The Advanced British Standard was a proposed replacement for the system of

A-level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

s and T-levels in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It was aimed at 16 to 19 year olds, and it accompanied a plan to increase the level of English and Maths taught to this age group. The proposal was intended to bring together A-Levels and T-Levels into a single new qualification, with students being able to take a wide mix of technical and academic subjects. The proposal had been announced by Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, lastly as ...

at the

Conservative Party Conference The Conservative Party Conference (CPC) is a four-day national conference event held by the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It takes place every year around October during the British party conference season, when the House of Commons i ...

in October 2023. The Conservative government of the time described it as a ' Baccalaureate-style qualification'. If implemented, the new qualification would have been expected to come into effect around 2033. It was announced that the government intended to start a consultation in Autumn 2023 to discuss how the qualification should be developed, and that a budget of £600 million had been allocated over two years for the development of the qualification. This would include funding for a tax-free bonus of up to £30,000 over the first five years of their career for teachers in key subjects, with Further Education colleges set to benefit the most from this funding. The qualification was described as an "undeliverable gimmick" by a Labour Party spokesperson. The ''Guardian'' reported that the plan appeared to have emerged from Downing Street, with little or no involvement from the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Departmen ...

, nor the Education secretary

Gillian Keegan Gillian Keegan (born 13 March 1968) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Education. A member of the Conservative Party, she previously served as Minister of State for Care and Mental Health from 2021 to 2022 and Parliamenta ...

. Sky News noted that the forthcoming general election created uncertainty about the future of the proposal. On July 29th 2024, the newly elected Labour government’s Chancellor of the Exchequer,

Rachel Reeves Rachel Jane Reeves (born 13 February 1979) is a British politician and economist serving as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer since 2021. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament for Leeds West since 2010. Born in Lewis ...

, announced the proposed qualification was being cancelled with immediate effect, citing budget constraints in place at that time.

References

Education in England 2023 in the United Kingdom 2023 in England Educational qualifications in England School examinations Secondary school qualifications Secondary education in England Conservative Party (UK) terms Proposals in the United Kingdom {{UK-edu-stub