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Assessment in post-secondary non-tertiary education

Portugal

6.Upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary Education

6.9Assessment in post-secondary non-tertiary education

Last update: 24 January 2024

Student assessment

Specialised technological courses

The specialised technological courses (Cursos de Especialização Tecnológica – CET)  assessment system focusses on two types of assessment: formative and summative.

  • Formative assessment occurs on all curriculum units and/or short training units, as well as on-the-job training in a systematic and continuous fashion. 
  • Summative assessment occurs on all curriculum units and/or short training units, as well as on-the-job training, adopting predominantly practical instruments to verify trainees’ learning on a scale of 0 to 20 points.

Apprenticeship+ courses

The assessment system of the Apprenticeship+ courses includes formative and summative assessment.

  • Formative assessment occurs on all curriculum units and/or short training units, as well as on-the-job training in a systematic and continuous fashion.
  • Summative assessment occurs on all curriculum units and/or short training units, as well as on-the-job training, adopting predominantly practical instruments to verify trainees’ learning on a scale of 0 to 20 points.

Final assessment involves completing one or more essentially practical assignments, based on the activities of the professional profile or the competence frameworks associated with the respective training framework.

Progression of students

Specialised technological courses

According to Ordinance No. 206/2022, 19 August, a trainee is considered to have passed a training unit if they obtained a grade equal to or higher than 10 points.

A student who has passed all the training units is considered to have passed the training component.

The final grade of a training component is the simple arithmetic average of the summative assessment of all training units, calculated to tenths of a point. Trainees with a final grade of 10 or higher are considered to have passed.

Apprenticeship+ courses

Successful completion of an Apprenticeship+ course depends on a grade equal to or higher than 10 points in each curriculum unit and/or short training course.

The grade for the general and scientific training components, as well as the technological component, is obtained by calculating the arithmetic average of the marks of each curriculum unit and/or short training course.

To complete an Apprenticeship+ course, the work-related training and project work components are equal to or higher than 10 points.

The successful conclusion of an Apprenticeship+ course depends on achieving a final grade equal to or higher than 10.

Apprenticeship+ courses allow trainees to continue their studies in higher education studies, through special access routes, under the terms of the legislation in force.

Certification

Specialised technological courses

Successful completion of the CET confers a level-5 qualification in the National Qualifications Framework (Quadro Nacional de Qualificações - QNQ) and a qualification diploma, as well as a qualifications certificate.

For more information, visit the ANQEP I.P. website.

Apprenticeship+ courses

Successful completion of an Apprenticeship+ course entitles the trainee to a qualifications certificate and a diploma, conferring a QNQ level 5 qualification that feature in the CNQ.

Completion of one or more curriculum units and/or short training courses, as well as the on-the-job training component with a minimum grade of 10, only entitles the student to a partial qualification certificate.

Completing an Apprenticeship+ course depends on passing all training components and project work.