Answer: Providers who encounter this problem should ask their IT team for advice as they will need to have an appropriate zip tool installed for them to be able to open the file. The Data Service can provide a link to free software: http://www.winzip.com/trialpay.htm

Answer: If providers only have a QSR it is because they only deliver qualifications which are not included in MLP. Those qualifications which are excluded from MLP but reported on in a QSR report are Key Skills, Functional Skills and AS levels.

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Question 4: How is data for years before 2008/09 calculated?

Answer: The data on the QSR for the years before 2008/09 has been based on the methodology for 2007/08, and so will be the same as the values on that year’s reports. Demand Led Funding (DLF) methodology has not been applied to previous years.

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Question 5: How do I reconcile my MI system against the QSR data?

Answer: The CSV file contained within your QSR zip file details all records used in the production of your 2008/09 success rates. The guidance note included within the zip details how to query this file.

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Question 6: What is the difference between QSR Report and the MLP Report?

Answer: For 2008/09 the QSR is based on the number who achieved by the number who started whereas the MLP is the has a weighted success rate (see FAQ How is weighted success rate calculated?) which takes into account the number of guided learning hours.

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Question 7: What is a ‘start’?

Answer: A ‘start’ is a learning aim which is planned to end in the academic year and the learner: -

has not transferred within the provider

is not under 16 at start of learning

did not withdraw in the first six weeks

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Question 8:What qualifications are not included?

Answer: Key Skills and Functional Skills are excluded from the reports but separate sections in the QSR report on Key Skills (Section 14) and Functional Skills (Section 13).

Other exclusions are documented in the methodology.

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Question 9: Are the qualifications included in MLP the same as in QSR?

Answer: Yes, except for AS levels which are excluded from MLP Reporting Back To Top

Question 10: Where does ‘ glh ’ figure come from?

Answer: Guided learning hours are the total of the guided learning hours for each year of the aim. Uses A_INYR_EXPECTED_GLH derived variable

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Question 11: How is weighted success rate calculated?

Answer: The sum of guided learning hours for aims in scope achieved divided by the sum of guided learning hours for aims in scope multiplied by 100.
For example, (sum A_TOTAL_INYR_EXPECTED_GLH where p_achieved_funded=1) divided by (Sum A_TOTAL_INYR_EXPECTED_GLH) multiplied by 100.

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Question 12: How is associated funding calculated?

Answer: This is calculated using the derived variable ‘A_TOTAL_PAYMENT_Y2D’ – which is summed for each year of the aim.

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Question 13: How is provision below threshold calculated?

Answer: For an individual map code if the Sector Subject Area (SSA) cell on the provider summary by SSA is red (that is, below the threshold) and the weighted success rate for the map code is below the threshold this will also be red and the glh will be included in the total of provision below threshold.

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Question 14: Colour coding on Page 1

Answer: Cells are coloured Red if they show a percentage of provision below threshold that is greater than 25%. Cells are coloured Yellow if they show a percentage of provision below the threshold that is greater than 15% but less than or equal to 25%.

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Question 15: Colour coding on Page for provider summary by SSA (page 2+)

Answer: Red if the weighted success rate for the cell is below the threshold. Green if equal or greater than threshold

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Question 16: Colour coding for map code level report

Answer: Yellow if the weighted success for the map code is below the threshold but the weighted success rate for the SSA and level on the provider summary is not below the threshold

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Question 17: What is a map code?

Answer: Map code is a grouping of aims e.g. A level history which includes the different aims for A level history for each examining board.

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Question 18: What changes have been made to the Transfer processing?

Answer: Where a learner has two entries for the same course starting on the same date and finishing in the same Academic year and one of them was a Transfer sometimes the record that would have contributed to success rates was excluded rather than the Transfer. This has now been fixed.

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Question 19: Final Reports - 6 Week Rule

Answer: Long aims greater than 24 weeks where the learner has withdrawn (the record must be flagged as withdrawn i.e. A34 = 3) within 6 weeks and where no funding payment has been made, have been removed from the QSR / MLP results. Note: the previous version of the methodology used a derived variable which was not appropriate if the start and end dates were in different academic years.

Aim length is calculated using Actual Start Date (A27) and Planned End Date (A28)
Length of stay is calculated using Actual Start Date (A27) and Actual End Date (A31).
For short courses the qualifying period is two weeks and for very short courses it is one day.

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Question 20: Final Reports: Matching process

Answer: The matching process matches your final F05 submissions from 2004/05 through to 2008/09. It will try to match using a combination on L01(provider number), L03 (learner number), A09 (aim reference) together with the following combinations in the following sequence:

A27(start date), A28(planned end date), A31(actual end date)
A27, A28
A27, ExpectedEndYr, A31
A27, ExpectedEndYr
For aims prior to 2007/08 the following combinations will be used
StartYear, ExpectedEndYr, A31
StartYear, ExpectedEndYr
Once matched we will disregard the prior years record and use the latest record.

