V Cert service messages

November 2024

Download the NEA brief and standardisation packs  

Read our reminders on how to download the non-exam assessment (NEA) brief and standardisation packs, and the purpose of these documents. Read more.

Updates to our online FAQs 

We’ve updated our V Cert FAQs to support with your most-asked queries. Access the FAQs. 

View our updated assessment support webpage 

We’ve made updates to our assessment support webpage, with reminders of everything we have in place to support you and your learners throughout V Cert assessments. 

View our updated moderation webpage 

To support you to feel prepared for moderation, we’ve made updates to our moderation webpage. This will provide you with all the information you need about the moderation process, explain how sampling works, and how the final marks for each learner in the cohort are determined.  

Key dates for non-exam assessments (NEAs) in 2024-25 

Take a look at our handy document which includes the key dates for the NEAs this academic year, along with details of the activities needed at specific times and where to find support.  

Save the date for our Professional Development Week 

Our Professional Development Week will be making a return for its third instalment from 16-20 December! Keep your eyes peeled for more updates on the topics that will be covered and how they can enhance your CPD.  

Sign up for our delivery support events and assessor/IQA training  

Sign up to delivery support events for V Certs from our Provider Development team, which provide opportunities for networking, and explore topics such as preparing to teach and preparing to assess. Sign up now.   

We also have assessor and IQA training events available which will support everyone involved in the assessment or IQA process of V Cert qualifications, whether you’re experienced or new to delivering these qualifications. Find out more.   

Preparation for summer 2025 assessments  

To ensure your preparations for summer 2025 assessments run as smoothly as possible, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you about the following areas for consideration and support:  

• Please advise us if you or your delivery staff have any concerns about your ability to deliver the necessary Guided Learning Hours to prepare learners for both the NEA and external assessment components. Please ensure you have the appropriate contingency plans for potential issues including building restrictions (e.g. RAAC), cyber-attacks and availability of subject-specialist delivery staff.  

• Ensure to update your contacts on the NCFE Portal and advise us of any changes in key internal staff such as your head of centre, exams colleagues or senior designated contact. Take a look at our Portal User Guide for support. Please note that updating your contacts on the Portal won’t change who receives our communications and newsletters, so you must also email [email protected] to ensure the correct colleagues are receiving our emails.  

• Take note of the scheduled dates of your external assessments (see our assessment timetable) and identify any clashes with other assessments. You should also make internal arrangements to meet the resource requirements, and make use of our assessment variation process if required.   

• Submit any assessment-related applications ahead of the published deadlines, such as assessment variation requests or reasonable adjustment requirements, including any necessary paper modifications.  

• Remember: there is no resit opportunity for these qualifications. Learners who completed in summer 2024 cannot carry forward any assessment outcomes and combine them with any summer 2025 assessments. Learners must sit both the external assessment and non-examined assessment in the same series and will receive a series outcome for certification.   

Notify us of any changes to key contacts 

It’s important that we have the correct contact information for key colleagues within your centre, so please let us know if there have been any changes. The main contacts we’ll use to communicate important information are heads of centres, exams contacts and qualification programme contact. Please contact [email protected] to make any changes to the contact details we keep for your centre or update us via this change your contact details form.

October 2024

Our 2024-25 V Cert Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) brief released on 1 October 

Our 2024-25 NEA brief has been released and is now available to download.  

What qualifications have an NEA? 

 How do I access the NEA brief?  

To access the live NEA, you’ll need to register your learners and then follow the below steps:  

• log in to the Portal  
• go to the 'Bookings' tab and click ‘View Assessments’  
• search for a batch number or product code to find students on the relevant qualification/assignment  
• select all learners by checking the box 
• scroll to the bottom and click ‘View Bookings’  
• click on the desired component and a drop down will appear  
• click the material link to download it.  

 If you have any queries regarding the NEA, please contact our Customer Support team via [email protected].  

Access our standardisation pack and complete the standardisation and administration training 

Our standardisation pack will also be available on the Portal on 1 October, and you must complete the relevant training by 28 February 2025.  

