The pass rate for T-levels – the technical equivalent of A-levels – has risen above 91%, but more than a quarter are still leaving courses early.
According to figures from the Department for Education, a total of 11,909 learners received results for their T-levels yesterday, up from 7,435 last year.
However, 16,085 learners began these courses in 2023, suggesting a drop-out rate of just over a quarter, or that a number of students are taking longer than two years to finish their course.
Almost two-thirds (65.3%) achieved a merit of above in their T-level, the government said.
T-levels were introduced in 2020 as an alternative to A-levels. They are equivalent in value to three A-levels and only available in England.
A key feature of the courses is a work placement, but a 2023 report by Ofsted found that in some cases, T-levels were not living up to student expectations or students felt they were misled about content.
In December 2024, the government reformed the framework so students could complete industry placements remotely, making it easier for employers to support the new qualifications.
Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, congratulated “all the pioneering students” getting T-level results.
“They are a credit to their schools and colleges, along with the thousands of employers who have provided them with extended work placements. The class of 2024 will now be really well placed to progress directly into jobs, university, apprenticeships, and other skills training,” she said.
From September, there will be 21 T-levels available in subjects including healthcare, science, accounting and construction.
Last year, 97% of T-level students who applied to university received at least one offer, and around a third who progressed to jobs after their course did so with their chosen placement employer.
Coupland added: “They are every bit as rigorous as A-levels and offer students an innovative mix of classroom learning and extensive ‘on-the-job’ experience through industry placements that typically last around 45 days.”
Suzanne Straw, research director at the National Foundation for Educational Research said that students’ T-level success was “a demonstration of the hard work put in by providers as well as the commitment of young people in meeting requirements for the qualification in both the classroom and on placement.”
However, she noted variations in subject pass rates: legal services was nearly 98%, while digital and business services was 71%.
She added: “It is also positive to see that the vast majority of students continue to complete the 45-day industrial placement, particularly, as finding them is challenging, in part due to the increasing number of T-level students.”
Alongside T-levels, thousands of young people collected A-level results yesterday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but the results demonstrated marked regional inequalities.
The percentage of students earning an A grade above in London was 32.1%, and 31.2% in the south-east of England. In the north-east, by contrast, this percentage was 22.9%.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Every single young person collecting their results today should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams – whether that starts with further study, university, an apprenticeship or the world of work – but too often, opportunities depend on background rather than talent.
“The entrenched divide in outcomes seen over the last few years and the lack of progress for children from white working-class backgrounds is particularly concerning.”
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