This means that students who perform exceptionally well in three units, but marginally fail one, will fail the overall qualification. However, a student who narrowly passes all units will pass the overall qualification (provided they also pass the internally-assessed units).
Ofqual has written to Applied General and Tech level awarding organisations, recommending that, where appropriate, they consider changing their approach to grading, to provide a ‘safety net’ for those who narrowly miss a pass on one or more externally-assessed units. Changes are likely to vary between awarding organisations, depending on whether they would improve the qualification’s overall validity.
You can view the letter online. We’ll give you more information about how this may affect specific Applied General and Tech level qualifications when we receive it.