Academic year 2023/24

Provisional T Level results

This is the latest data

• Published: 15 August 2024
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• Produced by: Department for Education

A summary of outcomes achieved by students in receipt of T Level results for the academic year 2023/24, as reported to the Department for Education through the Manage T Level results service (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).

Results in 2023/24 include six new subject areas, along with the ten awarded last year.

Users should exercise caution when drawing conclusions from these numbers as T Levels are in the early stages of roll out, in particular comparisons over time should take into account changes in the  T Level pathways available.

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• Academic year 2022/23
• Academic year 2021/22

Methodologies

• Provisional T Level results

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Headline facts and figures - 2023/24

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About these statistics

This publication provides a summary of the outcomes achieved by students in receipt of results for a T Level in the academic year 2023/24. The first T Level courses started in September 2020 in the following subject areas (also known as ‘pathways’):

• Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction
• Digital Production, Design and Development
• Education and Early Years

Seven T Level courses were introduced in September 2021 in the following pathways: 

• Building Services Engineering for Construction
• Health
• Healthcare Science
• Science
• Onsite Construction
• Digital Support Services
• Digital Business Services

Six further T Level courses were introduced in September 2022 in the following pathways:

• Accounting
• Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing
• Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control
• Finance
• Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing
• Management and Administration

T Levels are 2-year courses which are taken after GCSEs and are broadly equivalent in size to 3 A levels. These courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or related technical study through further or higher education.

T Levels offer students practical and knowledge-based learning at a school or college and on-the-job experience.

Students who have completed their T Level will receive a nationally recognised certificate which will show their overall grade and a breakdown of what they have achieved. This will include:

• an overall grade for the T Level, shown as pass, merit, distinction or distinction*
• a separate grade for the core component, using A* to E
• a separate grade for each occupational specialism, shown as pass, merit or distinction
• confirmation that they have completed an industry placement

The courses are available at selected colleges, schools and other providers across England. Information on all providers offering T Levels is available on the T Levels website (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).

Please note that results for 2023/24 are provisional, as appeals may still be underway which could result in changes to some individual grades, and some partially achieving students are expected to complete their industry placement during summer 2024. Students for whom the core component or occupational specialism result is currently pending are excluded from these results.

Data are correct as of 7 August 2024.

This publication includes updated data for 2022/23, labelled as ‘revised’, and provisional data for 2023/24 will in turn be updated next year.

Students included in these data for 2023/24 mirrors Ofqual data on T Level Technical Qualification (TQ) results (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab), which includes data for students expected to complete their T Level programme in 2024 who have completed both the core component and occupational specialism. Results may differ slightly due to differences in processing and rounding and in the timing of data collection. 

Scheduled revisions to data

Updating provisional data for 2022/23

Provisional data published last year – based on students who started T Levels in September 2021 – is updated in underlying data and labelled as ‘revised’.  Any changes since results day in August 2023 reflect core and occupational specialism marking or moderation reviews, retakes, and if students subsequently complete their industry placement.

The table below shows the change between provisional and revised data for the second cohort of T Level students, who started in September 2021.

Revised 2022/23	Grade	Achieved grade (count)	Achieved grade (%)	Impact of change from provisional to revised data
		Based on revised data
Overall T Level	Distinction*	10	0.3	0.0 ppt
	Distinction	791	22.2	+0.4 ppt
	Merit	1,746	49.1	+2.0 ppt
	Pass	795	22.3	+1.1 ppt
	Partial achievement	205	5.8	-3.4 ppt
	Unclassified	12	0.3	0.0 ppt
	Total students	3,559	n/a	+3.2 %
	Achieving Pass or above	3,342	93.9	+3.4 ppt

Updating provisional data for 2023/24

Provisional data for 2023/24 will be updated to revised in August 2025. Note, there are 360 students from the third cohort of T Level students recorded as having not yet completed their industry placement, of which 241 had passed the core and occupational specialism.

T Level roll out

This is the third year of results for T Levels and also represents the third phase of the roll out in T Level pathways. It includes results from 162 providers, 61 of which taught T Levels from 2022 for the first time.

