Recommendations for benchmark selection

Recommendations for benchmark selection

This article was last updated 04 Sept 2025 and relates to Results Season 2025 onwards. 

This article links directly from the platform and is accessed from either the Current Benchmark lozenge in the top bar, or from the Analysis Setting page related to switching benchmarks. 

This article presents the datasets in the platforms and the recommendations for choosing your benchmark. 

Summary of recommendations in article: 



Part 1: Benchmark datasets per cohort

  1. There are two benchmarks available within the platforms for Key Stage 5
    1. The National Benchmark Set (Toggle 1) - this dataset will usually contain the full national data
    2. The Alps Benchmark Set (Toggle 2) - the benchmarks provided by Alps following Results and contain elements of Customer Benchmarks generated from Alps customer.  They might also contain alternative datasets. 
      1. In Wales, only Welsh schools are included in this customer benchmark 
  2. Key Stage 4 England and Jersey: The latest dataset used is the 2024 DfE national. This dataset is used both on the National Benchmark set (Toggle 1), and the Alps Benchmark set (Toggle 2).  
  3. Key Stage 4 Wales: The dataset used is the dataset from the 2019 standard. There is no toggle for KS4. Any analysis on the 'Alps Customer Benchmark' toggle will be blank. 

England KS5

The grid below shows which benchmark is being used for the 'National Benchmark Set' and the 'Alps Benchmark' toggles in Connect and Summit across the last 5 years. 


The orange highlighted boxes indicate the benchmark we would most recommend given the unique value-added situation of any cohort. 
Where there are yellow boxes, there are arguments for the use of either toggle. See recommendations section below. 

Important note in the construction of the dataset for Sept 2024 - Results 2025, and Sept 2025 - Results 2026:

  1. The 'National Benchmark Set' on Toggle 1 consists of: 
    1. DfE 2019 national dataset. For Key Stage 5 this remains the 'latest best fit' national dataset. 
  2. The 'Alps Benchmark' on Toggle 2 consists of: 
    1. For A level - the 2025 Alps Customer dataset
    2. For all vocational subjects - the DfE 2024 national dataset
    3. There is no IB analysis on this toggle


England KS4

The grid below shows which benchmark is being used for the 'National Benchmark Set' and the 'Alps Benchmark' toggles in Connect and Summit across the last 5 years. 


Note: In 2025 and 2026 we will not create Customer Benchmarks due to the lack of standardised prior attainment results because of COVID. The latest dataset used is the 2024 DfE national. This dataset is used both on the National Benchmark set (Toggle 1), and the Alps Benchmark set (Toggle 2).   



Wales KS5

  1. The grid below shows which benchmark is being used for the 'National Benchmark Set' and the 'Alps Customer Benchmark' toggles in Connect and Summit across the last 5 years. 

The orange highlighted boxes indicate the benchmark we would most recommend given the unique value-added situation of any cohort. See recommendations section below. 

Wales KS4

The grid below shows which benchmark is being used for the 'National Benchmark Set' and the 'Alps Customer Benchmark' toggles in Connect and Summit across the last 5 years

In Wales we have not been able to produce KS4 benchmarks, and therefore there will be no data in Toggle 2 (“Alps Customer Dataset”) for KS4 this year, so the analysis on this toggle will be blank.  




Part 2: Recommendations on Benchmarks

There are various articles detailing the decisions made behind our benchmark selection and recommended dataset per cohort. These can be accessed from here: https://support.alps.education/portal/en/kb/articles/alps-customer-benchmarks-in-2025-analysis-and-recommendations-august-2025

In summary: 

England KS5 - A level 

  1. students completing A level in 2025 have prior attainment baselines from the Key Stage 4 outcomes in 2023 where standards returned broadly to pre-pandemic levels.
  2. The overall outcome standards were broadly in line with 2024 outcomes, showing only a slight increase in top grades awarded.
  3. The value-added picture from our analysis of customer benchmarks showed similarities to that of the 2019 DfE National data. 
  4. The 2024 value-added context was very different and would lead to an over-estimation if used.  
  5. The analysis generated from the 2024 Alps customer dataset was very similar to that of the 2024 DfE National. We feel that our dataset is therefore a representative sample of the national dataset. 
  6. When 2025 DfE national dataset is available, we will generate benchmarks and integrate into Connect and Summit. 

