In this month's Key skills news :

• What can/can’t be used as a proxy?
• Use of images within Communication

Key skills news is published every month and contains all the latest information and updates about the key skills qualifications awarded by City & Guilds.

A downloadable (PDF) version of the newsletter (for printing and/or circulating to colleagues) is available below. A full archive of previous issues is also available.

What can/can’t be used as a proxy?

We’re often asked for advice on whether particular qualifications entitle candidates to proxy exemption, and in particular whether any international qualifications can be used.

QCA maintains the definitive list of approved proxy qualifications (see www.qca.org.uk/qca_6562.aspx). These are the qualifications that have been approved by the three regulators (QCA, DCELLS and CCEA) to act as proxies and no other qualifications may be used to claim proxy exemption.

This list of approved proxy qualifications is largely confined to qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (ie those regulated by QCA/DCELLS/CCEA). The only exceptions are a limited number of Scottish qualifications (eg Standard Grade English) and the Irish Leaving Certificate. These have been included as a result of specific agreements between QCA and its partner regulators in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland; international qualifications (eg International GCSEs) otherwise cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

Our administrative procedures for checking and claiming proxies are set out on pages 26-27 of our key skills centre guide. We included more detailed guidance about the use of proxy qualifications and procedures for logging partial key skills achievement with other awarding bodies in Issue 22 (April 2006) of Key skills news.

Use of images within Communication

Part B of the standards for Communication requires candidates to make use of at least one image when obtaining or conveying information. The QCA key skills standards and guidance document sets out the detail of what is required at each level, although in all cases the image must have a clear and evident purpose.

The image can be any non-textual representation that conveys information. For example, where candidates are integrating evidence towards more than one key skill in the same portfolio, the graph or chart (not a table) needed for Application of Number might also satisfy the image requirement for Communication.