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Summary
Declining Level 2 attainment, and the subsequent lack of policy focus on this area, is a significant weakness in the post-16 qualifications landscape. Almost one-in-five 19-year-olds across England do not reach Level 2 attainment (the equivalent of five good GCSEs), with the proportion of young people reaching this standard now in decline for five consecutive years between 2015 and 2020.