Recommendation: Analysis of results from 2025 A level 

We recommend using the Alps 2025 customer benchmark (Toggle 2: Alps Benchmark) for analysis of results from 2025 examination. 

Generally both Alps 2025 and DfE 2019 will present a similar value-added picture, with DfE 2019 perhaps being more exacting/cautious. 

Recommendation: Target setting and tracking across 2025/26, and 2026/27 A level

There are strong arguments for using either Alps 2025 OR DfE 2019 as the value added picture in 2026 and in 2027 is likely to be broadly in line with that of 2025. 

You will potentially have been tracking against DfE 2019 (Toggle 1: National Benchmark) since Sept 2024 and may wish to continue tracking against this latest 'best fit' national dataset. 

The MEGs are almost identical between the two datasets from a student perspective. 

England KS5 - L3 vocational qualifications

  1. The Applied General value-added context across the pandemic has not mirrored A level closely
  2. Attainment rose slightly between 2023 and 2025, but prior attainment of the 2025 cohort was lower than that of 2024
  3. Both the DfE 2019 and the DfE 2024 datasets are likely to be less exacting than the DfE 2025 dataset and will potentially lead to an overestimation of value-added when compared to the final 2025 DfE dataset
  4. The 2024 DfE dataset covers a wider range of subjects than the DfE 2019 dataset
  5. The 2025 Alps Customer dataset is not on the whole a representative subset of the national and therefore will not be integrated into the platform. 

Recommendation: Analysis of results, and for target setting and tracking across 2025/26, and 2026/27

You will be able to select whether to set MEGs and track using the benchmark based on the DfE 19 national data or the Alps 2025 benchmark.
Remember that for KS5 vocational qualifications: 
  1. The National Benchmark on Toggle 1 contains the DfE 2019 dataset
  2. The Alps Benchmark on Toggle 2 contains the 2024 DfE national data for KS5 vocational subjects.

You may select whichever benchmark you feel is most appropriate for you. We have set out some considerations:

  1. Subject consideration: The DfE 2024 National data (Toggle 2), includes more benchmarked subjects for more qualifications than the DfE 2019 National benchmark (Toggle 1).
  2. Previous target setting pathways: You may have been tracking your Year 13 students against target grades based on MEGs using the DfE 2019 national benchmark at the start of Year 12 in September 2024. You will probably have tracked their progress during their Year 12 using the DfE 2019 national benchmark and may feel this is the most suitable benchmark.
  3. Differences to expected DfE 2025 outcomes:
    1. Minimum Expected Points:
      1. For vocational qualifications, the Minimum Expected Points and MEGs calculated from the DfE 2019 National data are more exacting than those calculated from the DfE 2024 National data.
      2. Our internal research suggests that both the DfE 2019 and the DfE 2024 analysis for vocational subjects is likely to be overestimates of value-added progress, meaning that customers may be in the ‘Red’ against both sets of analysis.
      3. When the DfE 2025 data is released, this means that there may be a move downwards into the ‘Black’ or ‘Blue’.
      4. The DfE 2019 is likely to be closer, although still possibly an overestimate, but will potentially give more aspirational MEGs 
If you decide to use the 2025 Alps benchmark (DfE 2024 data) for target-setting and tracking vocational courses in 2025-26, consider applying the MEGs based on 2019 National data as Personal Targets for your students, because the 2019 MEGs are achievable, but higher and more aspirational.

Wales KS5 - A level 

    • students completing their Key Stage 5 courses in 2019 have slightly elevated prior attainment baselines from Key Stage 4 than the cohort in 2019. 
    • The overall outcome standards were higher than in 2019 but not enough to balance the elevated prior attainment baseline.
    • The value-added picture for 2025 is once again unique in Wales.

