Arrangements for the timely delivery of VTQ results for 2026-27 

Please note that if you are in scope of these arrangements, we’ll contact you in early November 2026.

The qualifications in scope of these arrangements apply to any VTQs used for progression alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A Levels. Take a look at the table below for more information and view the full list of NCFE qualifications in scope.

These arrangements apply to all types of centres, including colleges, schools and training providers.     

Here are the key dates for your diary: 

Term-time checkpoints

• The window for the first term-time checkpoint will open on Monday 14 December 2026, and the deadline will be Sunday 31 January 2027. Completion of this checkpoint is mandatory. 
• The window for the second term-time checkpoint will open on Thursday 1 April 2027 and the deadline will be Friday 30 April 2027. We’ll only ask you to complete the second term-time checkpoint if we identify a need for further support or information, such as missing external assessment entries or incorrect learner predicted end dates.

External quality assurance visits and certificate claims

• External quality assurance (EQA) visits must be booked and completed by Wednesday 30 June 2027, and certificate claims made by Friday 9 July 2027. This is to guarantee the timely release of results and UCAS results uploads. 

Results

• Results for T Level technical qualifications will be released to centres on Wednesday 11 August 2027, in preparation for students receiving these on Thursday 12 August 2027.   

• Results for Level 1/2 Technical Awards (V Certs) will be released to centres on Wednesday 18 August 2027, in preparation for you sharing them with learners on Thursday 19 August 2027.   

• Results for NCFE’s Level 3 qualifications (excluding T Levels) are available throughout the year depending on when external assessments have been completed or EQA activity has been carried out. 

You can manage your learners who are in scope of the term-time checkpoint by searching in the 'My Learners' screen of the Portal. If you wanted to see all VTQ learners select ‘Current Learner Status’ as Registered and using the ‘Show only valid VTQ learners’ toggle. More information is available in the Portal User Guide in the ‘VTQ learners’ section.  

You must complete the following actions:    

• Check that all learners currently studying on an NCFE programme at your centre are registered on the NCFE Portal – learners should be registered no later than 90 days after their start date, or late registration fees will apply (separate fees apply for T Levels and V Certs). See all details in our fees and pricing guide. If you need to add any new learners, you can find instructions on how to do this in the ‘registrations’ section of our Portal User Guide.  

• Remove any learners who have withdrawn or transferred to a qualification out of scope of these arrangements. If you need to withdraw any learners, you can find instructions how to do this in our Portal User Guide under ‘withdrawing learners’. Please note you may be unable to withdraw some learners where the assessment window is open - in this instance, please mark them as ‘did not attend’ (DNA) on the exam register and you should then withdraw them once results are released.  

• Ensure all planned end dates are completed and accurate – if your learners require a result by results days in August 2027, please ensure their planned end dates are no later than Thursday 19 August 2027. If you need to add or amended your planned end dates, you can find instructions in the Portal User Guide in the ‘manage learners' section.  

• If you haven’t already, check and book any remaining learners who are required to sit external assessments for the summer series onto their assessments. 

• Nominate a named senior designated contact for your centre using this form.This should be someone who we can escalate any issues to both during and outside of term time. Even if you submitted this information last year, we require senior designated contact details to be resubmitted for 2026-27. Please note that if you’re the senior designated contact for multiple NCFE accounts, you’ll need to submit a separate form for each unique account number. You may also want to consider submitting a deputy senior designated contact to ensure that there is always someone from your centre available. 

• Sign the declaration form on the Portal to confirm you have completed the above actions. The link to the declaration form can be found in the banner at the top of each Portal page. Please note that the term-time checkpoint is not complete until this declaration form has been signed and submitted. 

We’ll only ask you to complete the second term-time checkpoint if we identify a need for further support or information, such as missing external assessment entries or incorrect learner predicted end dates. We’ll notify you if you need to complete this by Monday 22 March 2027.