V Levels Explained: What They Are and Which Children Take Them First
V Levels start in England in September 2027 in three subjects. Who is in the first year group, what is planned for 2028 to 2030, and what happens to BTECs.
V Levels are new vocational qualifications in England, each the size of one A Level. The first three (accounting and finance, digital systems and data, education) are taught from September 2027, so children born 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 are the first who can take them. More subjects follow each year to 2030.
Short answer: V Levels are a new kind of vocational qualification for 16 to 19 year olds in England. Each one is the same size as an A Level. The first three, in accounting and finance, digital systems and data, and education, are taught from September 2027, so the first students are those in Year 11 in 2026/27, born 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011. More subjects follow each September to 2030. Everything here comes from the Department for Education's Post-16 pathways implementation plan (updated 17 September 2026) and its July 2026 response on 2027 subject content, checked on 18 October 2026.
To see where your own child falls, use the V Level year finder.
Which year group gets which subjects
A child starts post-16 study in the September after Year 11. In England's school year that means the cohort born 1 September to 31 August moves up together.
| Starts post-16 | Born | V Levels planned for that September | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2027 | 1 Sep 2010 to 31 Aug 2011 | Accounting and finance; digital systems and data; education | Confirmed |
| September 2028 | 1 Sep 2011 to 31 Aug 2012 | Adds construction design; engineering design; engineering and manufacturing; health; healthcare science and technology; legal services; science research and technology; sport and exercise science; business management and supply chains; marketing and retail; social care | Planned; final list due early 2027 |
| September 2029 | 1 Sep 2012 to 31 Aug 2013 | Adds subjects in agriculture and land management; animal care and management; protective services | Subject areas only |
| September 2030 | 1 Sep 2013 to 31 Aug 2014 | Adds subjects in art and performing arts; creative media and design; travel and tourism | Subject areas only |
Each year adds to the earlier ones, so a student starting in 2029 could in principle choose from all the subjects above. In practice each sixth form or college decides which V Levels it offers.
What a V Level is
DfE describes V Levels as a third route at level 3, alongside A Levels (academic) and T Levels (technical). They are meant for students who want to explore a sector, or several, without specialising in one job. The plan sets out the main facts:
- Size: 360 guided learning hours each, the same as an A Level.
- Mixing: students can take several V Levels, or combine them with A Levels and other funded qualifications. DfE says it is not planning rules on which qualifications can be combined.
- Not a job licence: V Levels will not give occupational competence. DfE points students who want that to a T Level or a level 2 Occupational Certificate.
- University entry: DfE says UCAS announced in September 2026 that V Level tariff points at grades A* to E will match A Levels. DfE has also worked with universities on the content of the first V Levels.
- One standard: every V Level in a subject must cover DfE's subject content and meet Ofqual's rules, whichever exam board offers it. Ofqual confirmed those rules in September 2026.
DfE will allow two V Levels in the same subject to be "partnered", like maths and further maths, only in exceptional cases, and none of the 2027 subjects qualified.
What happens to BTECs and other vocational courses
This is the part most families ask about. V Levels are meant to replace much of the wide range of qualifications that are not A Levels or T Levels, and the change happens by removing public funding, subject area by subject area:
- From 1 August 2027: funding ends for existing qualifications in education and early years (levels 2 and 3), digital (level 3) and accounting and finance (level 3), except those the size of two A Levels (720 guided learning hours).
- From 1 August 2028: funding ends for existing qualifications in the subject areas rolling out in September 2028, including health and social care qualifications three A Levels in size.
- 2029 and 2030: the same happens for later areas; DfE publishes each list in advance.
Some subjects have been held back. DfE says it will not remove funding from criminology qualifications in 2028 and will keep existing applied psychology qualifications until it decides more, with details for both due in early 2027.
What changed recently, and what is still open
- March 2026: DfE's education blog set out the first three subjects and said students will be able to combine V Levels with A Levels.
- July 2026: DfE published final subject content for the 2027 subjects after a consultation that closed on 4 June 2026.
- September 2026: the implementation plan was rewritten, with the 2028 list, the combination rules and the UCAS update; Ofqual published its V Level rules.
- Still open: the final 2028 list (early 2027), the 2029 subjects (early 2027) and the 2030 subjects (by September 2027). Draft specifications for the 2027 V Levels are due from November 2026.
V Levels are an England reform. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own qualifications. For the school year your child is in now, see the UK school year calculator.