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Health, Healthcare Science and Science
Use the categories below to find the relevant answer to your question.
Approvals
Do I need to apply for approval to deliver the Health, Healthcare Science and Science T Levels?
If you already hold NCFE approval for Health, Healthcare Science or Science, you can continue to deliver to your existing NCFE cohorts until they complete.
We’re no longer accepting new registrations for these qualifications. All new students starting Health or Science from September 2026 must be registered with Pearson, and providers need the appropriate Pearson approval.
Healthcare Science has been withdrawn and has not transferred to Pearson. September 2025 was the final intake of new Healthcare Science students.
Delivery
What changed for Health and Science from September 2026?
From September 2026, Pearson became the awarding organisation for all new Health and Science T Level students.
Students who started Health or Science with NCFE before September 2026 remain registered with us, and will complete their technical qualification with NCFE. This means providers may be delivering NCFE and Pearson qualifications at the same time during the transition period.
What about Healthcare Science?
The Healthcare Science T Level has been withdrawn and has not transferred to Pearson. September 2025 was the final intake of new students.
Existing Healthcare Science students remain registered with NCFE and can continue to complete their qualification. From September 2026, students wishing to pursue relevant healthcare science occupations can consider the Health or Science T Levels or other available pathways.
Has the content changed for Health and Science now Pearson delivers the new qualifications?
Yes. Pearson’s Generation 2 Health and Science T Levels have their own specifications and content. Providers delivering new cohorts from September 2026 should use the relevant Pearson specification and supporting materials.
Has the assessment structure changed for the Pearson Health and Science T Levels?
Yes. Pearson’s Generation 2 Health and Science qualifications have their own assessment arrangements. Providers delivering Pearson cohorts should use the relevant Pearson specification, assessment materials and Key Dates Schedule.
Will NCFE still offer retake opportunities for students who need to retake after September 2026?
Yes. We'll continue to provide further assessment opportunities for eligible students registered on the NCFE Health, Healthcare Science and Science T Levels.
Assessment opportunities will continue to be scheduled until summer 2028, which is the final assessment opportunity for these qualifications.
Please see our Assessment dates and core exams to find out more.
How long will NCFE continue to support existing cohorts?
We’ll continue to support students registered on the NCFE Health, Healthcare Science and Science T Levels while they complete their qualification, including available retake opportunities.
The final September 2025 cohort would ordinarily complete its two-year programme in summer 2027, with further assessment opportunities available for eligible continuing students until summer 2028.
Is there an overlap where both NCFE and Pearson deliver Health and Science?
Yes. This is now a period of parallel running.
Students who started Health or Science with NCFE before September 2026 remain with us, while all new Health and Science students starting from September 2026 are registered with Pearson.
Can both NCFE and Pearson T Level students be taught together?
We advise that students are taught separately, as the NCFE and Pearson qualifications have different specifications and assessment arrangements.
Providers must ensure that students are taught and prepared for the Technical Qualification with the awarding organisation they are registered with.
How will I be kept informed of updates during the transition?
Sign up to our T Level newsletter to receive timely updates. To do this, please contact our Customer Support team who can add you as a contact to our system to receive T Level communications by emailing us at [email protected] or calling 0191 2398000.
Providers delivering new Health or Science cohorts with Pearson should refer to Pearson’s communications and qualification pages for information relating to the Generation 2 qualifications.
When should my learners sit the Practical Assessment Activities (PAA)?
The OS component assessment is linear, meaning that learners must complete all assessments at the end of the second year of the qualification, and in the same series.
How do I know which practical assessment activities (PAAs) will be assessed for the core and optional occupational specialism for assignment 2?
Each September, we will publish the list of PAAs for the core and optional OS in the Supporting Healthcare Tutor Guide, available on the qualification pages on our website.
Where are PAA materials found?
PAAs for the OS can be found in the Portal. All live assessment materials for both part 1 (core) and part 2 (O/S) are contained within the same zip folder under the A2B section. For further guidance on accessing live assessment materials watch our short video.
Does the whole session need to be recorded?
The provider guides released with the live assessment materials via the Portal for each OS will give guidance on the types of evidence that must be captured for each task.
Are all the videos uploaded to NCFE for moderation?
The evidence upload checklist, which is provided within the live assessment materials via the Portal, states that audio-video recordings are required for all students for all tasks.
When applying the 'best-fit' approach where a student’s performance may fluctuate across grade descriptors, is there any additional guidance on using the 'best-fit approach' or is this down to professional judgement?
You should use your professional judgement to determine the student’s most appropriate band. Final marks should be checked through your internal standardisation process before entering marks on the portal. The marks will then be checked through the moderation processes. Marks can be adjusted through either process if required.
If we use external clinical staff to mark, will they need any training from NCFE?
