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Summer assessment series – looking ahead to results in August
All summer assessments are now complete and marking and moderation are well underway.
All evidence should now be uploaded and all papers returned, but we still might have to raise queries with your exams teams. Please ensure that your teams are ready to resolve any queries as quickly as possible so that all learners can receive a result where expected.
Our special consideration deadline has passed, and from now we will only accept requests in exceptional circumstances. Late requests may impact our ability to release results on the advertised results release date.
As a reminder, results release dates are:
- We’ll release T Level results from our summer 2026 series to you on Wednesday 12 August, ahead of your students receiving them on Thursday 13 August.
- We’ll release V Cert results from our summer 2026 series to you on Monday 17 August, ahead of your learners receiving them on Thursday 20 August. This embargo period allows you more time to prepare for sharing with learners, and nothing should be shared ahead of Thursday.
- Other external assessment results, such as our CACHE assessments, will be released on the dates stated in the assessment timetable.
Results, including results slips and reports, will be available in the Portal. Chief Examiner and Chief Moderator reports and past papers and mark schemes will be available on the relevant qualification pages on our website, and you can view information on where to find your Final Moderation Report and Chief Moderator Reports in the results and support section of our moderation webpage.
If you have queries about learner results following results release, please review our post results services webpage for information on reviews of marking or moderation, clerical checks, or access to scripts (where available).
Some key points to note are:
- Any post result requests require the consent of your learner and therefore, you can’t submit any requests before 20 August 2026.
- You can find the timescales for requests on our website
- Before you can submit an appeal against a result you will need to exhaust all post-results services in full
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Annual Monitoring Reviews (AMRs)
We’d like to let you know about an upcoming change to how AMRs will be carried out from September 2026. Going forward, AMRs will move from a standard annual review for all centres to a risk-based assurance model. This approach allows us to focus support where it’s most needed, while reducing the burden on centres with a strong track record of compliance.
What this means for you
Low-risk centres: You’ll receive a desk-based review every other year, with a full AMR taking place in the alternate year.
Medium and high-risk* centres: You’ll continue to receive a full AMR every year, delivered via Microsoft Teams. All centres delivering V Certs and T Levels are deemed high risk due to incorporating moderation. Centres delivering Dental qualifications are also deemed high risk due to regulatory requirements.
This new model maintains robust oversight where risk is higher while introducing greater flexibility and proportionality for consistently compliant centres.
If you have any questions, please read our FAQs or contact us at [email protected].
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Qualifications updates and withdrawals
View this month’s Horizons update for the latest qualification changes and withdrawals.
Changes to NCFE CACHE Level 1 Award in Awareness of Substance Misuse (603/1924/0)
We wanted to let you know about changes we’ve made to this qualification. We’ve updated the wording in learning outcome 4 of Unit 01 Develop an awareness of substance misuse (H/615/8263), from ‘Understand ways to promote healthy choices and build resilience’ to ‘Understand ways to promote wellbeing in relation to substance misuse’. This is to ensure the learning outcome is up to date with current phrasing and current terminology, and places further emphasis on wellbeing. The assessment criteria for learning outcome 4 have also been updated to reflect this, and an additional assessment criterion 4.6 has been added to promote learning about local and national organisations.
You must deliver the updated content in version 3.4 of the qualification specification to any new learners registered on or after the date that the change comes into effect (1 September 2026). For learners already registered before this date you should continue to use version 3.3 of the qualification specification . For further details, please check the summary of changes at the back of the qualification specification, found on the qualification webpage, which outlines the changes.
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Change to quality assurance (QA) group
From 1 August 2026 our Uniformed Services and Events qualifications will sit in a new QA group.
This change means that EQA reviews will need to be arranged independently for this group of qualifications, opposed to having the review combined with sport and leisure qualifications.
Wherever possible your EQA will remain the same for both Sport and Uniformed Services. We’ll let you know if there is a change.
The change to QA groups now means that you will be entitled to up to two free of charge reviews per QA Group in each academic year. Further reviews if required will be charged in line with our fees and pricing guide.
Qualifications that will sit in the new Uniformed Services QA group:
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603/6756/8
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NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Spectator Safety Supervision
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603/6704/0
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NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Spectator Safety
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603/6703/9
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NCFE Level 2 Award in Understanding Stewarding at Spectator Events
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603/5041/6
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NCFE Level 3 Extended Diploma in Policing
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603/5040/4
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NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Policing (720)
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603/5038/6
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NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Policing (540)
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603/5036/2
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NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Policing
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603/5032/5
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NCFE Level 3 Introductory Certificate in Policing
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603/4349/7
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NCFE Level 1/2 Certificate in Uniformed Protective Services
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601/8794/3
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NCFE Level 3 Extended Diploma for Entry to the Uniformed Services
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601/8793/1
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NCFE Level 3 Diploma for Entry to the Uniformed Services (720)
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601/8792/X
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NCFE Level 3 Diploma for Entry to the Uniformed Services (540)
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601/8791/8
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NCFE Level 3 Certificate for Entry to the Uniformed Services
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601/8790/6
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NCFE Level 3 Introductory Certificate for Entry to the Uniformed Services
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601/2457/X
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NCFE Level 1 Diploma for Entry to the Uniformed Services
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601/2456/8
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NCFE Level 2 Diploma for Entry to the Uniformed Services
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Download our new assessment timetable
Our assessment timetable for 2026/27 and 2027/28 is now available to download, with all V Cert and CACHE assessment dates.
