NCFE Level 1 Essential Digital Skills
Ref:
610/7904/2
Sector:
Preparation for Life and Work
Registration & certification fee:
£23.00
Level:
Level 1
Minimum entry age:
14
GLH:
48
TQT:
48
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Explore this SectorPlease note this qualification is currently under development and will be launched on 27 October 2026.
The qualification documents are draft versions and are subject to change before the final versions are produced for the launch of the qualification.
Support materials
Draft Qualification Specification (PDF | 694 KB)
Draft Qualification Specification (Word) (DOCX | 517 KB)
Draft Qualification Factsheet (PDF | 146 KB)
Tutor Guidance (PDF | 384 KB)
Support Handbook (PDF | 371 KB)
Assessment materials
Assessment materials
Pre-release files
Our Essential Digital Skills assessments at entry level 3 and level 1 include pre-release materials that must be made available to learners in advance of assessments to support with assessment tasks. The files can be found under the ‘Pre-release Materials’ accordion below.
Zip files
During the assessment your learners will be asked to zip their files prior to uploading them to the assessment platform. It is therefore essential that learners are familiar with how to create zip files and centres must ensure that their learners are confident and competent in zipping files prior to sitting the assessments.
Further support is available through our demonstration functionality tool, which enables learners to explore the platform’s features and practise tasks such as zipping folders and uploading files. We have also created a guidance document under the ' External assessment guidance' accordion below.
Onscreen Digital Skills demo tool
Sample assessments
Our sample assessments are available in-browser and are accessible using a weblink below. There is no need to schedule or use a keycode.
Entry Level 3
Level 1
All content within the sample assessments is modelled on live assessments. Mark schemes for all sample papers are provided to allow centres to mark on completion.
This allows you to identify learners’ strengths and weaknesses to ensure individualised skills plans can be generated using the outcomes of the practice assessments.
The in-browser version of the Sample Assessment Materials is for demonstration purposes. Learners will not be able to upload documents, and the tests will not be marked automatically. If you wish to mark responses, learners will need to screenshot or record answers elsewhere to compare to the Mark Scheme. Answers cannot be retrieved once the assessment has been submitted.
Digital Skills – Zip File Guidance (PDF | 254 KB)
Digital Skills Guidance on Pre-Release Materials (PDF | 265 KB)
