PROPOSAL FOR ESOL QUALIFICATION DELIVERY: GLH & TQT MANAGEMENT

Target Awarding Body: Ascentis (Subject to Centre Approval)
Target Levels: Entry 1 to Level 2
Target Group: Adult ESOL Learners in the Community

1. Executive Summary
2. RQF Standard Time Allocation Matrix
3. Methodology for Meeting Guided Learning Hours (GLH)
4. Methodology for Meeting Total Qualification Time (TQT)
5. Differentiated Strategy by Level (Entry 1 to Level 2)
6. Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance for Community Delivery

1. Executive Summary

This document outlines the strategic framework to meet the Guided Learning Hours (GLH) and Total Qualification Time (TQT) requirements for community-based adult ESOL learners. To accommodate the complex lives of community learners—who frequently balance education with childcare, erratic shift work, and settlement pressures—this framework combines structured, teacher-led contact with a formalised “directed independent learning” model.

This delivery strategy is fully mapped against standard Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) criteria and is ready to be tailored to the Ascentis specification upon formal approval of our assessment centre application.

2. RQF Standard Time Allocation Matrix

The program delivers both single-skill pathways (Awards) and comprehensive multi-skill pathways (Full Certificates) across all levels from Entry 1 through to Level 2.

Note: The ratio demands that roughly 70–75% of the TQT is fulfilled via direct GLH. Upon successful centre approval, our individual schemes of work will be cross-referenced directly against Ascentis-specific guidelines.

3. Methodology for Meeting Guided Learning Hours (GLH)

GLH comprises time where a qualified tutor or assessor is directly present to facilitate learning, either physically in a community venue or synchronously online. This will be met through:

Core Classroom Contact: Structured weekly sessions focusing on explicit language instruction derived from the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum. For example, a single 120-hour Award benchmark is achieved via two 2.5-hour sessions per week over a 24-week semester.

Tutor-Led Diagnostics & Feedback: Regular 1-to-1 or small-group progress reviews, formative speaking/listening tasks, and error correction conducted live under direct teacher supervision.

Invigilated Controlled Assessment: Time spent completing live, internally or externally assessed assignments (such as Entry-level spoken role-plays or formal reading exams) conducted under tutor or invigilator supervision in strict compliance with Ascentis quality assurance requirements.

4. Methodology for Meeting Total Qualification Time (TQT)

TQT represents the sum of the GLH plus the non-guided, autonomous learning hours an average learner requires to successfully achieve the qualification. For community adults, this is met through structured “directed independent learning” including:

Asynchronous & Homework Tasks: Individual homework portfolios, grammar worksheets, writing drafts, or digital learning platform progress completed at home without a teacher present.

Targeted Independent Study: Self-directed preparation for reading and writing assessments using past papers, sample questions, and level-appropriate vocabulary-building exercises.

Real-World Practical Tasks: Directed community-based activities where learners intentionally test linguistic concepts taught in class (e.g., interacting with public transport, attending doctor appointments, or communicating with schools) and document their experiences in a reflection log.

5. Differentiated Strategy by Level (Entry 1 to Level 2)

Entry Levels (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3)

GLH Focus: High face-to-face classroom interaction, phonetic drilling, tactile learning resources, and heavily scaffolded communicative tasks. Tutors explicitly guide the completion of Ascentis-style practice tasks in class.

TQT Focus: Highly visual homework, interactive basic language applications, and structured “community challenges” (e.g., locating and photographing specific street signs or local facilities) to safely bridge classroom learning with real-world survival English.

Higher Levels (Level 1 and Level 2)

GLH Focus: Advanced grammar mechanics, formal writing structures, complex reading comprehension, and professional debate. Tutors act as facilitators for collaborative group work and conduct formal mock oral assessments.

TQT Focus: Formal academic tasks, including drafting extended essays, processing complex authentic texts (such as utility bills or local news articles), and completing timed past papers to meet Ascentis assessment standards independently.

6. Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance for Community Delivery

Flexible Delivery Models

Ofqual allows community providers to implement flexible delivery models to safeguard funding and ensure hours are met despite learner volatility:

Roll-on / Roll-off Enrollment: Splitting full certificates into bite-sized single awards so learners do not have to commit to 270 classroom hours all at once.

Blended Directives: Utilising explicit independent worksheets and tracking remote work to prove that learners who miss an occasional class are still accumulating the required TQT hours.

Verification Tracking

To satisfy Ascentis centre approval criteria, delivery hours will be audited using a two-tier tracking system:

GLH Verification: Monitored strictly through live electronic registers capturing attendance for every guided classroom hour.

TQT Verification: Documented via individual Learner Journals and Digital Learning Platform analytics, proving that the independent hours required at each level have been fully completed prior to exam registration.