These training materials support your delivery teams by looking in more detail at the NEA tutor guidance document and marking bands, giving you the opportunity to discuss marks and develop a standardised approach. This will support you to feel confident that you’re marking consistently and are prepared in advance for the 2024-25 assessment window.    

To access the standardisation training materials, once you’ve booked your learners onto the relevant assessment, you’ll need to:  

• log in to the Portal
• go to the ‘Bookings’ tab and click ‘View Assessments’   
• search for a batch number or product code to find learners on the relevant qualification/assignment you’d like to access training for   
• select all learners   
• scroll to the bottom and click ‘View Bookings’   
• click on the desired assessment booking on the relevant session.   

You’ll see headings for each assessment; the standardisation materials for moderated assessments are located under the moderated assessment heading. Click ‘Show Details’ to view the materials and then click them to download. If there are two parts to the assessment, the materials will be located under ‘Part 2’.   

Administration training 

Administration training is available for the NEA component to view on our Preparing for moderation page. The training consists of a series of videos supporting you through the administrative requirements associated with moderation, including but not limited to accessing and uploading assessment materials. 

Once you’ve completed the training, a declaration must be signed and returned to us via Microsoft Forms. This will state that you’ve completed both the standardisation and administration training, and the link can be found within the training pack.  

If you have any queries about these materials or training, please contact our Moderation team via [email protected]. 

View our updated assessment timetable for 2024-25 and 2025-26 

We’ve made changes to previously published and/or consultation version dates for some V Cert assessments to avoid clashes with GCSE exams. View the timetable and what we’ve changed.

Sign up to our delivery support events 

Sign up to delivery support events for V Certs from our Provider Development team, which provide opportunities for networking, and explore topics such as preparing to teach and preparing to assess. Sign up now.  

We also have assessor and IQA training events available which will support everyone involved in the assessment or IQA process of V Cert qualifications, whether you’re experienced or new to delivering these qualifications. Find out more.  

Preparation for summer 2025 assessments 

To ensure your preparations for summer 2025 assessments run as smoothly as possible, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you about the following areas for consideration and support: 

• Please advise us if you or your delivery staff have any concerns about your ability to deliver the necessary Guided Learning Hours to prepare learners for both the NEA and external assessment components. Please ensure you have the appropriate contingency plans for potential issues including building restrictions (e.g. RAAC), cyber-attacks and availability of subject-specialist delivery staff. 

• Ensure to update your contacts on the NCFE Portal and advise us of any changes in key internal staff such as your head of centre, exams colleagues or senior designated contact. Take a look at our Portal User Guide for support. Please note that updating your contacts on Portal won’t change who receives our communications and newsletters, so you must also email [email protected] to ensure the correct colleagues are receiving our emails. 

• Take note of the scheduled dates of your external assessments (see our assessment timetable) and identify any clashes with other assessments. You should also make internal arrangements to meet the resource requirements, and make use of our assessment variation process if required.  

• Submit any assessment-related applications ahead of the published deadlines, such as assessment variation requests or reasonable adjustment requirements, including any necessary paper modifications. 
• Remember: there is no resit opportunity for these qualifications. Learners who completed in summer 2024 cannot carry forward any assessment outcomes and combine them with any summer 2025 assessments. Learners must sit both the external assessment and non-examined assessment in the same series and will receive a series outcome for certification.  

Summer 2024 post results information  

Following results release on 22 August 2024 for our Level 1/2 Technical Awards, we’ve provided the following feedback documents to support you in understanding your learners’ performance in the summer 2024 assessments and to assist you with the delivery of assessments in summer 2025:  

• The Chief Examiner and Chief Moderator report – This is an overview of the performance of all learners who took the assessment in Summer 2024. Visit the individual qualification page on our website, click ‘assessment materials’, and you’ll find this report within the Summer 24 – Assessment pack. 

