Direct Claim Status (DCS) FAQs

Having Direct Claim Status (DCS) means centres can claim certificates for learners without prior EQA sign-off. For details on how it is awarded, eligibility, and transferring DCS from another awarding organisation, please visit our dedicated DCS page.

No. A list of qualifications that are not eligible for DCS can be found on the DCS page.  

DCS is awarded per qualification. The number of learners who will be sampled depends on whether you are applying for DCS in one external quality assurance review, over two reviews, or maintaining DCS.  

Achieving DCS after one external quality assurance review  

To achieve DCS after one external quality assurance review, your external quality assurance report must: 

• be graded 1 against each of the criteria  
• have no outstanding actions from any previous report  
• include at least three learners sampled (two must be completed and marked as ‘final’, others may be ‘new’ or ‘mid’ status)   
• be graded A for reliability of assessment for each sampled learner.  

Achieving DCS after two external quality reviews  

To achieve DCS across two reviews: 

• they must take place between one and 18 months apart 

• all criteria in both external quality assurance reports must be graded 1, 2 or 3

• all sampled learners in each report must be graded A or B for reliability of assessment 

• there must be no outstanding actions in the most recent report 

• at least three learners must have been sampled as ‘final’ across both reviews.

Maintaining DCS 

To maintain DCS, your external quality assurance report must: 

• be graded 1, 2 or 3 for all criteria 

• have no outstanding actions from previous report 

• include at least one completed learner portfolio sampled as ‘final’, other learners sampled can have ‘new’ or ‘mid’ status (an exception is spectator safety qualifications which require three sampled learners)

• be graded A or B for reliability of assessment for each sampled learner.

If you did not achieve DCS after one external quality assurance review but have met the criteria to achieve it after two reviews, then the first report will state ‘First report of DCS’ next to the qualification.

This does not mean that DCS has been awarded. It means the qualification is currently meeting the criteria required to achieve DCS across two reviews.

‘DCS Pending’ appears on the report when most criteria have been met, but an insufficient number of final learners have been sampled. The number of samples needed to achieve DCS are as follows:    

• One review: At least three learners sampled, with two marked as ‘final’. 

• Two reviews: At least three learners sampled at each review, with three ‘final’ portfolios across both. 

• Maintaining DCS: At least one learner portfolio sampled and marked as ‘final’. 

No. Certificates are only automatically signed off if DCS is achieved or maintained. For any other outcome, the EQA must sign them off. You must have had an external quality assurance review before submitting any claims. The SLA for EQAs to sign off claims is three working days.

Yes, DCS can be extended to lower-level nested qualifications if requested by the EQA in the report. For queries, contact [email protected].  

Yes. DCS lasts for 12 months from the date of the external quality assurance review. If the review takes place after your centre’s DCS has expired, then the DCS will lapse and you will need to work towards achieving DCS again.

Yes. DCS may be removed if:  

• criteria are not met during an EQA review (an action plan will be set) 

• concerns are raised through complaints, investigations, or malpractice (in line with JCQ policies) 

• a qualification is no longer eligible under NCFE’s Centre Assessment Standards Scrutiny (CASS) strategy.  

Meeting the minimum sample size alone is not enough. You must also meet all DCS criteria, including having the required number of completed ‘final’ portfolios. Learners marked ‘new’ or ‘mid’ count towards the sample, but not towards the completed portfolio requirement. EQAs will also retrospectively sample learners previously certificated under DCS. 

DCS is awarded at account level. If one review results in loss of DCS, this applies to all registrations for that qualification across your centre’s account.  

DCS can be removed across all qualifications in a QA group, even if some qualifications were not directly sampled. This can happen when issues are identified in the centre’s overall quality assurance procedures. Specifically, DCS will be lost if:

• section 2 of the EQA's report is graded as ‘some actions outstanding’ or ‘no action taken’ 
• any section of the report is grade 4 or 5 
• section 5, ‘Reliability of assessment’, is graded C or D.

Where risks are identified, DCS is removed across the whole QA group – not just the qualifications sampled.

We require a minimum number of learners to be sampled before DCS can be awarded. This is to ensure that quality and consistency in assessment practice can be evidenced. 

If your centre does not meet this minimum requirement, DCS can’t be awarded.  

Yes. You can request this via this webform. Transfers are subject to NCFE approval and evidence. DCS transfers will be applied for a maximum of three months, after which an NCFE external quality assurance review is required to maintain DCS.