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AET books and free study resources
A short, practical reading list for the Level 3 Award in Education and Training.
Before buying a book: your tutor or training provider may recommend a particular textbook or give you the materials you need. I have kept this list deliberately short. The two books below are useful starting points, but if your centre uses a different book or gives you its own reading list, follow that guidance.
Two books worth considering
Recommended general AET book
The Award in Education and Training - Ann Gravells
Second edition, 2025
Learning Matters / SAGE
Paperback ISBN: 9781036209681
eBook ISBN: 9781036210243
If I were choosing just one general AET book, this is the one I would start with.
It is the current edition and takes the reader through the main stages of teaching and training: the teaching role, identifying learner needs, planning, inclusive teaching, assessment, evaluation and micro-teaching. It also brings the material up to date with subjects such as neurodiversity, sustainability, technology and professional practice.
It is useful across Units 301, 302 and 305, rather than being tied to just one assignment.
The book also includes material for the Certificate in Education and Training, so some sections go beyond what a Level 3 AET student needs. That is not necessarily a disadvantage, but you do not need to read the whole book from cover to cover simply to complete the Award.
Best for: understanding the subject and having one current reference book for the course.
View the paperback at Foyles
View publisher details at SAGE
Assessment-focused companion
Passing Assessments for the Award in Education and Training - Ann Gravells
First edition, 2013
Learning Matters
Paperback ISBN: 9781446274378
eBook ISBN: 9781446296059
This book has a different purpose. It concentrates more closely on completing the written and practical assessment work for the Award.
It covers the three main AET units, how to provide evidence against assessment requirements, the micro-teach, study skills, referencing and giving and receiving feedback.
There is one important point to keep in mind: the book was published in 2013. The basic teaching and assessment principles remain useful, but legislation, terminology and professional guidance can change. I would therefore use this book for understanding assessments and structuring your work, but check current legislation and qualification requirements against the official resources further down this page.
Best for: students who want extra guidance on assignments, evidence and the micro-teach.
View the paperback at Hatchards
View publisher details at SAGE
What about the City & Guilds textbook?
City & Guilds also produced The City & Guilds Textbook: Level 3 Award in Education and Training by Amanda Turner and Jo Whiting, ISBN 9780851932941.
It is worth knowing about because City & Guilds originally described it as being mapped directly to the 6502 Level 3 qualification. However, it was published in 2013 and is now much harder to find new. For that reason I have not included it in the two main recommendations above.
If your tutor specifically asks you to use it, that is different - follow your tutor's reading list.
Official AET resources
City & Guilds Level 3 Award in Education and Training - 6502
This is the main City & Guilds qualification page and the first place I would check when looking for current documents.
It contains the qualification information and links to the current Level 3 handbook and assessment materials. City & Guilds describes the Level 3 Award as covering roles and responsibilities, inclusive teaching and learning, assessment and constructive feedback.
Useful for: Units 301, 302 and 305.
City & Guilds Education and Training 6502
City & Guilds Level 3 AET Qualification Handbook
The handbook is much more useful than relying on a generic website when you need to check what the qualification actually contains.
The current Level 3 handbook listed by City & Guilds is Version 1.6, September 2024. It gives the qualification structure, unit learning outcomes and assessment criteria, including Units 301, 302 and 305.
I would use this when checking whether an essay or study topic really relates to the City & Guilds qualification.
Useful for: understanding exactly what each unit expects.
Open the official qualification handbook
City & Guilds assessment materials
City & Guilds publishes a Level 3 Assessment Pack and Answer Pack alongside the qualification handbook.
These materials are useful for understanding how City & Guilds approaches assessment, but your own centre may use different approved assignments or wording. Always work from the assignment brief supplied by your tutor rather than assuming that an example found online is the question you have been set.
Useful for: Units 301, 302 and 305.
Find the Level 3 assessment materials
Teaching and professional resources
Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers
The Education and Training Foundation's Professional Standards are useful for seeing what good professional practice looks like in the further education and training sector.
They cover areas that link naturally with the AET, including reflection, learner needs, planning, inclusive teaching, English, maths and digital skills, assessment and feedback.
They are professional guidance rather than AET assessment criteria, so use them to widen your understanding rather than treating them as another qualification specification.
Useful for: Units 301, 302 and 305.
Professional Standards - guide to using the 2022 standards
What is inclusive teaching? - post-16 guidance
The Department for Education publishes post-16 SEND and inclusion materials that look at inclusive teaching, universal approaches, adaptations and additional support.
This is particularly useful when thinking about how teaching can be adjusted for individual learners rather than simply defining the word "inclusive".
Particularly useful for: Unit 302.
DfE: What is inclusive teaching?
Equality Act guidance for further and higher education
Equality and diversity are important parts of Unit 301.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission provides detailed guidance explaining how the Equality Act 2010 applies to further and higher education providers, including discrimination and access to education, facilities and services.
For an AET student this is a more reliable place to check the law than copying a list of duties from an old assignment.
Particularly useful for: Unit 301.
EHRC: Equality Act guidance for further and higher education
Prevent duty guidance
Prevent often appears when students research safeguarding and the responsibilities of teachers and training organisations.
The statutory guidance explains the Prevent duty and includes education settings within its scope. Not every AET learner will work in exactly the same type of organisation, so relate the guidance to your own teaching or training setting rather than assuming every duty applies to everyone in the same way.
Particularly useful for: Unit 301.
GOV.UK: Prevent duty guidance
Health and safety guidance for education and training
The Health and Safety Executive provides practical guidance on training, risk and the responsibilities organisations have for providing suitable health and safety information and instruction.
This can help when considering what it means to maintain a safe learning environment, particularly if you teach or train in a workplace or practical setting.
Particularly useful for: Unit 301.
HSE: Health and safety training guidance
A final note about using these resources
The aim of this page is not to give you a huge reading list. Most AET students do not need one.
Use the qualification handbook to understand what you need to cover, a good textbook when you need a fuller explanation, and current official sources when you are writing about legislation, regulation or professional requirements.
Most importantly, use your tutor's assignment brief. AET qualifications are offered by different awarding organisations and centres, and the exact questions and evidence required can vary.
Resources last checked: October 2026.