Accreditation of prior learning and/or experience (APL)
Please refer to the document 'APL 06/14 Policy on Accreditation of Prior Learning' on this page.
APL is an assessment process that enables recognition of achievement from a range of activities using any valid assessment methodology. Provided that the assessment requirements of a given unit or qualification have been met, the use of APL is acceptable for accrediting part of a unit, unit(s) or a qualification.
Evidence submitted for APL must be:
authentic
current
relevant
sufficient
The centre assessor has the responsibility for ensuring that all the requirements of a unit have been met, and for keeping appropriate records.
Centres are expected to establish their own policy with regard to APL, in line with Edexcel policy.
Claiming a qualification by APL
After assessment of a learner’s previous achievements, registration should be made in the usual way and APL achievement may then be reported as normal achievement, graded where appropriate, via EDI or Edexcel Online (or form SRF if necessary).
Movement of learners from non-NQF BTEC titles to NQF BTEC titles
NQF qualifications have different specifications, assessment, grading and quality assurance arrangements. Therefore, there is no automatic credit or exemption applicable and centres are advised that it is not straightforward to transfer learners from an existing non-NQF qualification, where some units have been assessed, to a new NQF qualification to complete their studies.
If centres wish to transfer learners, the following must be noted:
full APL must be carried out for every learner and every internally assessed unit
centres must show that all the assessment criteria within the new NQF title have been met by each learner
where a learner’s evidence does not meet the assessment criteria within the NQF title, centres must set additional assignments aligned to the missing criteria
when transferring learners from non-NQF to NQF BTEC titles, centres must follow the normal transfer arrangements through BTEC RACS.