Certificate of Personal Effectiveness Level 3
About this course
ASDAN’s Award and Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (AoPE and CoPE) qualifications are closed to new learner registrations in England, Northern Ireland and international settings.
Centres in Wales can continue to register learners until 30 September 2026.
Centres with existing learners can continue to deliver AoPE and CoPE in line with the relevant specifications and certification deadlines.
ASDAN members approved to deliver AoPE or CoPE are automatically approved to deliver PEQ, except for centres in Wales.
Who is CoPE for?
CoPE Level 3 is primarily intended for students in post-16 education, helping them to build the skills they will need as they prepare for future study or work. In addition, it offers an ideal solution for accrediting the wider enrichment activities that often form a central part of the post-16 experience.
Facts and figures
- CoPE Level 3 is worth 16 UCAS points for students entering higher education.
- In Wales and Northern Ireland, ASDAN qualifications can contribute towards school/college performance measures. Download this information sheet for details.
- A number of higher education institutions (HEIs) recognise the value of CoPE Level 3 and state that, alongside other Level 3 qualifications, it can contribute to fulfilling entry requirements to a range of higher education courses.
Applicants to HEIs are strongly advised to confirm with the department offering the course that the department in question will take CoPE into consideration as part of the application process.
Structure
Students build a portfolio of evidence to show how they have practised and developed the six skills while completing a selection of activities from the CoPE student book.
Each activity can take 20, 30, 40 or 50 hours to complete and the qualification as a whole takes approximately 150 guided learning hours. Activities are chosen from the following modules:
- Active citizenship
- Work related activities
- Career planning
- Global awareness
- Enrichment activities
- Extended project
There are a wide variety of activities available, from carrying out a detailed research project or taking on a leadership role to work experience, volunteering placements and overseas expeditions.
Units and standards
Download the CoPE Levels 1-3 standards only.
Please note that centres registered to deliver CoPE will be able to access a full copy of the standards with guidance, which provides key information on how to interpret and implement the unit standards. Download sample units from the CoPE Levels 1-3 standards with guidance.
Student Book
Download sample pages from the CoPE and AoPE Level 3 student book.
The following documents are available to download for free:
- CoPE Level 3 qualification specification
- CoPE Levels 1-3 standards only
- Sample units from the CoPE Levels 1-3 standards with guidance
- CoPE and AoPE Level 3 student sample book
Assessment resources
Assessment planning guidance and an Assessment checklist are available from the Course resources section of this page and from ASDAN Qualifications Centre Guidance.
All candidate registration costs shown below are per candidate, unless otherwise stated.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Personal Effectiveness: | |
| Level 1 and 2 | £38 |
| Level 3 | £41 |
Products can be purchased below.
Public funding for ASDAN qualifications delivered in the UK
Many ASDAN qualifications are fully funded by the UK Government.
Whether you are an employer, a learner or a training provider, the following websites will provide you with more information on the different types of public funding in the UK for ASDAN qualifications.
- England - Education and Skills Funding Agency, ESFA
- Wales - Qualifications in Wales, QiW
- Northern Ireland - Department for the Economy
Products
Course resources
CoPE Level 3 assessment checklists
CoPE Level 3: introduction to improving own learning and performance
CoPE Level 3: Introduction to working with others
CoPE Level 3: Introduction to problem solving
CoPE Level 3: Planning and carrying out a piece of research
CoPE Level 3: Communicating through discussion
CoPE Level 3: Planning and giving an oral presentation
CoPE Level 3 assessment plans – updated 2021
Level 3: Team working transfer document
Level 3: Planning and reviewing learning transfer document
CoPE Level 3 to AoPE: Tackling problems transfer document
CoPE Level 3 to AoPE: Research Skills transfer document
CoPE Level 3: Improving own learning and performance transfer document
CoPE Level 3: Working with others transfer document
AoPE Level 3: Research transfer document
CoPE Level 3 example assessment plan – updated 2021
Qualifications internal quality assurance guidance
Qualifications internal quality assurance cycle
Qualifications internal quality assurance pre-delivery check (with guidance)
Qualifications internal quality assurance sampling plan
Qualifications internal quality assurance feedback report template
Qualifications internal standardisation meeting template
Qualifications EQA/external moderation sample centre checklist
Digital sampling guidance
Helping others at Christmas: Citizenship and community
This PowerPoint can be used to structure a project based around helping others at Christmas, with links to challenges 2A6 and 2B1 from the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE). Learners are asked to investigate potential ways of helping others at Christmas, they then plan and undertake a period of volunteering, community or fundraising work and review their involvement. For example: organising a Christmas fayre to raise funds for charity; volunteering at a homeless shelter; donating presents to overseas children via a shoebox appeal; hosting a social event for local elderly residents.
Evaluation chart (individual)
This evaluation chart can be used by learners to evaluate a six-week individual activity. Learners are asked to mark on the graph each week to show what they did and how they felt; at the end of the project the learner should join up the marks to give a picture of the whole activity. This resource is particularly suited to challenges in Short Courses, Personal Development Programmes (Bronze, Silver, Gold), CoPE and Wider Key Skills.
Evaluation chart (group)
This evaluation chart can be used by learners to evaluate a six-week group activity. Each member of the group should choose a different colour and mark on the graph each week to show what they did and how they felt. At the end of the project, each group member then joins up their marks to give a picture of the whole activity. This resource is particularly suited to challenges in Short Courses, Personal Development Programmes (Bronze, Silver, Gold), CoPE and Wider Key Skills.
Scheme of work template
This template can be used to plan and create a scheme of work for any ASDAN programme or qualification. Also included is a completed example showing a scheme of work for Module 3 of the Personal Development Programmes.
Self-evaluation template
This generic self-evaluation template can be used by learners to evaluate almost any group activity. Learners are asked to record how they felt about the activity and pick out the best and worst bits, before reflecting on what they could do better next time. This resource is particularly suited to challenges in Short Courses, Personal Development Programmes (Bronze, Silver, Gold), CoPE and Wider Key Skills.
Teamwork health check
This generic teamwork health check template can support a wide range of group activities. Learners are asked to come up with a list of agreed ground rules for good teamwork, then rate each group member's performance against these criteria. This resource is particularly suited to challenges in Short Courses, Personal Development Programmes (Bronze, Silver, Gold), CoPE and Wider Key Skills.