Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance Standards
We have produced a single set of ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« / ILM documents setting out a comprehensive model of our quality assurance requirements, from centre approval through to issue of results. This is to:
- maintain consistent standards of delivery and assessment across all centres
- ensure the validity and reliability of assessment outcomes for learners.
The new documents incorporate information from, but replace, the following key ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« documents currently in place:
- ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« Centre Manual (including the General Terms)
- ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« Our Quality Assurance Requirements
The new Quality Assurance Standards suite of documents have now come into effect.
General
Centre Devised Assessments
Accreditation
Results and Exceptions
International customers
Conflict of Interest Notification Forms
Access Arrangements
Guidance documents
Access forms for UK centres:
Applications should be made on the Walled Garden, where possible.
This form can be completed by a centre for each candidate who requires modified examination papers, included enlarged or Braille.
This form is for time extensions for e-volve tests, where the test needs to be booked or amended by ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ«.
This form can be completed by UK centres only.
- Scribe cover sheet
Form for centres to complete for paper-based exams, where the candidate has had a scribe. This includes speech recognition and a word processor with spell check switched on.
Centres can use the JCQ forms for ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« qualifications.
Access forms for international centres:
International centres can use this form if they are applying to ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« for access arrangements.
Special consideration forms:
This form can be completed by a centre to apply for special consideration.
Access arrangements for apprenticeships
Access arrangements are agreed before an assessment. They allow apprentices with specific educational needs (SEN), disabilities, or temporary injuries to access the assessment without changing the demands of the assessment.
For further guidance on EPA access arrangements and to notify ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« of an EPA access arrangement please refer to the form. This form must be completed for each apprentice requiring an access arrangement.
Visit our Centre Document Library for JCQ and ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« guidance to support with special considerations and reasonable adjustments.
Appeals
Stage 1 - Enquiries
A centre can ask for a candidate’s exam result to be reviewed, alternatively a candidate can request this directly. ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« will arrange for the candidate’s answers to be remarked.
In the case of assessment decisions made by centres, candidates must go through the centre’s own internal appeals procedure.
A centre can request an Enquiry into the Qualification Approval Risk Status/ Qualification Status that has been applied by ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« following external quality assurance activities.
Forms
Related documents
Extended Project qualifications
For details on the process for the Extended Project, please refer to the .
T level Technical Qualifications
For details on the process for T level Technical Qualifications, please refer to the in conjunction with the document below:
Stage 2 and 3 – Appeals
You can ask us to look at:
- examinations results
- decisions regarding qualification (approval risk) status
- decisions concerning the withdrawal or suspension of centre/qualification approval
- decisions, penalties and sanctions resulting from a malpractice investigation
- outcomes of applications for access arrangements or special consideration.
Forms
Related documents
Technical, Extended Project qualifications and T Level Technical Qualifications
For details on the appeals process for these qualifications, please refer to the ‾·´Ç³¦³Ü³¾±ð²Ô³Ù.
For T Level Technical Qualifications, the JCQ appeals document should be used in conjunction with the document below:
EPA enquiries and appeals
Apprentices and customers can appeal the outcome of an assessment result. The EPA enquiries and appeals document guides you through the process of an enquiry and appeal.
Complete the to submit an enquiry about results. All enquiries must be submitted to the ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« within 20 working days of the result date.
Application for Centres
Application forms and further information to become a ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« approved centre or to apply for qualification approval.
For the information regarding CA2, please refer to the Quality Portal User Guide.
UK customers
Centre Update Form
To change your main centre address, billing address, question paper address or delivery address; please go to the Settings tab in your Walled Garden account.
To notify us of any other change, for example a new assessment site or member of staff please submit a Centre Update (CU) form in the Online Forms section within the Walled Garden Quality Portal. You can find further information on how to submit your CU form in our Quality Portal User Guide here.
Qualification Approval Form
If you are an existing ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« centre looking to offer more qualifications you will need to submit a Qualification Approval (QAP) Form within the Walled Garden Quality Portal. Once this has been submitted we’ll be in touch to arrange approval. Please note that it can take up to 30 working days to complete this process. You can find further information on how to submit your QAP in our Quality Portal User Guide here.
If you would like to discuss your Qualification Approval in more detail, please contact your Business Manager of relevant sales executive. You can also complete our Customer Application.
Depending on the qualification you’re applying for, our Quality team may arrange an External Quality Assurer (EQA) approval visit. The EQA is there to check you meet our requirements and to support you with your approval application.
