Please see below the latest service messages relevant to our Level 1/2 Technical Awards (V Certs).
Updated on [10/04/2026]
Your monthly update (April 2026)
Below you’ll find your monthly update for April 2026, including important reminders for the non-exam assessment (NEA), assessment variation requests, updated external assessment dates, how you can join us for our V Cert drop-in Q&A, a link to listen to the latest episodes of our podcast, and much more!
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Uploading non-exam assessment (NEA) evidence
NEA mark submission deadline
You must submit marks for all learners by Thursday 30 April. Failure to meet this deadline may result in delays to moderation and the release of results
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Sampling plan list
Your sampling plan list (showing learners selected for remote moderation) will be generated on Friday 1 May, as long as all marks for the cohort have been submitted by Thursday 30 April. Once available, you’ll have three working days to upload evidence for all learners in the sample. The timely submission of learner marks is critical to avoid delays in the moderation and results release processes.
Please note that your sampling plan list will only generate once all the marks have been 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 or product code.
- Filter by the correct assessment series
- 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 sampling 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.
Please note, you can only upload 15 files at a time. For further guidance, please refer to the ‘Digital Learner Evidence’ section of the Portal User Guide.
Missing evidence:
If evidence isn’t submitted in full by the deadline, we’ll request this by sending an email to programme contacts and the Head of Centre. You’ll have two working days to provide the missing evidence and please note that missing evidence may delay the release of results.
If we identify missing evidence or tasks, in our email we'll ask you to upload all required documents for all learners on the sampling plan list (not just the initial identified learner). This ensures evidence is available if additional learners are selected during moderation.
If there are any issues with a learner’s evidence, please indicate this in the evidence upload checklist and upload the checklist alongside the learner’s evidence.
You must inform us if any learner evidence is incomplete, difficult to locate (for example, within another file), or provided in an alternative format (not what is asked for within the brief/upload checklist).
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Administration support
Stay on track with key tasks and deadlines using our key dates and support document. You should also refer to the key dates and timetables page to manage upcoming requirements and ensure all administrative tasks are completed on time.
You can access admin training on our moderation webpage, designed to guide you through required processes and help ensure tasks are completed correctly and efficiently.
Here are a few key things to keep in mind:
- Keep contact details up to date
Please ensure we have the correct information for staff at your centre (exams officer, programme contact, finance contacts and head of centre). You can make any updates via this form.
- Check learner name accuracy
Learner names on evidence submissions must match those you used when registering the learners with us.
- Reasonable adjustments
- If we select a learner for moderation who has a reasonable adjustment, you should indicate this using the tick box on the checklist in the assessment materials pack. This ensures that adjustments are properly documented and accounted for.
- Submit the checklist alongside learner evidence.
- Record all reasonable adjustments in the Reasonable Adjustment Tracking Document (available on our webpage).
- Keep this document for inspection purposes (you don’t need to send it unless we request it).
- Upload limits
Be aware of the 2GB file sizes and upload limits when submitting evidence. Refer to our guide for details.
- Read our Portal User guide for guidance on:
- How to access assessment materials (page 89)
- How to submit centre marks for moderation (page 105)
- How to view students selected for moderation and upload evidence (page 94)
Understanding our approach to moderation
We aim to ensure consistent marking standards across all centres. Visit our moderation webpage for guidance on:
- sample sizes
- moderating centre-assessed work and how marks are applied
- the regression process – how adjustments are made
Reminder on invigilation and paper return best practice
When administering and returning assessment papers, please familiarise yourself with the instructions on the Invigilator’s Register provided. Following these processes helps us maintain accuracy, quality, and a consistent experience for all learners.
Some key points to highlight are:
- Please make sure the invigilator(s) has signed the front of the register in the relevant box.
- If learners use additional pages, each page must clearly display the learner’s number, and the total number of extra pages must be recorded on the register.
- Each learner must be issued only with the assessment paper that displays their own name.
- Assessment papers must not be photocopied. Blank printable versions are available via the portal to support with access arrangements if needed.
- Please record any access arrangements used during the assessment on the register.
- An attendance status must be recorded for every candidate listed, with only one status selected per learner.
- Only completed assessment papers should be returned. Unused papers do not need to be returned but must not be released to any individual until 24 hours after our published finishing time for the assessment.
Following these steps helps us maintain consistency and compliance across all assessments. Thank you for your continued support and attention to these requirements.
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External Assessments
Checking bookings
As we prepare for the summer external assessments, please check that all your learners are booked on the correct assessments, including the correct assessment mode and that all required paper modifications have been requested.