Thank you for your input throughout the consultation process. We’ve made a number of changes in response to your feedback, to align with other awarding organisations, or to minimise clashes with large volume general qualifications, ultimately with the aim to minimise burden and risk to you and your exam teams. Please see below for more information.
For our V Cert Technical Awards:
- Following the publication of the GCSE and GCE results release dates for summer 2027, our result release to learners in 2027 will now be Thursday 19 August.
- Previously we released V Cert Technical Award results to centres under embargo 3 working days prior to results release to learners. To align with other awarding organisations, from summer 2027, we’ve taken the decision to reduce this embargo period to one working day prior to results release to learners. Therefore, in summer 2027, you’ll be able to access V Cert Technical Award results on the Portal on Wednesday 18 August.
We’ve amended some dates and times of our assessments. Please ensure these are updated in your calendars, and that you are using the latest version of the timetable:
- We’ve amended the previously published time of the NCFE CACHE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Child Development and Care in the Early Years assessment from 9am to 1:30pm on 8 June 2027 due to a clash with GCSE English Language.
- We’ve amended the previously published date of the NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Engineering assessment from 9am on 19 May 2027 to 9am on 18 May 2027 due to a clash with GCSE English Literature.
- We’ve amended the previously published date of the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Applied General Award for Early Years, Childcare and Education, which will now take place on 10 June 2027 at 9am due to it being originally timetabled during the May half term holiday.
For the NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education (Early Years Educator):
- We’ve brought forward the assessment window dates and results release dates for the summer assessment opportunity for DCE2. The summer results release date is now 9 July 2027, giving you additional time to confirm completion of any internally assessed components and complete certification in advance of the general Level 3 results release date in August. Further information on these amended dates can be found in the assessment timetable.
We’ve removed a number of assessments from the timetable due to the withdrawal and closing of some CACHE qualifications and NCFE Applied General qualifications. The final assessment opportunities for these qualifications were during 2025-26.
- DEYEC1 and DEYEC2
- EYE/SAE
- EYE/EE1 and EYE/EE2
- Applied General Certificate – Art and Design
- Applied General Certificate – Business and Enterprise
- Applied General Certificate – Music Technology
Please note that when returning hard copies of assessment papers, they should no longer be returned directly to NCFE. Instead,they should be returned to the address indicated on the assessment paperwork.
We’d also like to remind you that the assessment timetable is a controlled document and is subject to regular updates and revisions. To ensure accuracy and avoid the risk of working from outdated information, please don’t download, save, or store local copies of the assessment timetable on internal systems or networks. The only valid and up-to-date version of the assessment timetable is the version accessed via our website. We can’t accept responsibility for any issues, delays, or errors arising from the use of outdated or locally stored versions of the assessment timetable.
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Updates for exams officers
Read the latest news and updates for exams officers here.
On this page, you’ll find all the key information to support you in your role, including timetables, a key dates calendar and FAQs, as well as monthly updates to ensure you’re kept up to date with any changes, events and training opportunities.
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Supporting your delivery
Sign up to our upcoming events
Assessor and IQA training events available for booking
Book now for our events between September 2026 to June 2027.
We also have a full calendar of subject specific V Cert assessor and IQA events, by popular demand!
By attending this training, you’ll be eligible to receive a digital credential, which can be added to your email signature or shared on social media.
Our assessor training events will provide you with an opportunity to:
- explore the general principles of the assessment process
- understand what we expect from assessors
- get to know our paperwork and processes
- highlight and share good practice
- meet and network with other practitioners.
- Our IQA training events will provide you with an opportunity to:
- explore the general principles of the internal quality assurance process
- understand what we expect from you
- get to know our paperwork and processes
- review current practices and develop ideas for improvement
- understand how to achieve and maintain Direct Claim Status (DCS)
- meet and network with other IQA practitioners.
Sign up now.
If you require subject or qualification specific training, please see links to bespoke training.
Assessment of Preparation for Life and Work Qualifications, Thursday 24 September, 10-11:30am
This event will support you to understand the assessment of our Preparation for Life and Work qualifications and is suitable for both new and experienced staff who wish to refresh their knowledge. We’ll explore credit values, optional and mandatory units, command verbs, assessment methods, feedback to learners and the EQA process. There will also be opportunities for networking.
Sign up now
Training fees from 1 August 2026
We wanted to let you know about changes to our training fees:
- Assessor and Internal Quality Assurance training (remote) - £77 per delegate
- Bespoke event (up to 10 delegates) - £781
- Bespoke event (11–20 delegates) - £1,199.50
- Bespoke event (over 20 delegates) - £1,199.50 + £139 per delegate
- For face-to-face bespoke training, trainers’ expenses are charged separately and may vary.
If you have any further questions, please contact the team at [email protected].
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Qualification-specific updates
