Service messages

Updated on [08/04/2025]

Welcome to our service messages area. This area is regularly updated with the latest information about our products, qualifications, processes and more.

We’ll also send you a monthly newsletter where we’ll highlight any key updates, and you can click through to this webpage to read the full details. We recommend bookmarking this page so that you can check back regularly for any updates!

April 2025 

Second term-time checkpoint open now 

The window for the second term-time checkpoint is now open and the deadline will be Friday 2 May 2025.  Visit our timely delivery of VTQ results webpage for more information on the actions you need to take and where to find support.

Key dates, assessments and results 

Updates to our post-results services 

We’ve made changes to how you request post-results services, to make the process easier for you and your learners. We’ve made it easier to request: 

• enquiries about results, including a clerical check and review of marking 

• access to scripts 

• Functional Skills feedback. 

Following the release of external assessment results, you can now submit your requests via the NCFE Portal. Find out how to do this on our assessment results and queries webpage. 

Qualification updates and withdrawals 

• View our latest Horizons document, featuring qualification updates and maintenance information including qualification withdrawals, new qualifications, and qualification amendments. 

Exams officers’ update 

• View this month’s update. 

Functional Skills 

• Take advantage of the series of upcoming events that will help to enhance your Functional Skills delivery. Read more. 

T Levels 

• View our latest T Level communications. 

V Certs 

• View our latest V Cert service messages. 
  

   

Non-exam assessment (NEA) submission deadline reminder: Wednesday 30 April  

 As the NEA submission deadline of Wednesday 30 April approaches, here's a quick reminder of the contact you'll receive from us:  

• 3 and 7 days before the deadline: the programme contact and exam contact we have on record will receive automated reminder emails.  

• Day after the deadline: if marks aren’t entered by the deadline, an email will be sent.  

Please be advised that any late submissions may result in delayed results for learners and could lead to potential maladministration issues. It’s essential that all learner marks are submitted on time to avoid issues that could affect learner outcomes.   

Instructions for submitting marks in the Portal: 

• Login to the Portal and navigate to the Portal menu. 
• Select ‘Moderation’, then click on ‘Submit Marks’.  
• Use the search fields to find the learners for whom you want to submit marks.  
• Select the learners you wish to submit marks for.  
• Once all learners are selected, click ‘Next’.  
• For each learner, click on ‘Add/Edit Marks’.  
• A list of tasks will appear. For each task: 

• • Use the dropdown to select the appropriate number of marks.  If the learner has attempted the task but has no awardable marks, select ‘0’ marks. 
  • If the learner did not attempt the task, select ‘DNA’ (Did Not Attempt). 
  • Ensure no task is marked as N/A. All tasks should either have a numerical mark or be marked as DNA.  

• Agree to the Declaration by clicking the checkbox.  
• Save the changes.  

Important: the marks will remain editable until the window closes on Wednesday 30 April. After this date, if you need to amend marks, you’ll need to complete the incorrect mark or grade submission form.  

Sampling plan list  

 Please remember that your sampling plan indicating list learners selected for remote moderation will be generated on Thursday 1 May, provided that all marks for the cohort are submitted by Wednesday 30 April. You’ll then have 3 working days to upload evidence for all learners in the sample list. The timely submission of your learners’ marks is critical to avoid delays in the moderation process.   

Your sampling plan list will only generate when all the marks for the cohort are submitted on the Portal.  

How to view your sampling plan list:  

• Log in to the Portal. 
• Navigate to the ‘Bookings’ menu then select ‘Upload learner submissions’. 
• Search for your learners by entering the batch number.  
• Filter by the correct assessment window to narrow down the list. 
• On the left side of the black ribbon at the top of the screen, you’ll see a dropdown box labelled ‘All learners’ .
• Click the dropdown arrow to expand the list. 
• Look for 'Sampling Plan' in the expanded list. A number in brackets will show how many learners have been selected for remote moderation. 
• For each learner on the sampling plan list, there will be a bold upload icon next to their details. This icon indicates that evidence is expected from them.  

How to upload evidence:   

Once you’ve found your learners on the sample plan list, you’ll then be able to upload evidence. 

• Click on the upload icon next to the learner details.
• Click browse. 
• Search for the learner files to be uploaded.
• You can only upload 15 files at a time. 

For more information on how to upload evidence please see the ‘Digital Learner Evidence’ section of the Portal user guide. 

Supporting your delivery 

• Our Professional Development Week is back! This week will feature a range of virtual training sessions, workshops, and 'in conversation with' events, designed to enhance professional skills and provide valuable insights into the field. Our previous Professional Development Weeks have been attended by hundreds of educators, exams colleagues and senior leaders. Taking place from Monday 30 June to Friday 4 July, we’ll be sharing more details on the session soon –sign up and register your interest if you want to be the first to hear more!  

• Maximising educational impact with prompting theory and genAI tools, Tuesday 1 July at 2 - 3:30pm: Discover how to apply prompting theory to enhance real-world educational outcomes using cutting-edge generative AI tools such as Copilot (Microsoft), Gemini (Google), and ChatGPT. This interactive webinar will explore the practicalities and unique strengths of each tool, providing actionable strategies for supporting various educational tasks. Attendees will gain insights into effective AI integration to optimise teaching and learning. 

• Effective questioning in mathematics for vocational contexts, Wednesday 2 July at 3 - 4:30pm: Incorporating maths into vocational programmes can often pose challenges for teachers. This live online training session on effective questioning in mathematics is designed to empower vocational teachers to enhance student engagement and deepen understanding, fostering critical thinking skills essential for real-world problem-solving. 

The session provides a focused, interactive opportunity to develop effective questioning strategies tailored to vocational teaching and learning in maths. 

Horizons archive

Explore our Horizons portfolio archive below.