T Level Week 2025: Myth-busting T Level Misconceptions
T Levels have been around for a fair few years now, but there are still some myths and assumptions in the air about them. In this blog, we’ll cover some of the big assumptions people have and bust some T Level misconceptions.
Let’s get to it!
“T Levels are easier than A levels”
One of the biggest misconceptions around T Levels is that they’re easier than A levels. But one T Level is the same as doing three A levels. Achieving a distinction in your T Levels is the equivalent of getting three A grades at A level.
The work will challenge you academically. T Levels students have to submit coursework and sit exams exactly like those who do A levels.
Regarding the industry placement, for some it might be the first time that you enter the world of work, for others you may have worked a part time job already.
The experience of entering the workplace can be challenging too, especially if you haven’t worked before. The benefits of getting that work experience is great for your personal development and your CV, but you still need to make a lot of effort to do make sure you’re getting the most out of your placement.
“You will limit your options by choosing to do T Levels”
Depending on the T Level program you study, many of the courses available offer diversity within a chosen field.
It’s true, that by choosing to do a T Level you are opting to focus on a certain field of study. Some of the courses do focus on specific job roles too, courses like nursing for example. This is great if you know what you want to do.
However, there are other programmes where there’s a lot of range to be had.
Referring to our earlier example, if you wanted to work in healthcare but you don’t know what you want to do, you could choose to do a Health T Level instead.
These courses offer a diverse programme of learning. You’re having the opportunity to study different areas of one field, whilst giving yourself more choice for the future.
More and more universities are accepting T Levels, including many of the elite Russell Group institutions. However, there are still a minority of universities which don’t.
If you feel that going to university is something you’d like to do, it’s worth find out which qualifications are accepted by the universities you think you might like to go to.
“T Levels aren’t accepted by universities” or “T Levels aren’t valued by universities”
80% of a T level course is classroom based. This means you’ll be dedicating a lot of your time to your academic work. This is something that many universities really value.
If you aspire to go to university after studying a T Level, this is definitely possible. T levels can help you develop a lot of transferable skills that will make you into a desirable candidate for a university course.
More and more universities are accepting T Levels, including many of the elite Russell Group institutions. However, there are still a minority of universities which don’t.
If you feel that going to university is something you’d like to do, it’s worth find out which qualifications are accepted by the universities you think you might like to go to.
“The industry placement will not give you enough experience for entry level roles”
The industry placement makes up 20% of your course. However, this works out to 45 days which is a substantial amount of time – and your placement will be full on!
You are expected to immersive yourself in the work and really dedicate time and effort to the tasks you’re responsible for. The placements usually offer a mixture of shadowing and duties of your own.
A lot of students adapt quickly and learn a lot during their placements. Developing your workplace skills is one thing, but you might also see a change in yourself. Many students report feeling more confident in their abilities after their work experience.
This experience in your chosen field can be useful when job searching. There are T Level students who have gone into entry level roles because of the skills they learned during their industry placement.
If you’d be interested in hearing more about T Level success story, read our blog on Veronika’s story. Her story is a perfect example of how choosing a T Level could lead to a career.
So, what next?
Myths busted! Did any of these surprise you? If you’d like to learn more about T Levels, check out our blog on T Levels and apprenticeships or visit the GMACS T Level page.
The placement is a big part of a T Level. To find out more about which organisations across GM are offering T Level placements, check out the GMACS T Level placement page.