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Question 21: Final Reports: De-Duplication Process

Answer: This process has now been removed as it is quite legitimate to have multiple generic aims for a learner in year.

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Question 22: I seem to have duplicate records in my data?

Answer: The success rate methodology matches across year by matching on L01, L03, A09, A27, and the expected end year.
If you amended any of these details across years then this can result in multiple records which will be counted.
Please refer to the Data Extract supplied with your QSR report for details of all the records used to calculate your success rates.

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Question 23: When is the 2009/10 Methodology Available?

Answer: This was published on the Data Service website in July 2010

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Question 24: NVQ’s moved into ER are still showing in my Success Rates?

Answer: NVQs coded in 2006/2007 and 2007/08 with a main delivery method (A18) of 12,13,15,16,22,23 where the learner was aged 19+ were considered for Demand Led Funding modelling purposes to be “delivered in the workplace” and therefore funded via Employer Responsive provision under DLF. The success rate calculation uses the same methodology and includes these learners in the Train To Gain (TTG) success rates, as this is how adult provision delivered in the workplace has been funded from 2008/09 onwards.
In addition due to the ambiguity of the ILR specification those with a delivery method of 15 or 16 will only be included within the TTG methodology if they have an end date or have been returned in the 09/10 ER return. Those coded as A18 = 14 will continue to be funded by Learner Responsive and will be included within the LR success rates.

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Question 25: How is the success rate calculated?

Answer: In simple terms success rate is the number of aims achieved divided by the number started

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Question 26: How is the achievement rate calculated?

Answer: In simple terms achievement rate is the number of aims achieved divided by the number completed

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Question 27: How is the retention rate calculated?

Answer: In simple terms retention rate is the number of aims completed divided by the number started

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Question 28: When will reports be published?

Answer: For a full list of 2010/11 QSR and MLP publication dates please see the link below:

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/qsr_mlp/

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Question 29: Which of my submitted ILR files have you used to produce this report?

Answer: There is a footer on each page of the report that shows details of the last submitted ILR file that has been used.

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Question 30: There are three QSR PDFs this year rather than one. What has happened to the contents?

Answer: This year we’ve integrated the Framework for Excellence reports that analyse success rates at Sector Subject Area Tier 2 level. (These were published as a separate, interim delivery for 2008/09). This has given us the opportunity to restructure the sequence of report sections into a more logical and intuitive grouping. Accordingly, you now have 3 pdf reports in the zip – one showing Summary Success Rates (sections 1 – 13);
A second showing Sector Subject Area details (sections 14 – 23; these include the Framework for Excellence SSA Tier 2 reports); and the third PDF made up of supplementary information on retention and achievement (sections 24 – 29). You can navigate easily within these reports to find the sections you require by consulting the new Contents sheet and by using the Adobe ‘bookmark’ facility.

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Question 31: Why do I have a QSR report but not an MLP?

Answer: If providers only have a QSR it is because they only deliver qualifications which are not included in MLP. Those qualifications which are excluded from MLP but reported on in a QSR report are:

* Key Skills
* Functional Skills
* AS levels

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Question 32: What is the difference between success rates on QSR and MLP (for 2009/10 data)?

Answer: QSRs show success rates based on the number of aims achieved divided by the number of aims started. The MLP reports have a weighted success rate (see FAQ How is weighted success rate calculated?) which takes into account the number of guided learning hours in each aim.

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Question 33: My MLP map-code report also shows starts, GLH and funding by age-band, but these pages aren’t colour-coded. Why?

Answer: The age-band part of the report is provided as supplementary information only. For this reason, it does not calculate an age-band success rate, and is not used to determine whether provision meets or falls short of minimum levels of performance.

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Question 34: When will the 2010/11 Learner Responsive Methodology be available?

Answer: It is the intention to publish this by July 2011.

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Question 35: Why were the LR QSR reports updated on the Provider Gateway on 24 December 2010?

Answer: The Data Extract for these reports was refreshed and in order to publish it again the reports had to be restated. The LR QSR reports were not affected by this republish.

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Question 36: How many different provider type groupings are there within Learner Responsive?

Answer: There are five provider type groupings in the LR QSR Reports. These are:

General FE College incl Tertiary
Other Public Funded i.e LA's and HE
Private Sector Public Funded
Sixth form college
Special colleges (Agriculture and horticulture & Art, design and performing arts), Specialist Designated College

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Question 37: How does the 2010/11 Learner Responsive Methodology affect the calculation of success rates for the International Baccalaureate ('IB') qualification?

Answer: In general Programme Aims, such as those for Programme Led Pathways & Diplomas, will continue to be excluded from success rate calculations. However, in the case of the International Baccalaureate, individual components are not recorded in the ILR, so the overall programme aim of the Iinternational Baccalaureate will be the one used in the success rate calculation.

Background: This situation remains unchanged from 2009/10.

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