In the first year there were three pathways available, seven added in year two, a further six added in year three.

The number of students that started in academic year 2022/23 with a T Level result by August 2024 was 7,380. 

The three T Level pathways available to all three cohorts saw further large increases in students with results in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23 (49% increase for Digital Production, Design and Development,  50% increase in Education and Early Years, 55% increase for Design, Surveying and Planning) .

Across the seven T Level pathways available to the last two cohorts, the number of students with results compared to 2022/23 increased similarly overall , but with a more mixed picture for individual pathways (ranging from a 19% fall in Digital Business Services to a 103% increase in Healthcare Science). Note, these changes are based on small numbers, as these pathways had the fewest number of students with results in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Education and Early Years - in its third year of roll out - still has the largest number of students with a T Level result in 2023/24 (1,533). Of the six new pathways added in year three, Management and Administration had the largest number of T Level results awarded in 2023/24 (846).

The region with the highest number of T Level results in 2023/24 was the North West with 1,458 and the lowest number was the North East with 480, the same pattern as 2022/23. 

Users should exercise caution when drawing conclusions from these numbers as this programme is in the early stages of a roll out and therefore will be highly dependent on the schools/colleges that are involved in these early stages.

Overall T Level results

Overall T Level grades are calculated by the Department from core component grades, occupational specialism grades and industry placement completion status according to rules set out in the Methodology document 

Across all subjects combined (7,380 students), the percentage of students achieving a Pass or above in their T Level was 88.7%. 94.7% of females and 83.9% of males achieved a Pass or above. 

Education and Early Years had the highest percentage of students achieving Pass or above (96.2%) whilst Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing had the lowest (69.9%). 

The T Level pathway in which the highest percentage of students achieved a Distinction or above was Finance (51.4%), whilst Science had the lowest (5.5%). However, note the percentages are based on a small number of students with results in Finance and Science pathways (37 and 128 respectively).  

Other pathways with low numbers are Digital Business Services (35), Healthcare Science (65), Accounting (94), and Onsite Construction (138).   

Users should exercise caution when considering comparisons from these grade percentages as this programme is in the early stages of a roll out, in particular comparisons over time should take into account changes in the  T Level pathways available.

The overall pass rate (Pass or above) was higher for females (94.7%) than males (83.9%). More females achieved Distinction or above than males (22.0% compared with 11.2%). Overall, the most common grade for both females and males was Merit. 

Core component results

The core component of a T Level is assessed through one or more written exams and an Employer Set Project, typically taken midway through the course.  It is possible for learners to sit the core component assessment up to three times. 

The data presented here includes the highest grade achieved if a student made more than one attempt at the assessment. 

Across all  T Levels awarded in 2023/24 (7,380 students), the percentage of students achieving an E or above in the core component assessment was 98.3%. The most common grade for the core component, across all pathways, was D. This was achieved by 32.7% of students.

The core component in which the highest percentage of students achieved grade E or above was Digital Business Services, Education and Early Years, and Finance (100%), whilst Building Services Engineering for Construction had the lowest proportion (92.5%). Please note, however, percentages are based on small numbers of students with results in both Digital Business Services and Finance pathways (35 and 37 respectively).  

Other pathways with low numbers are Healthcare Science (65), Accounting (94), Science (128) and Onsite Construction (138).   

Users should exercise caution when considering comparisons of these percentages as this programme is in the early stages of a roll out, in particular comparisons over time should take into account changes in the  T Level pathways available.

The percentage achieving an E or above in the core component assessment was higher for females (99.2%) than males (97.5%).  More females achieved a C or above than males (60.6% compared to 42.2%).

Occupational specialism results

The occupational specialism component of a T Level is assessed through a practical project or assignments, typically taken in the second year of the T Level. 

Across all T Levels awarded in 2023/24 (7,380 students), the percentage of students achieving a Pass or above in their occupational specialism was 93.0%. 

The most common grade for the Occupational Specialism, across all pathways, was Merit. 49.2% of students achieved this grade.

The occupational specialism with the highest pass rate was Digital Business Services (100%), but had the lowest number of students (35).  Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing had the lowest pass rate (72.3%, 555 students).   

