Standards
Many qualifications are linked to frameworks of standards. These can also be used for self assessment and, in the case of occupational standards, by employers, to gauge skills levels. For information about the different frameworks and how they are used, click into the links on the left. To see how the different frameworks relate to each other see the table of equivalences within the Language Ladder section.

Qualifications in the UK
Language qualifications in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are offered by several different awarding bodies and organisations. They vary in size, scope and level. This means there is considerable flexibility over how individuals can have their skills recognised.

The introduction of credit and qualification frameworks across the UK has enabled even greater flexibility for combining level and scope of qualifications over a period of time.