Recommendation: Analysis of results from 2025 

  1. The value-added context in 2025 is unique and the value-added progress line is not as exacting as in 2019. 
  2. Using the 2019 National Standard to measure analysis from Results would potentially produce a more cautious overall grading.  
  3. The prior attainment of the 2025 cohort was not as low as the 2019 cohort, and the increase in standard in 2025 did not quite match the progress line of 2019. 
  4. Therefore, at this point in time, we recommend using the 2025 Alps Customer benchmark set (Toggle 2) for your 2025 A level examination analysis. 

Recommendation: Target setting and tracking across 2025/26, and 2026/27 

  1. GCSE results were brought back close to 2019 standards in 2024 & 2025
  2. Examination outcomes in 2026 and 2027 for both of these cohorts are also expected to be in line with 2019 standards. 
  3. You may have been tracking your Year 13 students against target grades based on MEGs using the 2019 national benchmark at the start of Year 12 in September 2024. You will probably have tracked their progress during their Year 12 using the 2019 national benchmark. 
  4. Therefore we recommend that you use the 2019 National Standard benchmark (Toggle 1) to set targets and track Year 12 and 13 across 2025/26
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Switching your benchmark

Account Benchmark selector

Selector allows admin user in a Connect/Summit account to impose a benchmark for all users.

Summary: 
Admin users have the permission to select a benchmark across the whole of the Connect or Summit account. 
This will affect all users.
This will be a permanent change, ie when a user logs out and then in again, they will see this benchmark. 

We highly recommend you read the articles signposted on the page as switching benchmarks has implications for all users and the resulting analysis. 

1. Navigate to the Account Benchmark Selector page from the Homepage - click from Analysis Settings on the left toolbar or into Current Benchmark lozenge in top panel. 
2. Use the dropdown to select the desired benchmark. 
3. Click SAVE and agree to the ARE YOU SURE dropdown. 

All users will now use this selected benchmark. There will be a lozenge in the top bar informing the user which benchmark they are using. 

Session benchmark toggle

  Selector allows admin user in a Connect account to give control of benchmark selection to individual users.
  User selects session benchmark.

Summary: 
Admin users have to give users permission to see and use this tool in Connect. Summit users have this by default. 
The benchmark switch lasts for the duration of the session and will reset to the account benchmark default on signing out and in again or refreshing the page. 
The tool switches the benchmark for individual users only. 

How do I find these tools? 

Summit
  1. Click on click from Analysis Settings on the left toolbar or into Current Benchmark lozenge in top panel. 
  2. All users will see the Account Benchmark Selector 
  3. All users will see the Session benchmark toggle 


Connect 

click from Analysis Settings on the left toolbar or into Current Benchmark lozenge in top panel. 
  1. Admin users will see the Account Benchmark Selector 
  2. Colleagues who have been given permission to toggle benchmark will see the Session benchmark toggle. 
  3. Giving permission to specific users can be enabled using the steps in section below. 




Enabling the Session benchmark toggle 


1. As an Admin user in Connect you will be able to give other user rights to toggle the benchmark. Note:  Summit you will have this option by default. 
      a. Click into Manage Users and select Active Users
      b. Note column in table headed 'Client benchmark switching'
      c. Click on edit user in final column. 



2. On user page, scroll to bottom and toggle the Client benchmark button and SAVE.
Note that users will have to log out and in again for this to take effect.

3. User will now have the ability to switch benchmark. They should click on the Analysis Settings in the Homepage menu or from the Current Benchmark lozenge in the top bar. 
      a. Click on the Session Benchmarks toggle  
      b. Read the information carefully. There are links on this page which we would urge any colleague looking to switch benchmarks to read as they contain essential information regarding the educational context.
      c. Scroll to bottom of page and select the desired benchmark from the dropdown and SAVE. 



4. The user will now be viewing Connect using the 2024 provider benchmark. There will be a lozenge in the top bar informing the user which benchmark they are using. 
5. This switch will be applied to the whole of Connect/Summit and will persist until users either 
      a. Switches benchmark toggle back to national OR
      b. Signs out of Connect/Summit, at which point the benchmark will default back to the benchmark set as the account setting in the platform.