National Vocational Qualifications.

 
 
   

 

RSA (Royal Society of Arts & Manufactures) examinations Board is well known in education, training and employment for the quality of the awards it offers.  RSA is now offers the opportunity to achieve certification for Language NVQ Units.

What are NVQs?

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are based on standards, set by industry, which specify competence in an occupation or profession. 

The following are some of the features. Language Units:  

  • are competence-based 
  • are based on national standards 
  • have been developed at 5 levels 
  • are offered currently at levels 1 to 4 
  • have no entry requirements 
  • have no time limits 
  • are open to all, regardless of age, background or qualifications 
  • have not set delivery or framework 
  • reward achievement 
  • are expressed in units and certificated as units 
  • can be certificated at any time. 

A table showing the Language Units which are currently available is shown below.  

LISTENING(L) SPEAKING(S) READING(R) WRITING(W)  

LEVEL 1 DEAL WITH PREDICTABLE EVERYDAY TASKS

  • L1 Obtain information about predictable day to day activities by listening 
  • S1 Deal orally with predictable day to day activities 
  • R1 Obtain information about predictable day to day activities by reading 
  • W1 Produce written information to deal with predictable day to day activities 
  • L1.1 Obtain specific details from simple everyday sources 
  • S1.1 Ask for and provide personal information 
  • R1.1 Obtain specific details from simple everyday texts 
  • W1.1 Produce familiar information in standard formats 
  • S1.2 Ask for and provide information to meet day to day requirements 
  • S1.3 Ask for and provide everyday goods and services 

LEVEL 2  DEAL WITH VARIED DAILY ACTIVITIES  

  • L2 Obtain information about non-routine and daily activities by listening 
  • S2 Deal orally with varied daily activities 
  • R2 Obtain information about non-routine and daily activities by reading 
  • W2 Produce written information to deal with routine and daily activities 
  • L2.1 Obtain general information from varied everyday sources 
  • S2.1 Establish and maintain social contact 
  • R2.1 Obtain information from simple texts 
  • W2.1 Construct everyday texts using set phrases and structures 
  • L2.2 Obtain specific details from varied everyday sources 
  • S2.2 Give and seek information to fulfil routine work requirements 
  • R2.2 Obtain specific details from familiar written sources 
  • W2.2 Produce notes and short messages to fulfil everyday requirements 
  • S2.3 Seek and respond to opinion on everyday matters 
  • S2.4 Deliver simple semi-structured presentations 

LEVEL 3  DEAL WITH KEY WORK TASKS  

  • L3 Obtain information about key work tasks by listening 
  • S3 Deal orally with key work tasks 
  • R3 Obtain information about complex work tasks by reading 
  • W3 Produce written materials to deal with a variety of work tasks 
  • L3.1 Obtain information, ideas and opinions from a variety of sources 
  • S3.1 Give and seek instructions and guidance to achieve key work tasks 
  • R3.1 Obtain information, ideas and opinions from a variety of texts 
  • W3.1 Produce written texts to fulfil routine work requirements 
  • L3.2 Obtain specific details from a variety of sources 
  • S3.2 Contribute to routine business discussions 
  • R3.2 Obtain specific details from written sources 
  • S3.3 Seek and respond to opinion on a variety of matters 
  • S3.4 Deliver prepared presentations 

  COMPETENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE UNITS  

The achievement of Language Units is based on reaching a specific level of competence. This means that the important factor is what candidates can do, rather than what they know or can remember. Assessment is carried out by judging candidates' performance against a set of prescribed objective standards which describe the level of competence required for accreditation.

This type of assessment has a number of key features:

  • Assessment is carried out over a period of time and concentrates on the practical competence of the candidates. Assessment and certification can be offered on demand. 
  • Candidates are responsible for gathering proof of their own competence and actively participate in the assessment process. 
  • There is no cut-off date for proving competence. Candidates may take as long or as short a time as necessary to reach the required standard. 
  • Candidates never "fail". They are either competent, and therefore ready for certification, or not yet competent and therefore need to develop their skills further. 
Because the assessment is entirely based on outcomes (i.e. the candidates' competence), it does not matter how this outcome was reached. This means the training and development opportunities provided to enable candidates to reach competence can be flexibly designed and tailored to meet the individual needs of each candidate. It also means that development can occur in any situation or environment and is not restricted to a specific style of delivery or "course".  

It is also true that, because the process concentrates on outcomes, the starting point of candidates is irrelevant. There are, therefore, no prerequisites for entry to assessment. There is open access to everyone regardless of age, background or qualifications.  

Because of the structure of the standards used for assessment it is possible to gain recognition for what has been achieved whether this is a single unit, or a group of units.