External clinical staff are not required to attend NCFE training prior to marking. However, you must run your own standardisation sessions using the internal standardisation training materials we provide. These materials can be found on individual qualification pages under the heading ‘Support materials’ - look for the drop-down item that reads ‘Provider standardisation training’.
Any staff involved in marking assessment decisions must be occupationally competent as per the qualification specification, and all staff involved in marking must be standardised.
Are there any further examples to use for practice apart from those on your website?
All available sample assessments and past papers can be found on our website. At the start of each session, we will release a standardisation pack for you to use internally to standardise assessment practice. This pack will contain examples of marked work from the previous summer. This can be found within the Support Materials tab on the qualification home page
Will you provide us with a list of what needs to be a photograph and what needs to be film?
Yes. The provider guides released with the live assessment materials via the Portal for each OS gives guidance on the types of evidence that must be captured for each task. This includes information on when photographic or audio-visual evidence is required.
Is audio-visual evidence required for the processes undertaken by the student, or are still photographs sufficient?
The provider guides and evidence upload checklists released with the live assessment materials via the Portal for each OS outline the types of evidence required for each task. Providers should refer to these documents to confirm whether audio-visual evidence, still photographs, or both are required.
Assessment and delivery
When should my learners sit the Practical Assessment Activities (PAA)?
The OS component assessment is linear, meaning that learners must complete all assessments at the end of the second year of the qualification, and in the same series.
How do I know which practical assessment activities (PAAs) will be assessed for the core and optional occupational specialism for assignment 2?
Each September, we will publish the list of PAAs for the core and optional OS in the Supporting Healthcare Tutor Guide, available on the qualification pages on our website.
Where are PAA materials found?
PAAs for the OS can be found in the Portal. All live assessment materials for both part 1 (core) and part 2 (O/S) are contained within the same zip folder under the A2B section. For further guidance on accessing live assessment materials watch our short video.
Does the whole session need to be recorded?
The provider guides released with the live assessment materials via the Portal for each OS will give guidance on the types of evidence that must be captured for each task.
Are all the videos uploaded to NCFE for moderation?
The evidence upload checklist, which is provided within the live assessment materials via the Portal, states that audio-video recordings are required for all students for all tasks.
When applying the 'best-fit' approach where a student’s performance may fluctuate across grade descriptors, is there any additional guidance on using the 'best-fit approach' or is this down to professional judgement?
You should use your professional judgement to determine the student’s most appropriate band. Final marks should be checked through your internal standardisation process before entering marks on the portal. The marks will then be checked through the moderation processes. Marks can be adjusted through either process if required.
If we use external clinical staff to mark, will they need any training from NCFE?
External clinical staff are not required to attend NCFE training prior to marking. However, you must run your own standardisation sessions using the internal standardisation training materials we provide. These materials can be found on individual qualification pages under the heading ‘Support materials’ - look for the drop-down item that reads ‘Provider standardisation training’.
Any staff involved in marking assessment decisions must be occupationally competent as per the qualification specification, and all staff involved in marking must be standardised.
Are there any further examples to use for practice apart from those on your website?
All available sample assessments and past papers can be found on our website. At the start of each session, we will release a standardisation pack for you to use internally to standardise assessment practice. This pack will contain examples of marked work from the previous summer. This can be found within the Support Materials tab on the qualification home page
Will you provide us with a list of what needs to be a photograph and what needs to be film?
Yes. The provider guides released with the live assessment materials via the Portal for each OS gives guidance on the types of evidence that must be captured for each task. This includes information on when photographic or audio-visual evidence is required.
Is audio-visual evidence required for the processes undertaken by the student, or are still photographs sufficient?
The provider guides and evidence upload checklists released with the live assessment materials via the Portal for each OS outline the types of evidence required for each task. Providers should refer to these documents to confirm whether audio-visual evidence, still photographs, or both are required.
Registration
Can I still register new students with NCFE for Health, Healthcare Science or Science?
No. September 2025 was the final intake for the NCFE Health, Healthcare Science and Science T Levels, and NCFE is no longer accepting student registrations for these qualifications.
All new Health and Science students starting from September 2026 must be registered with Pearson. There are no new Healthcare Science registrations because the T Level has been withdrawn.
Can I transfer a student between awarding organisations?
No, students must complete all components of the T Level with the awarding organisation they started with.
Resources
Will NCFE still update resources for Healthcare Science?
Yes. We will continue to maintain resources for this T Level until the final cohort completes.
How will NCFE support providers during the transition to Pearson?
We’ll continue to provide full support for your current cohorts until they complete. We’ll also work with Pearson and the DfE to ensure you receive clear information and guidance during the transition period.
Will NCFE resources remain available after the transition?
Yes. Past papers, exemplars, and support materials will remain available and can be found via the NCFE website at: