Ignite your post-16 students' passion for sustainability and give them the skills to create a better future!

Sustainability and climate change are very important to think about for the future. It's also important to help young people deal with eco-anxiety and show them positive ways to handle these big challenges. The current curriculum might not be green enough now, but we can help make it greener in a way that's easy to manage.

We've created a new Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability for students aged 16 to develop applied subject knowledge and transferable skills.  It focuses on the basics of sustainability and areas that students know about like consumer and business topics. Imagine your students confidently studying real-world organisations and making solid suggestions for a greener future.

Approved for funding for first teaching from September 2025. 

Content covered by the qualification includes:

  • climate education
  • sustainable practices
  • linear vs circular economies
  • greenwashing.

Supported by industry and higher education

This qualification is supported and recognised by a range of stakeholders including World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Ellen Macarthur Foundation, Liverpool City Regional Combined Authority plus Siemens and JLR. 

Higher education institutes also support the Level 3 qualification, including Russell Group universities. 

Prepare them for the future – explore our L3 Certificate in Sustainability today!

Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability

Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability

Download the specification and Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) below

Interested in teaching this qualification?

Qualification at a glance

Who should take it:

  • Students aged 16 and over on a full-time post-16 study programme who want to develop applied knowledge and skills in sustainability.
  • Students who want to learn specialist subject knowledge and transferable skills that complement their Level 3 post-16 study programme in a similar way to an EPQ.
  • Students looking to progress into employment in the environmental conservation sector or higher education programmes related to the environmental conservation sector (e.g BSc (Hons) Climate, Sustainability and Environmental Management) or degree programmes where sustainability modules are becoming increasingly more common. 

Assessment:

  • Our Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability is 150 guided learning hours (GLH)
  • It has 2 mandatory units:
    • Fundamentals of sustainability - examined (75 GLH)
    • Sustainability in practice - non-examined assessment (75 GLH)
  • The qualification is graded P/M/D/D* and each unit is graded P/M/D.

Why choose Level 3 Sustainability?

Supports the change agenda for sustainability

Input from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), leading universities, and other stakeholders ensures this qualification covers the fundamental aspects of sustainability and encourages students to find positive solutions to pressing sustainability challenges faced by governments, organizations, and individuals.

Fair compensation

Students are always rewarded for their demonstrated abilities, removing penalties or hurdles so every mark counts towards a student’s final grade. Features teachers love and more: This qualification incorporates the popular features from our Cambridge Technicals, including visiting moderation and a blend of examination and a coursework unit.

Pathways to employment and university

Designed in collaboration with teachers, universities and other stakeholders, the qualification equips students with a knowledge of sustainability that supports progression to employment or university.

Complementary practical application

The qualification is designed to be taken as part of a Level 3 study programme, with a strong focus on the practical application of skills and knowledge.

Teaching and Assessment Resources

We'll provide comprehensive support to empower you in delivering this exciting new qualification. We’re currently creating our planning and teaching resources ahead of first teach. Once ready, you'll find:

Assessment resources including:

  • Exploring our exams: a guide to our sample assessment material
  • Understanding the assessment: examined and moderated
  • Candidate style answers
  • Practice papers
  • NEA admin guide
  • Candidate style work
  • Student guide

Teaching resources including:

  • Curriculum planner
  • Detailed schemes of work for every unit

 

 

 

 

Full planning and teaching materials will be made available on Teach Cambridge, our secure website for teachers.

External resources

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Leading educational content provider Primrose Kitten Academy have created a revision bootcamp that offers comprehensive yet concise coverage of our Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability qualification. Their expertly curated material condenses vital information and key concepts into easy-to-understand formats without skipping topics or core principles. 

Primrose Kitten's Revision Bootcamp includes: Teaching videos, self marking quizzes, retrieval questions and personalised feedback.

Find out more and pre-order

The resources are available to buy individually or via a school subscription. **Please note - These are non-endorsed resources**

Professional Development

Our range of courses are designed to support you from day one and throughout your teaching journey. Our range of programmes include: Starting to teach, Preparing for the exam and preparing for the NEA.

Book onto upcoming courses by clicking on the buttons below:

Starting to teach: Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability (Webinar) 23 September 2025   Starting to teach: Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability (Webinar) 09 June 2026

Sign up for email updates to stay tuned for these upcoming courses.

Showcase Webinars

Our showcase webinars dive into the details of this new enrichment qualification and give you the chance to chat and ask questions to our product and subject experts.

Our current series of showcase webinars have finished. Webinars will appear here when they are available to book. Sign up for email updates to keep informed of upcoming webinars.

Missed a webinar?

You can watch the recording and download the presentation from our previous webinar, by clicking on the buttons below.