This is the single most common confusion in post-16 data. They are different qualifications, counted in different places, from different DfE collections — and this Explorer keeps them strictly apart.
Tech Level — a DfE performance-table category for approved Level 3 vocational and technical qualifications. This is what the Explorer measures.
T Level — a separate two-year technical qualification introduced from 2020, equivalent to three A levels. Not in the exam-entry data at all — it has its own T Levels tab, from a separate DfE collection.
| Tech Level | T Level | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A DfE category covering many approved Level 3 vocational qualifications | A single named qualification, introduced from 2020 |
| Awarding | Multiple awarding organisations (Pearson, OCR, others) | One approved provider per route |
| Size | Varies — 0.5 to 3.25 A-level equivalents | Equivalent to three A levels |
| Industry placement | Not required by the category | Substantial industry placement required |
| Counted in | The entry-based tabs, in exam entries | The T Levels tab, in students with results |
| Unit of measurement | Exam entries, convertible to A-level equivalents | Students with results — never converted to A-level equivalents |
| Where results are published | Within the 16-18 results release used here | Published separately, by provider and pathway |
They do not appear in the DfE data set behind the entry-based tabs. The exam-cohort categories in that source are A level, Applied general, Other academic, Tech level and Technical certificate. T Level outcomes are explicitly published as separate statistics.
So no entry count, coverage percentage or A-level-equivalent figure anywhere in this Explorer includes a single T Level. T Level provision is shown instead on its own T Levels tab, built from the separate collection.
The T Levels tab uses DfE provider-level T Level results for 2024/25: 257 providers, 18 pathways and 12,055 students with results, reaching 124 of England’s local authorities. It carries its own metrics — providers, pathways and students — rather than being folded into the A-level-equivalent volume toggle, because one T Level student and one exam entry are not the same unit and should never be added together.
A provider appears there because it has recorded results. That is not the same as a register of what is currently taught: a T Level reaches assessment two years after first teaching, so a provider that started in September 2024 has no results yet and is not counted. The pathway counts should not be read as a ranking of how available each T Level is.
One technical wrinkle worth knowing. T Level results are reported against UKPRN, while this Explorer’s spine is the school URN. The two were joined through Get Information About Schools. 247 of the 257 providers also appear in the entry data and carry a full profile on the other tabs; the remaining 10 (369 students) are higher education institutions, independent training providers, and colleges whose register entry changed during the year. They count in every figure on the T Levels tab and in none on the others.
Last checked 17 August 2026. Observed provision is based on recorded exam entries. An institution with no recorded entries in a subject may still have offered it — see what subject provision means.