Decision, made under the rules defined in the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS), on the assignement of the level of the Polish Qualification Framework (PQF) to a given qualification, based on the comparison of the learning outcomes required for this qualification with the level descriptors of the Polish Qualification Framework.

The Polish Qualifications Framework levels of each full qualification were established directly in the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System. The PQF level is assigned only to partial qualifications (included in the IQS). The assignment of PQF levels to partial qualifications follows the rules defined in the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System. The comparison of the learning outcomes required for a given qualification (partial qualification) with the level descriptors of the Polish Qualification Framework is made by a team of experts, who prepare a recommendation which becomes the basis for the assignment of the PQF level by the competent minister.

An entity authorised to award qualifications. In the context of the IQS, an awarding body is an entity with the authority to award specific qualifications included into the IQS.

Not all qualifications must be included in the IQS, therefore, in a broader context, the term awarding body stands for an entity which awards some qualifications.

The process by which the applicant for a certain qualification, after receiving a positive validation result, obtains a document from an authorised awarding body granting a certain qualification.

The certification process is implemented in accordance with the established procedure. For some qualifications obtained outside the school education and higher education systems, validation and certification are the tasks of different entities (e.g. the driving test is carried out by the voivodship driver training centre, and the certifying entity, i.e. the entity issuing the document, is the chief administrative district executive).

Credit accumulation is the process of collecting (through validation) sets of learning outcomes that are part of the requirements set out in the qualification description.

Learning outcomes may be certified (and accumulated) solely as specified sets defined in the qualification description. In Poland, the possibility of credit accumulation was introduced on a wide scale in 2005 in higher education as a result of the implementation of the Bologna Process whose part is ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).

Along ECTS, ECVET (European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training) is also implemented in EU countries. In Polish vocational education, basic system of accumulation and transfer of credits was part of the reform which started in 2012.

In the context of the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS), the term external quality assurance refers to the monitoring and periodic evaluation of the process of awarding qualifications carried out by an entity external to the awarding body.
The obligation to implement external quality assurance was introduced by the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System. External quality assurance reinforces adherence to standards in awarding qualifications and supports awarding bodies in improving processes related to validation and certification.

A public register maintained with the use of an ICT system, providing the list of qualifications included in the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS).

Qualifications included in the IQS are entered into the Integrated Qualifications System (IQR) regardless of whether they are in other registers (lists, directories) maintained for the needs of particular ministries, industries, communities and institutions.

The presence of a qualification in the integrated register means that its credibility has been confirmed by public authorities and that it has a specific Polish Qualifications Framework level assigned.

Qualifications which have not been included in the IQS cannot be entered into the IQR.

Data on qualifications collected in IQR are publicly available on the IQS portal.

A separate part of the National Qualification System (NQS), which applies the standards defined in the law for describing qualifications and assigning the level of the Polish Qualification Framework (PQF) to qualifications, rules of inclusion of qualifications in the Integrated Qualification System (IQS) and their registration in the Integrated Qualification Register (IQR), as well as rules and standards of validation of qualifications and quality assurance of the awarding process.

The Integrated Qualification System includes a large part of Polish qualifications some of which are included pursuant to the Act on the IQS and others which can be included by decision of authorised ministers.

Outside the integrated system there may be qualifications that are not included in the system, but such qualifications do not have a PQF level assigned and cannot be entered into the Integrated Qualifications Register (IQR).

In the context of the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS), the term internal quality assurance refers to the monitoring and periodic evaluation of the process of awarding qualifications carried out by an awarding body. The obligation for each awarding body to have an internal quality assurance system was introduced by the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System.

Internal quality assurance strengthens the awarding body's self-monitoring capacity in the process of awarding qualifications and serves to improve the mechanisms affecting the quality of the awarded qualifications.
The obligation to have an internal quality assurance system also applies to the entities carrying out validation under the authority of an awarding body.

A collection of descriptions of objects and facts, principles, theories and practices, acquired in the process of learning, related to a field of learning or professional activity.
The term knowledge in the context of the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS) refers to one of the three categories of learning outcomes distinguished in the Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF).

