Number
- Number in cohort
- Percentage
- Filters
- Age
- Institution Type
- Qualification Type
- Time period
- 2003/04 to 2025/26
Data set preview
| time_period | time_identifier | geographic_level | country_code | country_name | age | cohort_age_in | qualification_level | qualification_type | institution_type | number_in_cohort | number | percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200304 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | by age 16 | 200001 | Level 3 | Total | Total | 614564 | 755 | 0.123 |
| 200304 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | by age 16 | 200001 | Level 2 | 5 GCSEs | Total | 614564 | 300263 | 48.858 |
| 200304 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | by age 16 | 200001 | Level 2 | Apprenticeship | Total | 614564 | 1 | 0 |
| 200304 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | by age 16 | 200001 | Level 2 | Vocational qualification (outside of apprenticeship) | Total | 614564 | 99 | 0.016 |
| 200304 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | by age 16 | 200001 | Level 2 | Level 3 qualifications | Total | 614564 | 390 | 0.063 |
Variables in this data set
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| age | Age - The academic year shown is the year in which the young person has turned (or will turn) 19, irrespective of the age selected. 19 not 16 refers to young people who had not achieved at 16 but had achieved by 19. |
| institution_type | Institution Type |
| number | Number |
| number_in_cohort | Number in cohort |
| percentage | Percentage |
Footnotes
- In these statistics AS levels count for 25% of Level 3 and can be aggregated, so that four AS levels or two AS levels and one A level (which counts as 50% of Level 3) are counted as achievement of Level 3.
- The fall in AS level attainment coincides with the decoupling of AS levels from A levels as part of reforms which started in the 2015/16 academic year. This has resulted in AS results no longer counting towards an A level (and AS levels becoming standalone qualifications), which has led to a reduction in AS level entries (see A level and other 16-18 results for more information). In turn, this had resulted in a fall in Level 3 attainment via AS levels, with just 0.1% of 19-year olds having achieved Level 3 through this route in 2022/23.
- These figures are based on qualifications held at 19 prioritised in the following order: A levels, T levels (displayed in the 'Other' category), International Baccalaureates (displayed in the ‘Other’ category), AS levels, Advanced Apprenticeships (displayed in the ‘Other’ category) and Vocational Qualifications.
- These figures are based on qualifications prioritised in the following order: GCSEs, Apprenticeships (displayed in the ‘Other’ category), Vocational qualifications, Level 3 qualifications (displayed in the ‘Other’ category) and combinations of qualifications (displayed in the ‘Other’ category).
- All state-funded schools include converter academies, free schools, maintained schools, sponsor academies and city technical colleges.
- Institution type for post-16 study is only available for those who have attained level 2/3. Percentages are therefore given as the proportion of the total number in the cohort. These percentages sum to the overall proportion attaining and do not provide attainment rates of the institution type itself.
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