Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education
Encyclopedia
Vocational Certificate of Education, usually shortened to VCE or Vocational A-Level or AVCE, was a vocational
qualification that used to be available in Further Education
colleges and school sixth form
s in the United Kingdom
.
, Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Management, Leisure and Recreation, Travel and Tourism, Business. Many students prefer the vocational system because they can learn more from hands-on work, though others find it difficult to maintain their motivation because of the constant evaluation and coursework.
The qualification was created in September 2000 to replace the Advanced GNVQ, with the main change being that the marking system was altered from the three level Distinction, Merit and Pass system to A–E grading, bringing the AVCE into line with A-Levels.
AVCE was intended to lead on to higher education
or employment.
The AVCE was made up of modules, each covering different aspects of the subject. Some of these modules overlapped and some institutes chose to virtually merge their content. Students had complete a set number of modules in order to qualify for an AVCE:
Assessment was by a mixture of continuous assessment
, based on a portfolio of evidence, and externally set and marked examinations.
(QCA), along with Welsh
equivalent ACCAC
, decided in June 2004 to withdraw the Advanced VCE, with the final candidates starting in September 2004. They created and piloted an "Applied GCE (AGCE
)" qualification to replace the AVCE. Edexcel
withdrew AVCE ICT in June 2006 but students were able to re-submit coursework until November 2006 and could re-sit exams until January 2007. The GNVQ
is still currently available in two forms – Foundation and Intermediate levels – which both work up to the Advanced level. This was withdrawn in 2007.
.
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
qualification that used to be available in Further Education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
colleges and school sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Subjects and assessment
VCEs were available in many subjects including Information and Communication TechnologyInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Management, Leisure and Recreation, Travel and Tourism, Business. Many students prefer the vocational system because they can learn more from hands-on work, though others find it difficult to maintain their motivation because of the constant evaluation and coursework.
The qualification was created in September 2000 to replace the Advanced GNVQ, with the main change being that the marking system was altered from the three level Distinction, Merit and Pass system to A–E grading, bringing the AVCE into line with A-Levels.
AVCE was intended to lead on to higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
or employment.
The AVCE was made up of modules, each covering different aspects of the subject. Some of these modules overlapped and some institutes chose to virtually merge their content. Students had complete a set number of modules in order to qualify for an AVCE:
- AVCE Double Award - 12 units (worth two A-levels)
- AVCE Single Award - 6 units (worth one A-level)
- ASVCE - 3 units (worth one AS-level)
Assessment was by a mixture of continuous assessment
Continuous assessment
Continuous Assessment is the educational policy in which students are examined continuously over most of the duration of their education, the results of which are taken into account after leaving school...
, based on a portfolio of evidence, and externally set and marked examinations.
Withdrawal
The regulatory body, the Qualifications and Curriculum AuthorityQualifications and Curriculum Authority
The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency is an exempt charity, and an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families...
(QCA), along with Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
equivalent ACCAC
ACCAC
ACCAC was the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales....
, decided in June 2004 to withdraw the Advanced VCE, with the final candidates starting in September 2004. They created and piloted an "Applied GCE (AGCE
AGCE
Advanced General Certificate of Education is a vocational qualification that replaced the AVCE in September 2005. The modular structure of each course available is also different from that of the AVCE...
)" qualification to replace the AVCE. Edexcel
Edexcel
Edexcel, a UK company, is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards, and is wholly owned by the private-sector Pearson PLC, a UK-based media and publishing conglomerate. Its name is a portmanteau word derived from the words "educational" and "excellence"...
withdrew AVCE ICT in June 2006 but students were able to re-submit coursework until November 2006 and could re-sit exams until January 2007. The GNVQ
General National Vocational Qualification
A General National Vocational Qualification, or GNVQ, is a certificate of vocational education in the United Kingdom. The last GNVQs were awarded in 2007....
is still currently available in two forms – Foundation and Intermediate levels – which both work up to the Advanced level. This was withdrawn in 2007.
Student Reaction
The decision to withdraw the AVCE was hugely unpopular with many current and potential students, particularly those students who did not do very well at school but were still keen on going to college to first do a GNVQ then an AVCEAvce
Avče is a settlement on the left bank of the river Soča in the Kanal Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Martin and belongs to the Diocese of Koper. A second church built above the village in the Nadavče area is dedicated to Our...
.