Users should exercise caution when drawing conclusions from these figures as T Levels are in the early stages of roll out.

The percentage of students achieving a Pass or above in their occupational specialism was higher for females (97.6%) than males (89.3%).  Similarly, more females achieved a Merit or above than males (80.5% compared to 59.6%).  The most common grade for the occupational specialism was Merit.

Industry placement completion

The on-the-job training part of a T Level is achieved through an industry placement of at least 315 hours – approximately 45 days.  

Special consideration is available where a student has experienced adverse circumstances and has not been able to complete the minimum placement hours but has demonstrated sufficient progress towards their learning goals and worked directly to an external employer. 

The pathway  with the highest proportion of students where the Industry Placement has not been completed by August of their second year is Building Services Engineering (12.9%), with Healthcare Science having the lowest proportion of students not completing the Industry Placement (1.5%)

Across all subject areas combined (7,380 students), the percentage of students who completed an industry placement was 95.1% - for males this was 93.7% and for females 96.9%. 

T Level retained and assessed rates

The calculation of retained and assessed rates is the same as that described in the T Level action plan: 2023 to 2024 (opens in a new tab) for students who started a T Level in 2021/22, and also summarised in the  Methodologies document for this statistical release.

T Level retained and assessed 

The T Level is a two-year programme, and the T Level retained and assessed rate is first measured as provisional data after two years. However, learners can elect to complete the T Level over two or more academic years, and the retained and assessed rate is updated as revised data to reflect any further assessment after three years. The retained and assessed rate is calculated out of all T Level entrants. 

A T level entrant is considered retained and assessed in their T Level if they are flagged as receiving a marked grade (including pending grades) in both their core component and occupational specialism. This does not have to be a pass grade.

The provisional retained and assessed rate for students who started their T Level in 2022/23 was 71%.

Comparison data for students studying vocational and technical qualifications or A levels

Two level 3 study programmes are included to provide suitable comparators to the T Level, which is equivalent in size to 3 A levels. These comparator level 3 study programmes are:

 • 16-year-old entrants whose study programme included 3 or more A levels and no substantial (325 guided learning hours or more) vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) studied over two years;

 • 16-year-old entrants to large (1,045 guided learning hours or more) VTQs included in performance tables studied over two years.

Note, as T Levels are still being rolled out, caution should be taken comparing retained and assessed rates from one year to the next. Any change in rates could be due to changes in student behaviours as well as changes in the mix of pathways available.

Note that retained and assessed rates for the 3 A level and large VTQ comparators for students who started programmes in 2022/23 is not yet available and will be published in spring 2025.

Start year	Cohort	Study programme	Version	Entrants	Number retained and assessed	Percentage retained and assessed
2022/23	All	T Level	Provisional	10,253	7,262	71%
2021/22	All	T Level	Revised	5,321	3,525	66%
2021/22	All	T Level	Provisional	5,321	3,510	66%
2021/22	Age 16	T Level	Provisional	3,942	2,683	68%
2021/22	Age 16	3 A level	Revised	161,270	141,772	88%
2021/22	Age 16	Large VTQs	Revised	14,559	10,906	75%

The statistics in this release are published as official statistics in development (see ‘Help and support’ below for further information). They have been developed under the guidance of the Head of Profession for Statistics and published to involve users and stakeholders at an early stage in assessing their suitability and quality. 

Data on T Level retained and assessed rates were first published in the T Level Action Plan analytical annex (opens in a new tab) in April 2024. We welcome any feedback on this section of the release to inform future publication plans. Please contact:   Attainment.STATISTICS@education.gov.uk. 

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Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

• Provisional T Level results

Official statistics in development

These statistics are undergoing a development. They have been developed under the guidance of the Head of Profession for Statistics and published to involve users and stakeholders at an early stage in assessing their suitability and quality.

They have been produced as far as possible in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:

• managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
• meet identified user needs
• produced according to sound methods
• well explained and readily accessible

Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.

Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Provisional T Level results statistics and data:

16 to 18 Accountability Data and Development team

Email: Attainment.STATISTICS@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Pat Thomas

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