Introduction to Qualification Achievement Rates (QARs)
Source: gov.uk (2025-06-18)

A comprehensive set of QAR resources to offer information and support for training providers.

Resources for further education colleges and other training organisations to:

understand what qualification achievement rates (QARs) are and their purpose

access current QAR guidance

access QAR dashboards and data extracts

resolve QAR queries

The purpose of QARs

Qualification achievement rates (QARs) give one measure of how well further education (FE) colleges and other training organisations perform each year.

QARs use Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data to calculate what proportion of learning was successfully completed and the result is shown as a percentage figure.

QAR uses include:

national statistics

monitoring activities such as performance management by organisations including the Department for Education, Strategic Authorities (including formally named Mayoral Combined Authorities) and Ofsted

acountability measures such as the apprenticeships accountability framework (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-training-provider-accountability-framework)

self assessment (training organisations analysing their own performance)

QARs are produced for:
- 19+ education and training
- 16 to 19 programmes
- Advanced Learner Loans (https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan)
- tailored learning
- apprenticeships
Qualification achievement rates guidance

The QAR guidance sets out the policy for QARs, the technical specifications that define precisely how they are calculated and what data is included or excluded.

QAR in-year data releases and data extract guidance give information on:
- what in-year data is shared
- how training organisations can identify and resolve data issues
Previously this information consists of was found in 3 separate publications:
- QAR business rules
- technical specifications
- QAR data
Following user research in the 2023 to 2024 period the in-year QAR guidance can now be found in one place at: qualification achievement rates 2024 to 2025 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-achievement-rates-2024-to-2025).

Previous qualification achievement rate guidance:

2023 to 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-achievement-rates-2023-to-2024)

2022 to 2023 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-achievement-rates-2022-to-2023)

2021 to 2022 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-achievement-rates-2021-to-2022)

2020 to 2021 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-achievement-rates-qar-2020-to-2021)

2019 to 2020 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-achievement-rates-qar-2019-to-2020)

Checking QAR data in-year

Although all of the achievement data will not yet have been recorded in the individualised learner record, training organisations get early sight of their data to identify and resolve potential data issues prior to the final ILR collection (R14), which closes in mid-October each year.

The in-year data releases guidance gives examples of common data issues to check for, such as duplicate records, and explains how to resolve them.

It is important that training organisations use this in-year QAR to review their data, as it cannot be changed after the R14 ILR collection. Summary QAR data and a detailed data extract are created:

in July each year using the training organisation’s R10 ILR data

in September each year using the training organisation’s R12 ILR data

In-year data is not published externally, it is only intended for use by training organisations.

Provisional QAR data

Training organisations can view their provisional QAR data following the submission of their R14 ILR each year. This gives them a final chance to check that the QAR methodology has been applied correctly. In previous years the provisional QAR was released in January but from the 2024 to 2025 reporting period this will be released in November. The final QAR data is published in the national achievement rate tables in the first quarter of each year.

Possible errors with the way the methodology has been applied should be reported through the customer help portal (https://customerhelpportal.education.gov.uk).

How to access QAR data

Training organisations access their QAR data through View your education data (VYED) (https://viewyourdata.education.gov.uk/). To register for VYED, training organisations need to have a DfE Sign-in (https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/) (DSI).

For access, users must have the QAR sub service added to their DSI account.

QARs are published annually in national achievement rates tables (NARTs), which enable training organisations to benchmark their performance. They are available on the explore education statistics platform at:
- Apprenticeships NARTs (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2024-25)
- Education and training NARTs (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2024-25%22HYPERLINK%20%22https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills)
Get help with QARs

The in-year data release guidance contains all the information needed to understand how QARs are calculated.

General queries should be raised through our customer help portal (https://customerhelpportal.education.gov.uk).

If your enquiry relates to specific learners, you should also complete and submit the data query form (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-achievement-rates-2023-to-2024).

There is an online forum (https://esfahelp.education.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/community/topics/360000847259-Further-education-and-training-providers), which training organisations can use to discuss data-related queries with other training providers.