Request MS Word versions of internally marked assessment materials
Please complete the form below to request MS Word versions of internally marked assessments such as:
- Candidate packs
- Question packs that are marked by the tutor or assessor
- Assignment packs
- Sample or practice material
- Logbooks
We will aim to provide password protected word versions within five working days of a correctly submitted form. However, this may not always be possible depending on the type of qualification and on the number of assessments requested.
Assessment Malpractice
These guidance notes and forms are for customers and centres delivering ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« qualifications and apprenticeships.
They set out the procedures for identifying and reporting malpractice by staff and/or candidates. This is important for the quality assurance of the assessment process by approved ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« customers and centres. The notes also explain the actions ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« may take when we receive allegations of malpractice.
A source document for these is Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments: Policies and Procedures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications. We are a member of this Joint Council.
Malpractice in EPA Policy
ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« is committed to providing high-quality EPAs which are independently assessed by our team of LIEPAs and IEPAs and awarded consistently, accurately, and fairly. The Malpractice in End-Point Assessment policy comes into effect where Gateway evidence has been submitted and outlines how ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« manages instances of suspected malpractice.
The EPA Malpractice notification checklist is a helpful checklist to support customers completing a notification of suspected malpractice by apprentice(s) or their staff.
Continuous Professional Development Series
Learner Registration
Please be advised City and Guilds no longer accept registrations via S Form Submission. These will need to be completed through Walled Garden or via EDI upload.
For support please visit the following links:
Information on how to register your learners, including Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs):
FAQs
I have registered a candidate for the wrong qualification. How do I transfer to the correct qualification?
Register the candidates onto the correct route. Then e-mail customersupport@cityandguilds.com with the candidate's enrolment number, order number, qualification number and the reason why they were registered incorrectly. If your request is made within 30 days of the original registration date, we will be happy to cancel the incorrect registrations and credit your centre with a refund.
If you have re-registered the candidates onto another route of the same qualification within a six month period of the original registration, we will be happy to cancel the incorrect registrations and arrange for a credit note to be issued.
I want to cancel a candidate’s registration?
If you need to cancel a candidate’s registration you can do this by e-mailing customersupport@cityandguilds.com with the candidate's enrolment number, order number, qualification number and a reason why you wish to cancel the registration.
You can cancel a candidate registration at any time providing the candidate has not been entered for any units, or any result claimed.
If your request is made within 30 days of the original registration date, we will be happy to cancel the registration and credit your centre with a refund. Cancelations outside this period will not be refunded.
If you have re-registered the candidates onto another route of the same qualification within a six month period of the original registrations, we will be happy to cancel the incorrect registrations and arrange for a credit note to be issued.
Conducting Examinations
The regulations in these documents specify the standard requirements for externally marked examinations and assessments. For certain qualifications some of the requirements may be different, please check the individual qualification handbooks and assessment guides for more information.
UK customers
International customers
Legal
Documentation on equal opportunity policy and age discrimination legislation.
Working with children and vulnerable adults
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) was formed in December 2012 to help employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaced the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).
The Government also changed the requirements for DBS checks to reflect changes brought about by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The impact is that for disclosure and barring purposes a DBS check is only required when working in regulated activities with children or with adults.
For children, ‘regulated activity’ is (1) working in an unsupervised capacity with children on some premises (such as schools) and (2) providing personal physical or health care.
For adults ‘regulated activity’ is primarily concerned with personal physical or health care.
Clearly Associate activities do not involve them in regulated activities either with children or vulnerable adults. Moreover ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ«/ILM require that, during their visits, Associates should always be accompanied by a member of staff of the centre. Therefore Associates are not required to undertake DBS checks and consequently they do not have to agree to centre requests for DBS related checks.
Relevant documents:
Digital Credentials
Are your learners missing out on Digital Credentials?
We are taking this opportunity to remind you that ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« issues digital credentials for the majority of our qualifications. These are automatically issued to learners who successfully complete a ÍõÖÐÍõ×ÊÁÏ´óÈ« qualification, at no extra cost.
Here you can find a video tutorial and step by step guide on how to add an individual email address to Walled Garden.
(YouTube)
Digital Credentials guide for providers (PDF)
Here you can find a guide on how to add email addresses en mass if you have not added them to Walled Garden.
Learner details upload tool user guide (PDF)
For more information on the benefits of digital credentials, please visit our dedicated webpage.
(YouTube)
(YouTube)