We’re pleased to share with all centres our proposed external assessment timetable for all our CACHE and V Certs qualifications, with an external assessment, for 2023/24 and 2024/25 and we're now seeking feedback from centres on the content and structure of this document.   

To ensure the most accurate feedback, we’re carrying out this consultation over a prolonged period, from mid-May until 19 June 2023. 

Following this there will be an internal review and a narrative response published responding to feedback provided before a final confirmed version published on or before 1 July 2023.   

To support you in understanding some of the points for consideration, as well as addressing some areas of previous feedback received, we provide the following guidance to review prior to review and submitting feedback:  

Process and work to this point  

• Dates for the entire 2024/25 session for all qualifications and assessments (2023/24 dates remain unchanged from the latest published external assessment timetable). 
• External assessments will be scheduled during standard term times and cannot take account of individual school or college closures. We will not schedule any external assessments for a weekend or a bank holiday.  
• Where we have more than one model of qualification in any one subject area, we will ensure there are no clashes with our chosen dates of external assessments across our own suite.  
• To support centres with booking any re-sits for their learners, we’ll ensure the bookings cut-off date for upcoming external assessments is after results have been released for the previous external assessment. 

Previous feedback 

Whilst we welcome all feedback, there is one theme that we’ve previously received feedback on which we acknowledge but either cannot change, or have already provided a rationale for why a change is not currently planned:  

• Potential clash with GCSE/A Level assessments in the summer period is a known concern, but the external assessment timetable is published 2 years in advance, before these GQ dates are known. We’re working with other AOs to raise awareness of this concern and will continue to manage through assessment variation and other regulatory flexibility (such as Assessment Variation requests) allowed by exception should this occur.   

Easter and half-term holidays 2024 and 2025  

• Easter always presents a challenge, and is especially noteworthy in 2025, falling late in the season. In addition, across the country there are always varying timings for Easter and other half term holidays.   
• We prepare our external assessment timetable to avoid a 3-week period covering the most common Easter holidays across the country, meaning Easter is a driver for some variation in dates between 2024 and 2025.   
• Assessments are never scheduled over the Easter holiday; however, this does mean some dates may have been moved in the calendar to accommodate this.   
• Some of our assessment windows cover ranges of 5 – 6 weeks, and accounting for the minimum guided learning hours for learners to fully prepare for these, an inevitable consequence is that, occasionally, these windows must straddle traditional half-term holidays, particularly on or around February each year. 

Who can respond?  

Your feedback is incredibly valuable, so we encourage all centres to review the proposed timetable and submit a response. You may wish to submit more than one on behalf of your centre, such as one from your exams department focussing on the dates, and another from a teaching department with feedback on the level of detail or other assessment arrangements.   

How to respond  

• Review this proposed external assessment timetable for 2023/24 and 2024/25  
• Complete this form with all feedback 

• Complete this no later than 19 June.