FAQs - Apprenticeship Assessments

Apprenticeship certification will be from the Department for Education once Open Awards has confirmed apprenticeship completion. Open Awards will provide a record of component achievement for all assessment components taken as part of the Apprenticeship Assessment process.

The outcome for each individual assessment and the overall grade are provided to the training provider, who is then responsible for informing the apprentice and the employer. Results will be released within 10 working days of the assessment being undertaken.

Where there is a knowledge test as one of the required components of the Apprenticeship Assessment, results are normally released within 3 working days.

Yes, the same Independent Apprenticeship Assessor will undertake the full Apprenticeship Assessment, unless there is any requirement within the assessment plan that requires parts of the assessment to be completed by different assessors/ specialists.  Where an apprentice requires a resit, depending on availability, this may result in another assessor being used.

The first point that the apprentice will meet their Apprenticeship Assessor will be on the day of their scheduled assessment. The exception to this will be where the assessment plan requires certain actions to be completed post gateway to completion.

The majority of assessments will take place in the apprentices workplace. The exception to this will be some knowledge-based assessments that may be taken at alternative venues or remotely.

The specific requirements will depend on the apprenticeship Standard your apprentice is registered on. Please see the Apprenticeship Assessment Handbook for the relevant Standard for details on assessment venue requirements.

This will depend on which assessment component it is, and the requirements of the specific Standard.

Many of Open Awards assessments, including multiple-choice knowledge tests and professional discussions, can be taken remotely. Please see the Standard Apprenticeship Assessment Handbook for more information or contact us on customerservices@openawards.org.uk to talk about your specific scenario.

Provisional bookings can be re-scheduled or cancelled at no charge. Confirmed bookings up to 10 workings days before the assessment day can be re-scheduled at no charge. Confirmed bookings cancelled or re-scheduled with less than 10 workings days’ notice will incur a charge in line with Open Awards Fees Policy.

Once your apprentices are registered with us for Apprenticeship Assessments, you will be able to provisionally schedule assessments through The Portal. Assessment dates won’t be confirmed until gateway checks are completed and all stakeholders have confirmed that the apprentice is ready for assessment.

Open Awards aim to complete gateway to completion checks within five (5) working days from receipt of the gateway to completion declaration and authenticity form, subject to provision of all necessary information and ancillary evidence. Once gateway checks have been successfully completed, Open Awards will confirm this with the provider.

This will depend on the assessment plan requirements of each Standard. There will be a gateway declaration and authenticity form which must be completed between all parties to confirm the apprentice is ready for their Apprenticeship Assessment.  There is normally a requirement to submit evidence of the apprentice meeting the required level of English and maths in line with Department for Education policy. Some assessment plans require other evidence to be submitted such as portfolios, projects, evidence of qualifications completed.  Please refer to the relevant Apprenticeship Assessment Handbook for more information.