WCAG Levels and Versions
Plain-English reference to the WCAG versions and levels TestKase supports.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the standard maintained by the W3C. The TestKase Website Scanner supports every combination of WCAG version (2.0 / 2.1 / 2.2) and level (A / AA / AAA). The Chrome Toolkit supports a shorter list — see below.
Versions
| Version | Published | What it added |
|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.0 | 2008 | The original baseline — text alternatives, contrast, keyboard access. |
| WCAG 2.1 | 2018 | Mobile, low-vision, cognitive disabilities. Adds criteria for reflow, zoom, pointer gestures. |
| WCAG 2.2 | 2023 | Focus appearance, drag movements, target size, consistent help. Superset of 2.1. |
Each version is a superset of the previous one — every 2.1 criterion is still in 2.2, plus 2.2's new items.
Levels
| Level | Rough meaning | Typical target |
|---|---|---|
| A | Minimum accessibility | Baseline, rarely a sufficient compliance target alone |
| AA | Mid-range, most common target | Corporate, SaaS, e-commerce |
| AAA | Highest bar | Government, healthcare, education (full AAA is rarely practical for all content) |
Levels are cumulative: a Level AA scan includes every Level A criterion plus the AA-only ones.
The nesting is complete: wcag22aa pulls in the 2.2 Level A rules, and wcag22aaa pulls in every 2.2 tag. (This was not true before September 2026 — both entries were missing 2.2 tags.)
WCAG 2.2 adds six success criteria at A and AA. Only one of them — 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) — can be evaluated by any automated tool. The other five need a person: no scanner can decide whether a help link sits in the same relative place across pages (3.2.6), whether a form re-asks for information unnecessarily (3.3.7), whether an authentication step demands a memory test (3.3.8), whether a drag action has an equivalent alternative (2.5.7), or whether a sticky element obscures the focused control (2.4.11).
In practice, with the current scan engine:
WCAG 2.2 AA adds one check over 2.1 AA — target size.
WCAG 2.2 A runs exactly the same rules as 2.1 A. Nothing extra.
WCAG 2.2 AAA runs exactly the same rules as 2.1 AAA. Nothing extra.
Pick 2.2 if 2.2 is the standard you must conform to — the report lists the right criteria for it and tells you how many went unchecked. Just do not expect the scan itself to do more work. The unchecked criteria still need a manual review, and the report says how many.
The TestKase dropdown
Scan Settings lets you pick any combination:
| Value | Label |
|---|---|
wcag22aaa | WCAG 2.2 AAA |
wcag22aa | WCAG 2.2 AA |
wcag22a | WCAG 2.2 A |
wcag21aaa | WCAG 2.1 AAA |
wcag21aa | WCAG 2.1 AA (Recommended) |
wcag21a | WCAG 2.1 A |
wcag2aaa | WCAG 2.0 AAA |
wcag2aa | WCAG 2.0 AA |
wcag2a | WCAG 2.0 A |
There is no "all versions" option, and a scan carries exactly one value: to cover more than one standard, run more than one scan. The value a report was produced with is shown in the Scan details dropdown in its header, so you can always tell what a given report was measured against.
The nine values above are the Website Scanner. The Chrome Toolkit offers a shorter list — 2.0 / 2.1 / 2.2 at A or AA, no AAA — set in the toolkit's own Settings screen, and it defaults Advanced rules off where the Website Scanner defaults it on.
Which one should I pick?
- Most teams —
wcag21aa. It's the common compliance target and the broadest test-for-your-effort sweet spot. - Government / public sector — check the regulation you're subject to; many reference WCAG 2.1 AA as the floor, some now reference 2.2.
- Modern corporate standard —
wcag22aais becoming the new default as organizations update their standards. - Accessibility programs with dedicated teams —
wcag22aaafor the ceiling, with documented exceptions for criteria that don't apply to your content.