Recommendations for benchmark selection

Recommendations for benchmark selection

This article was last updated on 16 February 2026, and relates to the Academic Year 2024/25 and 2025/26

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. 

Part 1: Benchmark datasets per cohort

  1. There are two benchmarks available within the platforms for Key Stage 5
    1. The National Selection - this dataset will usually contain the full national data
    2. The Alps Customer selection - the benchmarks provided by Alps following Results and generated from Alps customer data only. 
      1. In Wales, only Welsh schools are included in this customer benchmark 
  2. Key Stage 4 in both England and Wales has only one benchmark - the 'National' selection. There is no toggle for KS4. Any analysis on the 'Customer' benchmark toggle will be blank. 

KS5: England, Jersey and International schools using reformed A levels 

  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. 

Note that the orange highlighted boxes indicate the benchmark we would most recommend given the unique value-added situation of any cohort. 
At date of publication (16 Feb 2026) the benchmark grid for KS5 in England and Jersey is a hybrid. This is because we are in the process of generating DfE 2025 benchmarks and we have only released the A level versions at present. The KS5 Vocational benchmarks are due in the week beginning 16 March 2026. This grid will be updated again at this point. 

KS4 England

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. 


Note: In 2025 and 2026 we will not create Customer Benchmarks due to the lack of standardised prior attainment results because of COVID.

Therefore, the default benchmark will be DfE ‘24 for the next 2 years. Toggle 2 will be identical to Toggle 1 to facilitate using Toggle 2 at KS5. 



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 yellow highlighted boxes indicate the benchmark we would most recommend given the unique value-added situation of any cohort. 
Note that in Wales, the KS5 Alps Customer benchmark consists of Welsh schools only. 

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.  
We are actively investigating the possibility of creating a new KS4 benchmark for Wales. We will have more information in the Summer Term 2026. 




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 found using this main link: https://support.alps.education/portal/en/kb/articles/analysis-and-recommendations-from-2025-dfe-datasets-overview-article

England KS5

Analysis of Results 2025
  1. The updated DfE 2025 benchmark represents the most valid benchmark from which to base your priorities from the 2025 examination results. 
  2. Benchmarks for DfE 2025 benchmarks will be published 
    1. Week beginning 16 February 2026: A level
    2. Week beginning 16 March 2026: L3 Vocational
    3. Week beginning 6 April 2026: IB
Target setting and tracking of Year 12 and 13 in 2025/26

Results in 2026 and 2027 are predicted to be in line with the 2025 outcomes, and with GCSE results relatively stable from 2023 -2025, the prior attainment baseline has been reset.
Therefore the value-added picture in 2026 and 2027 is likely to be broadly in line with that of the 2025 DfE benchmark.

It is therefore our recommendation that you use the 2025 DfE dataset from which to base your interventions and priorities for the remainder of the time you have left with your current Year 13 students, and for tracking Year 12 as they progress through their KS5 courses. 

The default benchmark on Results Day 2026 will be the 2025 DfE national dataset.

Wales KS5

Analysis of Results 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, we recommend using the 2025 Alps Customer benchmark set (Toggle 2) for your 2025 A level examination analysis. 
Target setting and tracking of Year 12 and 13 in 2025/26
  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 new Year 13 students' progress since the start of Year 12 in September 2024 against target grades/MEGs generated using the 2019 National Standard 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