The ladder
Apprenticeships in England are graded by level, and the level tells you roughly what the qualification is worth:
- Level 2 — Intermediate. Equivalent to good GCSEs. The standard starting point for most trades: bricklaying, carpentry, welding, hairdressing, care work, warehousing.
- Level 3 — Advanced. Equivalent to A-levels. Where electricians, plumbers, motor vehicle technicians, dental nurses and engineering technicians qualify.
- Levels 4 and 5 — Higher. Equivalent to a foundation degree or HNC/HND. Site supervisors, nursing associates, software developers, quantity surveying technicians.
- Levels 6 and 7 — Degree apprenticeships. A full bachelor's or master's degree, paid for by the employer and the government, while you work. Registered nurses, police constables, chartered surveyors, engineers.
You do not have to start at the bottom, and you do not have to stop where you start. Plenty of people go level 2 to level 3 to level 4 over eight years and end up managing the site they swept as an apprentice.
What you need to get on each one
Level 2 usually asks for very little — often nothing formal at all. Employers care more about whether you turn up, listen and are safe. You will need to work towards level 1 or 2 English and maths during the apprenticeship if you do not already have them.
Level 3 normally wants GCSE grade 4 (C) in English and maths, or the equivalent, though many employers accept grade 3 with Functional Skills support. Some, like electrical apprenticeships, set aptitude tests that are more demanding than the paper requirement suggests.
Levels 4 to 7 generally want level 3 qualifications — A-levels, a T Level, a completed advanced apprenticeship, or an Access course — plus the relevant GCSEs.
English and maths
This trips up more people than anything else. You must hold, or work towards, level 2 English and maths (GCSE grade 4/C or Functional Skills level 2) to complete most apprenticeships at level 3 and above.
If you left school without them, this is not the end of the road. Functional Skills are taught alongside your apprenticeship, they are practical rather than academic, and thousands of people pass them every year having failed GCSE maths twice. Ask every provider you speak to how they support it.
End-point assessment
Modern apprenticeships in England finish with an independent end-point assessment: a practical test, a professional discussion, a portfolio review, or some combination. It is carried out by an organisation that is not your employer or your college, which is the point — the grade means something because nobody who taught you awarded it.
Some trades have their own long-standing version. Electricians take the AM2, a multi-day practical assessment that has been the industry's gateway for decades.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The level numbering differs. Scotland uses the SCQF framework, where a Modern Apprenticeship typically sits at SCQF level 5, 6 or 7, and there are also Foundation Apprenticeships for school pupils and Graduate Apprenticeships up to master's level. Wales and Northern Ireland use Foundation, Apprenticeship and Higher Apprenticeship labels. The principle is identical: employed, paid, trained, assessed.
Last reviewed 25 September 2026.