Individual categories of learning outcomes in the PQF (knowledge, skills, social competence) cannot be taken as completely separate as learning outcomes referred to as knowledge always involve a certain amount of skills, skills always contain certain elements of knowledge, and social competence is always, in part, some skills and some knowledge.

It should also be taken into account that in everyday language (also in some studies and documents) such words as knowledge, skills, competence and qualifications are often used interchangeably.

Knowledge, skills and social competence acquired in the learning process. Using colloquial language, this concept can be explained as follows: the learning outcomes consist of what a person knows and understands, what she/he can perform, as well as what commitments she/he is prepared for.

Individual learning outcomes may be unique for a particular qualification or universal; they may, for example, refer to the so-called key or general professional competencies.

In the Law on Higher Education there is a distinction between the educational outcomes that are obtained in higher education and third-cycle studies, and the learning outcomes that are achieved through the learning process outside higher education. This distinction does not occur outside of higher education.

Qualifications not regulated by the provisions of law, the awarding of which is carried out on the principle of freedom of economic activities.

Market qualifications are the qualifications developed by different entities (social organizations, associations, corporations or other bodies) based on the experience they gained over time. The word "market" means, in this case, that the qualifications were developed and function in the “free market” of qualifications.

Market qualifications may refer to activities of strictly professional nature, but also to various areas of social activity, including educational and care activities, as well as recreational activities.

Market qualifications may, but do not need to be included in the IQS. The inclusion is decided by the Minister responsible for the qualification in response to the initiative of the group concerned.

All market qualifications included in the IQS are partial qualifications.

To express the concept of partial qualifications concisely - they are all the qualifications included in the IQS which are not full.

Partial qualifications can be created both within and outside general education and higher education systems.

For partial qualifications, the range of learning outcomes required is generally narrower than for full qualifications. In general, these requirements are related to a clearly defined type of activity.

All regulated and market qualifications included in the IQS are partial qualifications. Partial qualifications awarded in the education system include, among others, vocational qualifications (confirmed by certificate).
Partial qualifications awarded in higher education include, among others, the qualifications, included in the IQS, awarded on graduation.

Partial qualifications may be necessary for employment in a certain position, e.g., a driver's license of the relevant category is required to be employed as a bus driver.

Partial qualifications may supplement full qualifications, broadening or deepening the preparation for a profession (e.g. doctors seeking board certification in a given area of specialty and other qualifications required to be allowed to operate specialized medical apparatus).

The range and complexity of the required learning outcomes for a qualification at a given level described with the use of generic characteristics of learning outcomes. There are 8 levels in the Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF) which correspond directly to the 8 levels of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).

All qualifications included in the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS) are aligned to a PQF level. Qualifications with the narrowest scope and lowest complexity are aligned to level 1 of the PQF, subsequent PQF levels are associated with increasingly higher requirements. Qualifications not included in the IQS cannot be aligned to a PQF level.

In everyday language, the word 'level' is often used to express a qualitative assessment (low teaching level, high artistic level, etc.). In the context of the IQS, the word 'level', when referring to the qualifications framework, cannot be used to express judgements of this kind.

PQF level descriptors are a set of general statements (components of the PQF level description) characterising the knowledge, skills and social competence required for awarding a qualification at a given PQF level. PQF level descriptors are designed to refer to the full range of learning outcomes required for a qualification.

PQF includes first and second stage descriptors. First stage descriptors are universal - they refer to all types of qualifications. Second stage descriptors were developed in three variants: for qualifications awarded in general education system, in higher education and in vocational education and training.

A set of learning outcomes in knowledge, skills and social competence, acquired in formal education, non-formal education or through informal learning, consistent with the requirements established for the qualification, the achievement of which has been proven in validation and formally confirmed by an authorised awarding body.

Briefly, the qualification is a specific set of learning outcomes - consistent with established standards - the achievement of which has been formally confirmed by an authorised institution. In the context of the IQS, the term qualification cannot be used interchangeably with terms such as: profession, professional credentials, professional competence, competence, etc.

