FAQs - Quality, Delivery and Assessment
Take a look at our FAQs, designed to support you with any queries you may have around quality, delivery and assessment.
Assessment records must provide a clear audit trail.
They should show what was assessed, when it was assessed, who assessed it, the assessment method and evidence used, the criteria or standards being judged, the assessment decision, the reasons supporting that decision and the feedback provided.
Records and learner evidence must be accurate, securely maintained and available for internal quality assurance and Open Awards external quality assurance.
Only where resubmission is permitted by the qualification or assessment requirements.
The assessor should explain what has not been achieved and why, but any further evidence must remain the learner’s independent work. Feedback must not become a step-by-step set of instructions for correcting the assessment.
Resubmission arrangements, deadlines and outcomes should be recorded and must follow any qualification-specific restrictions.
Resubmission must not be used routinely to improve a grade unless the qualification rules explicitly allow this.
Once the learner is producing evidence for formal assessment, feedback must not coach the learner towards meeting specific assessment criteria or achieving a particular grade.
During teaching and learning, developmental feedback can be much broader. During formal assessment, support should be sufficiently general to preserve the learner’s independence.
After assessment, assessors can explain which criteria have been achieved, which have not been achieved and why the evidence is insufficient, but must not give instructions that effectively tell the learner exactly what to write, add or change.
Feedback must be recorded. Verbal feedback alone is not sufficient evidence that effective feedback has been provided.
Check the Qualification Guide and associated assessment guidance first to establish whether AI is permitted for the qualification or assessment component.
Assessment briefs and learner guidance must clearly state whether AI can be used, what the boundaries are and what learners are expected to declare.
AI-assisted activity may support processes such as planning or brainstorming where permitted, but AI must not substitute for the learner’s own assessable knowledge, understanding or skills.
AI-generated assessable work is prohibited unless the qualification documentation explicitly permits it for a specific task.
Where qualification documentation does not specify AI requirements, providers must apply their own policy and guidance consistently.
Sufficient evidence means there is enough appropriate evidence to make a secure and reliable assessment decision against the full requirements of the assessment criterion or qualification.
More evidence is not automatically better. Providers should avoid both under-assessment and unnecessary over-assessment.
Assessors should judge the quality and relevance of the evidence against the assessment criteria and command verbs rather than relying on factors such as the length of a learner’s response alone.
Not where direct observation is required.
A professional discussion is a planned, structured assessment conversation that can explore knowledge, understanding, decision-making, reflection and competence. It can also help authenticate other evidence.
For competence-based qualifications, it will often supplement practical performance evidence rather than replace it.
Professional discussions must be linked to specified assessment criteria, appropriately recorded and authenticated, retained securely and available for IQA and EQA.
An observation record should describe what the individual learner actually did rather than contain generic statements.
It should normally include the learner and assessor, date and location, qualification and criteria, activity observed, assessment conditions, what the learner did, how independently they worked, the quality of performance, relevant questions and responses, criteria achieved, the assessor’s judgement, feedback where permitted and appropriate authentication.
The record must provide enough information for an IQA or EQA to understand how the assessor reached the decision.
Only where witness evidence is permitted by the qualification requirements and direct assessor observation is not possible or appropriate.
The witness must have observed the learner first-hand. The statement should identify what was observed, when it was observed and the relevant criteria, as well as the witness’s role, expertise and relationship to the learner.
A witness provides supporting evidence; the assessor remains responsible for the assessment decision. Further evidence should be obtained where the witness statement alone is insufficient.
There is no single time frame that applies to all RPL evidence.
The evidence must be sufficiently current to demonstrate that the learner still meets the relevant assessment criteria or standards when the RPL decision is made.
What counts as sufficiently current will depend on the qualification, the assessment criteria, sector or professional requirements and the risk associated with outdated knowledge or skills.
Yes, where there is a natural fit.
Holistic assessment can reduce unnecessary duplication by allowing one activity or piece of evidence to demonstrate several criteria, learning outcomes or skills.
However, assessors must clearly show which criteria have been met. Criteria must not be grouped together artificially where they do not naturally fit, and any prerequisite or safety-critical knowledge must be achieved at the appropriate point before dependent practical skills are assessed.