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Certification FAQs
Please use the categories below to find the relevant answer to your question.
How do I claim certificates?
You can claim certificates online through the Portal, using the Certification menu. The Portal User Guide gives you a step-by-step guide on how to do this.
Do I need to claim certificates for my V Cert learners?
You will not need to claim certificates for your Level 1 and 2 Technical Award learners. These learners will be auto-certificated 6 weeks after the results release date. This means you’ll be able to view their e-certificates on 2 October 2025 on the Portal and will receive a physical copy of the certificates around 4 weeks after this date.
How do I amend the name of a learner before claiming their certificate?
You can amend a learner’s name in the ‘My learners’ section of the Portal or when claiming the learner certificate by using the edit learner button next to the learner name. The Portal User Guide gives you a step-by-step guide on how to do this.
I’ve claimed incorrectly using the Portal - what do I do?
Contact our Customer Support Team and inform them that you have made an error as soon as you can. The Customer Support team will ask you to complete the Invalid certificate form, which can be found on this page. Once we receive the form, we’ll help you rectify the error and recover any invalid certificates that have been issued.
Upon completing the Invalid Certificate form, the matter will be referred to our Provider Assurance team so they can establish the root cause of the error and recommend preventative measures. During this process it is of the utmost importance that you do not take any further action in connection to the claim until you receive communication from our Provider Assurance team advising you to do so.
The process to cancel the invalid certificate and/or grades can take up to 5 working days from the initial acknowledgement of your Invalid Certificate form.
What is the difference between a full claim and a partial claim?
A full claim means that the learner has the required amount of units or credits to qualify for a full achievement and will be issued a Qualification Certificate or Credit Certificate (depending on the type of qualification or award).
A partial claim means the learner doesn’t have the required amount of units or credits for a full achievement and will be issued a Unit Certificate or Credit Certificate (depending on the type of qualification or award).
Will the Portal work out if the units I have claimed for add up to a full achievement for a learner?
Yes. When you make a claim the Portal will update the learner status with a ‘full’ or ‘partial’ based on the units you’ve selected for your learners, so please check this before you submit your claim. Please check the qualification specification if you have any initial questions.
Where are my certificates?
Certificates
If we receive a signed off (via Direct Claim Status (DCS) or External Quality Assurer (EQA)) certificate claim before 5pm this will be dispatched the next working day.
Claims received after 5pm will be dispatched on the second working day.
We endeavour to deliver to international addresses within 28 working days. Please contact our Customer Support team if your certificates have not arrived within this timeframe.
Replacement Certificates
Replacement certificates can only be requested for qualifications awarded since 2011. For certificates awarded before this, we may be able to issue a Proof of Qualification, if we hold a record of your achievement on our database. A Proof of Qualification can be requested by completing the form on our replacement certificate page.
We are unable to issue either a replacement certificate or Proof of Qualification for any qualification awarded before 1 September 1994.
If we can find a record of your achievement, we’ll issue and post a new certificate within ten working days of your payment clearing.
Why is my claim showing as ‘Pending’ in the Portal?
If your claim is showing as pending, this means it is waiting to be signed off by the External Quality Assurer (EQA) if you don’t have Direct Claim Status (DCS).
Why has my claim been rejected by the External Quality Assurer?
This could be for several reasons, including:
- an external quality assurance review hasn’t taken place for this qualification
- the portfolio(s) are not of the required standard and need further work before certification can take place
- the learner(s) haven’t been sampled or are part of a batch that hasn’t been sampled
- the learner(s) have been cancelled, transferred or withdrawn
- the EQA may have picked up on a discrepancy between the claim made and the work presented.
There are many reasons why a claim may be rejected but your EQA will support you through what actions need to be completed before certificates can be issued.
How do I gain Direct Claim Status (DCS) for my certificates?
DCS is awarded for an individual qualification and is based on quality criteria that are measured and reported on through our external quality assurance visits. DCS can be achieved after one visit or 2 consecutive visits over a maximum period of 18 months.
When you meet the quality criteria we'll automatically award you DCS for that qualification. We'll email the Programme Contact at your centre to inform them that you've been awarded DCS with a copy of your visit report. You don't have to do anything - it's that simple!
For more information about DCS and the quality criteria to achieve it, please refer to the DCS section on our website.
How do I transfer our DCS status from another awarding organisation?
Please refer to our Transferring DCS from anther awarding organisation page.