Note: based the analysis of the content of the provisions contained in various legal acts, it is clear that the term qualification (qualifications) is understood in different ways — sometimes it means an occupation and qualification at the same time (qualification as defined in the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System), sometimes it also means professional credentials. On the other hand, there is no term qualification in certain legal acts at all, while based on the content of these acts it they clearly refer to qualifications as defined in the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System. It should also be taken into account that in colloquial language (also in some papers and documents), words such as knowledge, skills, competence and qualifications are often used interchangeably. The Act on the Integrated Qualifications System by establishing the definition of the term qualification and the requirements for describing qualifications will result in a progressively greater order of the terminology used in Polish legal documents. However, this will be a long process linked to the inclusion of further regulated qualifications into the integrated system.

The quality of a qualification is defined as its suitability for the people who obtained it and for the social environment in which the qualification is functioning. The quality of a qualification (awarded to a particular person) is decided by:

- suitability of the learning outcomes required for a particular qualification in relation to the tasks and responsibilities which a person who was awarded the qualification is expected to undertake,
- accurate and reliable description of the learning outcomes required for obtaining a qualification,
- reliable validation of the learning outcomes required for a particular qualification.

The quality of the awarded qualifications is also influenced by the learning process.

High quality of the awarded qualifications is relevant to many stakeholder groups of the IQS:

- for workers who, thanks to having good quality qualifications, will have greater opportunities to develop professionally and their position in the labour market will be strengthened;
- for employers for whom high employee qualifications are one of the key factors shaping their company's potential;
- for society as a whole, including the national economy - the quality of qualifications affects its strength and chances of development for the country.

Description of the levels of qualifications functioning in a given sector or industry; the levels of sectoral qualifications frameworks (SQFs) correspond to the appropriate levels of the Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF).

The level descriptors in sectoral frameworks may be less general than those in the PQF. The level descriptors of sectoral qualifications frameworks take into account domain-specific contexts.

Sectoral qualifications frameworks will be created only in those fields of activity where the need for such a tool arises. A sectoral qualification framework may be included in the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS), provided that it meets the conditions specified in the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System.

The ability, acquired through learning, to perform tasks and solve problems relevant to the field of learning or professional activity.

The term skills in the context of the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS) indicates one of the three categories of learning outcomes identified in the Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF). Individual categories of learning outcomes in the PQF (knowledge, skills, social competence) cannot be taken as completely separate as learning outcomes referred to as knowledge always involve a certain amount of skills, skills always contain certain elements of knowledge, and social competence is always, in part, some skills and some knowledge.

It should also be taken into account that in everyday language (also in some studies and documents) such words as knowledge, skills, competence and qualifications are often used interchangeably.

Developed in the course of learning, ability to shape one's development and autonomously and responsibly participate in professional and social life, taking into account the ethical context of one's conduct.

The term social competence in the context of IQS represents one of the three categories of learning outcomes in the PQF. Individual categories of learning outcomes in the PQF (knowledge, skills, social competence) cannot be taken as completely separate because learning outcomes referred to as knowledge always involve a certain amount of skills, skills always contain certain elements of knowledge, and social competence is always, in part, some skills and some knowledge.

The term social competence also occurs in various fields of science (e.g. in psychology, sociology, pedagogy), in which it is defined in a manner appropriate to a given context.

Ensuring that a person who applies for a particular qualification has attained a specified part or all of the learning outcomes required for that qualification, regardless of the way in which the person learned.

Validation is a multidimensional and multistage process that involves identifying, documenting, and verifying the learning outcomes of an individual. Identifying and documenting are especially important for individuals who have learned without the benefit of structured learning. For validation to be credible, it is necessary to identify clear criteria for verification that are appropriate to the nature of the learning outcomes.

Validation should not be confused with recognition of qualifications. If a qualification awarded abroad is recognized by an authorized institution in the country, the holder does not need to undergo validation again.

In Poland, customarily, validation as a separate stage is not distinguished in the process that ends with awarding qualifications. For this reason, Polish lacked an appropriate name for the process. As a result, the term 'walidacja' was adopted, based on the English validation.