You can review your bookings on the Portal under ‘Bookings – View Assessments’. Here you can search by batch, learner, or qualification and view both the External Assessment Bookings Confirmation report and the Invigilator’s Register. For assessment dates and times please refer to our assessment timetable.
If you need any assistance with this, please contact our Customer Support team via email at [email protected].
Yellow Label collection
As a reminder, the Yellow Label service, for which all NCFE V Cert external assessments are eligible, is moving towards a combined parcel network with Royal Mail, meaning some small changes to arrangements in summer 2026, however NCFE’s guidance and requirements remain otherwise unchanged.
Scheduled collections will still take place during summer 2026, with daily collection slots for centres that have at least 3 exam sittings in any week between April and late June.
Centres must ensure papers are always stored and handled securely, including any period post-exam whilst waiting for the next available Yellow Label collection. For exams immediately before the summer half term, where you cannot facilitate a collection during the break, you must plan for collections to be made at the earliest opportunity and ensure papers are stored securely until collected.
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Reminder on changes to external assessment dates
In September 2025, we let you know that we’d made changes to three V Cert external assessment dates for summer 2026, following the release of the JCQ common timetable of GCSE/GCE examinations for the 2025/26 series.
We publish our dates 12 months ahead of the JCQ common timetable, however, we understand how challenging exam season can be, especially when several exams fall on the same day. Therefore based on previous feedback, we’ve moved these three exams to try to make administration easier at an already busy time.
We reflected this in our published assessment timetable and in some supporting external assessment documentation including Invigilators’ Registers. However, we’ve now also updated this in the External Assessment Booking Confirmation Report, following feedback If you downloaded and/or printed this document before Friday 27 March, please ensure you replace it with the latest version so that it contains all the correct dates. You can download the updated version from the Portal.
As a reminder, the updated external assessment dates and times are below, and all summer 2026 exam dates and deadlines can be found in our assessment timetable.
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Qualification name
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Qualification number
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External assessment date/time
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NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Food and Cookery
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603/7014/2
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19/05/2026 1:30pm
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NCFE CACHE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Health and Social Care
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603/7013/0
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20/05/2026 1:30pm
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NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Health and Fitness
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603/7007/5
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22/05/2026 1:30pm
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Assessment variation requests
You should submit any assessment variation requests no later than 20 working days before the external assessment. You can submit an assessment variation if, for any assessment detailed in our assessment timetable, you want our approval to:
- vary the published assessment date
- vary the published assessment time (beyond the permitted 30 minutes)
- change (or extend) the assessment site from your current approved location.
Please refer to the JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations (ICE) for guidance on the sorts of requests we typically accept/ do not accept .
To request an assessment variation, please fill in this form.
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Term-time checkpoint open until Thursday 30 April
The term-time checkpoint opened on Monday 23 March and your centre must take action if you deliver any of the qualifications in scope of this year’s arrangements to ensure the timely delivery of vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results in 2025-26. You’ll need to complete this checkpoint by Thursday 30 April. Visit our timely delivery of VTQ results webpage for more information on the actions you’ll need to take, and where to find support.
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Training and events
Sign up for our internal quality assurance (IQA) training events
These events are a great opportunity to meet with internal quality assurance (IQA) professionals and like-minded practitioners to learn about or expand your knowledge of IQA and our qualifications. We are now sold out for April’s event, so please join the waitlist, or we also have events running in May and June. Sign up now.
V Cert drop-in Q&A with Rachel and Beth: holistic marking, Wednesday 13 May 2026, 3:30-4:30pm
Join Provider Development Officers, Rachel and Beth, for an informal Q&A session designed to support your delivery of V Cert Level 1/2 Technical Awards. Whether you're new to V Certs or looking for clarification on specific areas, this is a chance to ask questions and get practical advice.
Sign up now.
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Have your say: shape future V Cert subject specific training
We’d like your input to help shape future training for assessors and IQAs. Please take two minutes to complete the form and share your availability for CPD in the 2026-27 session. Your feedback will help us plan and deliver relevant training opportunities. The deadline is Thursday 30 April.
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All about V Certs: the go-to podcast for busy teachers delivering NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Awards
Hosted by our experienced Provider Development officers, Rachel and Beth, each bite-sized episode (just 15–20 minutes long) is packed with practical insights, top tips, and expert guidance on all things V Certs. Stay up to date with the latest insights, updates, and expert discussions around V Certs by following our official Provider Development Podcast on Podbean.
