Exams officers

Here at NCFE, we know how vital exams officers are. Without you, it would be impossible to run and administer our exams successfully, so we work hard to make it easy for you to work with us.

On this page you’ll find all the key information to support you in your role, including timetables, a key dates calendar and FAQs, as well as monthly updates to ensure you’re kept up to date with any changes, events and training opportunities. 

Your monthly update (April 2024)

Below you’ll find your monthly update for April 2024, including key upcoming dates for your diary for reasonable adjustments, post-results and assessment and delivery support, and more.

Important reminders

Summer assessment series

Please ensure to visit our T Level summer series webpage for reminders across all aspects of T Level assessments. Visit the webpage.

New resources have been published by Ofqual in relation to summer awarding, to provide useful information and can be found below:

• VTQ results infographic - top tips for exams officers
• a short film on X and

You can also refer to Ofqual’s VTQ Information Hub for more useful information and key dates.

Using AI in summer 2024 external assessments

As we approach our summer series, we’re communicating with your centre to reiterate expectations on the use of AI in external assessments. We particularly want to address:

• the prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and risks
• the overall approach of the JCQ guidance (learners must submit work which is their own, and that submitting work which is not their own, and/or which shows other AI misuse, will be investigated for potential malpractice and could result in disqualification from an assessment, or qualification overall)
• qualification specific guidance (for example, qualifications such as T Level Employer Set Project (ESP) and Occupational Specialism (OS) assessments, or CACHE Level 3 extended response essays, which allow access to the internet for some or all parts of the assessment).

Model 5 (NEW) V Cert assessment support

As we approach the final stages of the assessment window for our Level 1/2 Technical Award qualifications, we want to remind you of some key dates and guidance. Visit our V Cert assessment support webpage for more information on deadlines, how to access assessment materials, moderation and uploading of learner evidence, the benefits of online assessment and sources of support.

Changes to fees for CACHE qualifications

Find out more about fees that are applied if learners are booked under incorrect themes on our CACHE qualifications.

T Level approval window – reminder

The approval window is still open and closes on 28 June 2024: If you’re planning to deliver additional NCFE T Level qualifications in September 2024, you’ll need to apply for additional product approval with us via our website before you can start the delivery of them. Please note that if your college has multiple campuses, you’ll need to apply for approval for each campus to deliver these additional qualifications. Similarly, if your academy is part of a Multi Academy Trust, each academy will require separate approval. If you need support with applying for approval, please watch this handy video. 

Important information on Model 4 V Cert internal assessments

We wanted to share information about booking your learners onto the Model 4 V Certs non-examined assessment, withdrawing learners and upcoming submission dates. Please note that Model 4 V Certs require an external quality assurance review (Model 5 V Certs don’t require EQA reviews). Find out more.

Upcoming events

Coming soon! NCFE’s Professional Development Week.

After its success in December, our Professional Development Week will be back from 1-5 July, for a week packed with live and recorded CPD sessions. Sign up here.

Education and Early Years student conference on 6 June

Join us for our next virtual conference focusing on ‘enriching professional practice and communities’, where students will learn about collaborative, shared expertise when working towards best outcomes for babies, young children and their families.

Discover insights from Health and Science T Levels: Join us at this virtual event as we delve into two years of experience and lessons learned from delivering the Health and Science T Levels. This session will explore core content and Occupational Specialisms and you’ll hear from other providers, as they share their experiences with the group.

What you need to know for the T Level autumn assessment series

To help you prepare for your students sitting the core exams in the autumn assessment series, we're sharing some useful reminders to help ensure these assessments go smoothly, including how to disable AI tools during assessments. Find out more.

Bite-size videos to support you

We’ll be creating a series of bite-size videos, some of which are already available on our YouTube channel, detailing some of the common themes or areas of difficulty, and will also provide updates to our Portal User Guide, accordingly.

Supporting administration staff

In acknowledgement of the high turnaround of centre staff dealing with NCFE’s administrative assessment processes, we would request that any centre with new or inexperienced staff, who may require support in enacting any of our Portal-related activities, contact [email protected], where one of the team will be glad to help signpost, integrate or demonstrate these processes directly.