Overview
Apprentices who are under 19 at the start of their apprenticeship or have not opted out of functional skills requirements are required to submit evidence of existing qualifications in maths and English to meet government compliance and funding rules.
✅To give yourself the best chance of getting your evidence accepted, review the checks below:
1. Check that your qualification type is acceptable
UK Evidence
Below are the most commonly accepted qualification types. Further examples can be found in the government guidance here under ‘Level 3 apprenticeships’.
Qualification Type | Detail |
GCSE | Any GCSE with ‘Maths’ or ‘English’ in the title (excluding English as a second language), minimum grade C or 4. Note: GCSE Equivalency qualifications are not accepted. |
International GCSE | Same criteria as regular GCSE. |
Functional Skills Level 2 | A pass in the FS L2 English or Maths qualification. |
Key Skills Level 2 | Titles should include ‘Communication’ for literacy and ‘Application of Number’ for numeracy, with a passing grade. |
A Levels and AS Levels | Must strictly have ‘English’ or ‘Maths’ in the title, with a minimum grade of E. |
O Level | Needs ‘English’ or ‘Maths’ in the title, minimum grade C. |
CSE | Only grade 1 is acceptable for English or Maths titles. |
Degrees | Only those with English or Mathematics in the title; individual English/Maths modules as part of a degree aren’t acceptable. |
International Baccalaureate | Only English A or A1; no other variants like A2 or B forms, with a minimum acceptable grade of 3. |
⚠️Common reasons for rejection:
Degrees that do not explicitly state English and Maths in the title will not be accepted. For example, a degree in Engineering would not be accepted as although Engineering is related to Maths, the guidance is strict that the degree has to be predominantly in the subject of Maths.
International Evidence
We can usually accept international secondary school Maths qualifications. However, for English, the requirement is that it is studied as a first language. We check international qualifications against ECCTIS standards to ensure they're equivalent to UK standards.
Statements of Comparability are acceptable as evidence as long as they confirm the qualification is equivalent to GCSE.
Naric enquiry letters can be submitted but are not necessary as we use the live Ecctis database to validate International Qualifications.
Certificates with transcripts need to be translated and certified if they are from the following countries:
Greece
Ukraine
China
Russia
Bulgaria
Saudi Arabia
⚠️Common reasons for rejection:
IELTS, ESOL, and Level 2 Entry qualifications are not accepted.
English proficiency tests are not accepted.
English is not studied as a first language.
2. Check that your evidence format is acceptable
Commonly Accepted UK Evidence
Most apprentices upload their official certificate issued by the exam board or awarding organisation—the table below details additional acceptable evidence types.
Evidence Type | Requirements |
Full certificates or certified statements of results from the awarding organisation (e.g. the exam board) | Must include your full name, full qualification name, the awarding organization name and/or qualification number, the awarded grade, and the date of achievement. If you provide a provisional statement of results, we will ask you to send confirmation that:
|
A report generated from your Personal Learning Record (PLR) | Must include your full name, full qualification name, the awarding organization name and/or qualification number, the awarded grade, and the date of achievement. |
An email from the awarding organisation (e.g. the exam board) offering the qualification confirming achievement in English and/or maths | Must include your full name, full qualification name, the awarding organization name and/or qualification number, the awarded grade, and the date of achievement. |
An official report from the School Information Management System (SIMS) or Candidate Management Information System (CMIS) | Must be authenticated with a stamp and signed by the school's examination officer or equivalent authority. The report must include your full name, full qualification name, the awarding organization name and/or qualification number, the awarded grade, and the date of achievement. |
A National Record of Achievement (NRA) | Must contain relevant awarding organisation verifiable achievement. This must include your full name, full qualification name, the awarding organization name and/or qualification number, the awarded grade, and the date of achievement. |
⚠️Common reasons for rejection:
A letter or email from a school or college is insufficient unless it is an official CIMS/SIMS report signed and stamped by an examination officer or equivalent authority.
Evidence will be rejected where details are illegible or blurry.
3. Check that the name on your evidence matches your current name and the name on Multiverse systems
To ensure your evidence is accepted, the name on your certificate must match the name you used when enrolling in your apprenticeship.
If your name does not match, please consult the table below for options.
Your circumstance | Next Steps |
My name has changed legally since obtaining my qualification | You will need to provide documentation to verify the change. Acceptable evidence of a name change includes:
|
I used a preferred name when enrolling which is different to that printed on my existing qualification |
|
There is an error or misprint on my existing qualification | If there is an error or misprint on your existing qualification, please reach out to our Support Team for a name declaration form, which you will need to submit with an accompanying ID (not a passport). |
4. Check that your document is clear
Ensure all information is legible, the evidence is not blurry, and all four corners are shown.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I have opted out of functional skills requirements, do I still need to submit evidence of maths and English qualifications?
If you are over 19 and you and your employer agree you do not need functional skills qualifications for your role, you are not required to submit evidence.
How should I submit/resubmit maths/English evidence?
Please see this article, which explains how to do this depending on whether you are submitting for the first time or resubmitting following a rejection.
What should I do if I have lost my maths or English certificate or cannot remember my exam board?
Check out this article, which provides detailed guidance for locating lost certificates or evidence.
How and when will I hear if my maths/English evidence has been accepted?
It will not show on your homepage whether your maths and English evidence has been accepted. Instead, you will be informed via email, which will explain the next steps. If you have not received an email within 5 working days of submitting your evidence, please contact our support team, who will investigate for you.
What should I do if I believe my maths/English evidence meets all of the above criteria, but it has still been rejected?
Please reach out to our support team, who can investigate this for you.