About Key Skills
What are Key Skills?
Key skills are the skills that you need in order to operate confidently and successfully in school, college, university, work, training, and life in general.
There are six key skills:
- Communication
- Application of Number
- Information and Communication Technology.
- Working with Others
- Improving own Learning and Performance
- Problem Solving.
They are all available as qualifications at levels 1 to 4 of the National Qualifications Framework. That means that Level 1 is roughly the same level as GCSE grade D to G or NVQ Level 1, Level 2 is about the level of GCSE A* to C or NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 is about the same level as AS, A level or NVQ Level 3.
The first three key skills are assessed through a portfolio of your work (which is assessed internally by your school, college or training provider) and by an external test (which is marked by an awarding body). The wider key skills are also assessed through an internally assessed portfolio, sometimes supported by questioning by an assessor. There is no test.
The key skills and the assessment system are the same whether you are at school, college, in employment (perhaps doing an apprenticeship) or studying independently.
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What are Key Skills?