The Award of Personal Effectiveness (AoPE) Level 1

The AoPE qualifications are currently being re-submitted to Ofqual for their approval to be extended and continue for another four or five years.

What is AoPE?

The Award of Personal Effectiveness is a nationally recognised Level 1 qualification, equivalent to half a GCSE. It can accredit some of the many imaginative and diverse activities undertaken by learners, both inside and outside of school. Assessment is based on a portfolio of evidence. The AoPE assessment units encourage the development of the communication and personal, learning and thinking skills required for progression to further education, training or employment. AoPE sits within the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and is approved as eligible for use in Foundation Learning (FL) provision.

AoPE offers:

  • nationally recognised certification for Level 1
  • Portfolio assessment – no examination – and Mode 3 style moderation
  • Half GCSE equivalent "league table" points (12.5 points) 
  • Progression to CoPE, Wider Key Skills or Functional Skills accreditation

Who is it for?

AoPE Level 1 is suitable for a wide range of learners, both within and beyond the 14-19 age group of full-time students. The opportunity to choose the context in which the learner studies, makes AoPE particularly attractive to those in secondary schools and non-formal education.

How to achieve AoPE

Students must complete 6 curriculum credits' worth of challenges from an ASDAN student book (there are 20 books to choose from), collecting evidence for their portfolios in the process. They must also demonstrate that their work meets the criteria for at least four of the QCF-approved Assessment Units:

  • Working as part of a group
  • Working towards goals
  • Dealing with problems in daily life
  • Planning and carrying out research
  • Group discussion
  • Preparing for and giving a presentation
  • Developing self

AoPE is a flexible qualification designed to be delivered in conjunction with other ASDAN programmes. Learners can choose curriculum activities (challenges) from the Bronze/Silver or Gold Award, the ASDAN Short Courses, or the CoPE Level 1 and 2 student book to develop and demonstrate skills:


Assessment process:

  1. Assessed evidence is organised in a portfolio
  2. Internal assessment and moderation
  3. Candidate names submitted to ASDAN
  4. ASDAN sample the submission 
  5. External moderation meetings (held in most regions every term)

Training

All centres running AoPE (or CoPE) must have an ASDAN-trained co-ordinator. AoPE introductory workshops are available to book online.

FAQ

Q: How much does the AoPE Level 1 qualification cost?

A: Click here to access the costs page, which features information about registration costs for AoPE. The cost of candidate registration is the same as that for CoPE and candidates originally registered for CoPE who have not had their work externally moderated may transfer to AoPE at no additional cost.

Q: Is there any support for centres?

A: Centre co-ordinators and assessors from centres registered for AoPE and CoPE are invited to attend Support and Standardisation meetings every term. These meetings are free to all registered AoPE and CoPE centres and are run by Cluster Leaders – there are more than 50 clusters in the UK. For details of these meetings, see the CoPE secure area.

Q: How can my centre start running AoPE?

If you are not yet registered with ASDAN, your first step is to complete an Application for Centre Registration Form, registering to deliver CoPE.

Current ASDAN centres need to ensure CoPE is added to their centre's registration. To do this, please complete the Additional Networks Registration form.

You must attend a CoPE or AoPE introductory training workshop or arrange suitable ASDAN in-house training in order to run CoPE and/or AoPE in your centre. If you have already attended a CoPE Introductory workshop or INSET this should be sufficient.

Following registration, you will receive a welcome pack. This will include a Registration of Candidate Numbers (CANa) form, which you need to complete in order to receive your student books. Any student books that can be used for CoPE Levels 1 and 2 can be used for AoPE as well. If possible, when completing the CANa, please indicate how may candidates may be undertaking AoPE.

Current CoPE centres are advised to attend AoPE transition training or arrange in-house training particularly if they have not yet submitted CoPE files for moderation. Candidates originally registered for CoPE who have not had their work externally moderated may transfer to AoPE at no additional cost.

Secure Area for registered centres

Once your centre is registered with ASDAN for CoPE, you can access further information and resources for CoPE and AoPE via the website's Secure Area.

The secure area for CoPE contains all relevant updates, essential documents, meeting information and resources, and enables you to:

  • Download Resources, including Standards with Guidance and documents used to transfer from CoPE to AoPE
  • Register your Qualification candidate numbers and names either online, via e-mail or by post
  • View updated support/standardisation/moderation meeting dates
  • Purchase materials from the online ASDAN catalogue
  • Check the list of candidates registered from your centre

There is no limit to the number of people from a centre who can register for a Secure Area password.

You can register for a password online, by clicking here to access the request form.

Further information

If you would like to discuss the qualification or require further information, please contact Kath Grant or Jenni Robertson at ASDAN.