FAQs - Apprenticeship Assessments

Responsibilities will vary by apprenticeship, but broadly:

• The apprentice must engage with learning and assessment and provide authentic evidence
• The employer supports workplace development and makes any confirmations required by the assessment plan
• The training provider delivers training, prepares the apprentice and carries out only the assessment activity it is authorised to deliver
• Open Awards provides the required assessment and independent quality assurance functions for the standard

The relevant assessment plan and Open Awards guidance remain the definitive source for each apprenticeship.

Start with the apprentice’s apprenticeship standard, start date and registration details, then check the relevant transition arrangements and the version of the assessment plan attached to that apprenticeship. If you are unsure which version applies, contact Open Awards before arranging assessment so that the apprentice is not assessed against the wrong requirements.

Continue to follow the current assessment plan, Open Awards guidance and agreed processes for your existing apprentices unless we tell you that a change applies. Make sure your apprenticeship contacts are up to date and review communications about revised standards so that you can prepare for changes before they take effect.

The new employer or provider should first establish which apprenticeship standard and assessment-plan version applies and what learning or assessment has already been completed. Valid completed assessment should be recorded and evidenced appropriately, and any outstanding requirements should be planned with the apprentice. Open Awards should be contacted where a change affects registration, assessment arrangements or records.

This will depend on the requirements of the relevant assessment plan and any independence or conflict-of-interest rules that apply to the assessment method. Providers must make sure that anyone carrying out assessment is appropriately competent and that any required separation between training and assessment is maintained.

Open Awards will apply quality assurance arrangements that are appropriate to the assessment activity and risks involved. This could include approval checks, standardisation, sampling, moderation, observation, review of assessment records and monitoring of outcomes. The exact approach will be confirmed for each standard and delivery model.

Apprentices will continue to be able to access reasonable adjustments where appropriate. The adjustment must preserve the validity of the assessment and must be agreed and recorded in line with Open Awards requirements and the relevant assessment plan. Providers should follow the current Reasonable Adjustment Policy.

Pricing may change where the scope, timing or delivery model of assessment changes. Open Awards will communicate any revised fees in advance and publish or provide the applicable pricing information. Providers should use the price confirmed for the relevant standard and assessment arrangement.

They may. Resit and retake rules are set by the requirements for the individual apprenticeship and may differ between standards or assessment methods. Open Awards will explain the applicable rules, including any waiting periods, reassessment requirements, limits or additional evidence needed.

Grading may change where a revised assessment plan introduces different assessment methods, grade descriptors or rules for combining assessment outcomes. The grading approach for each apprenticeship will be set out in its assessment plan, and Open Awards guidance will explain how results are determined for standards we assess.