• Final Moderation report – This is a bespoke report produced by the moderator who moderated your learners’ work. One report is available for each qualification per cohort and is an opportunity for centres to see areas where they performed well and areas they can develop this session. You can find your final moderation report in the results area of the Portal. Search the batch and click on the drop-down arrow to the right of any data line, you’ll then be able to select the final moderation report from a drop-down list of reports. Please see our Portal user guide for more information. 

We’re unable to expand on feedback beyond the contents of these two documents.  

Past assessment materials 

Remember that our 2023-24 assessments are now available, password protected, on the relevant qualification page on our website for you to use as practice papers for future assessments.   

eCertificates available for your summer 2024 learners soon 

Our new Level 1/2 Technical Award model V Certs, with first assessment and certification in summer 2024, follow a new approach to certification than previous V Cert models.   

Unlike previous V Certs, where you claimed a certificate in the NCFE Portal when ready, for the new model there is no need to claim a certificate, and instead NCFE will auto-certificate learners, starting from 2 October 2024.   

This means that from 2 October, you’ll be able to view eCertificates on the NCFE Portal, and NCFE will print and dispatch a physical copy of your learners’ certificates to your centre, to be received up to 2 weeks after this date.   

No partial certificates will be issued, only certificates for those learners who have completed both elements of the qualification and received an overall grade in summer 2024.   

Please be aware for any learners with an open post-results request on 1 October, the certificate will be processed once your request has been completed. Whilst your post results request is in progress, the result will not appear in the NCFE Portal, and no eCertificate will be visible or physical copy dispatched.   

How to access eCertificates: 

• log in to the NCFE Portal and navigate to the Certification menu option
• select eCertificates (you’ll require eCertificates permissions to be active on your Portal user account to access this screen) 
• search for your learners using batch number, product code, or other identifiable fields 
• select ‘View certificate’ for all relevant learners within the search outcomes 
• you can download multiple eCertificates at once by selecting multiple learners at a time then then the ‘Request Multiple eCertificates’ option. 

Further details on how to access eCertificates can be found in our Portal User Guide.

September 2024

• Our 2024-25 V Cert Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) brief will be released on 1 October. Find out more.
• Our standardisation pack will also be available on the Portal on 1 October, and you must complete the relevant training by 28 . These training materials support your delivery teams by looking in more detail at the NEA tutor guidance document and marking bands, giving you the opportunity to discuss marks and develop a standardised approach. This will support you to feel confident that you are marking consistently and are prepared in advance for the 2024-25 assessment window.
• View our updated assessment timetable for 2024-25 and 2025-26 – we’ve made changes to previously published and/or consultation version dates for some V Cert assessments to avoid clashes with GCSE exams. View the timetable and what we’ve changed.
• Sign up to delivery support events for V Certs from our Provider Development team, which provide opportunities for networking, and explore topics such as preparing to teach and preparing to assess.

NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Awards – post results information

Following results release on 22 August 2024 for our Level 1/2 Technical Awards, we’ve provided the following feedback documents to support you in understanding your learners’ performance in the summer 2024 assessments and to assist you with the delivery of assessments in summer 2025:

• The Chief Examiner and Moderator report – This is an overview of the performance of all learners who took the assessment in Summer 2024. Visit the individual qualification page on our website, click ‘assessment materials’, and you’ll find this report within the Summer 24 – Assessment pack.
• Final Moderation report – This is a bespoke report produced by the moderator who moderated your learners’ work. One report is available for each qualification per cohort and is an opportunity for centres to see areas where they performed well and areas they can develop this session. You can find your final moderation report in the results area of the Portal. Search the batch and click on the drop-down arrow to the right of any data line, you’ll then be able to select the final moderation report from a drop-down list of reports. Please see our Portal User Guide for more information

We’re unable to expand on feedback beyond the contents of these two documents.

Post results services

A review of moderator marks is a check on the original moderation to make sure the assessment criteria have been applied fairly, reliably and consistently. Please note this is not a remark, and no specific feedback will be provided.

This service is not available for individual learners, and requests must be made by component, for all learners on a cohort. More information can be found here.

The deadline for submitting a review of moderation request is 26 September 2024.