V Certs FAQs

'V Cert' is our brand name for our technical award qualifications for schools. We have developed these qualifications in line with the technical guidance provided by the Department for Education (DfE) and these qualifications have been approved to count on KS4 Performance Tables. 

Each V Cert technical award is equivalent to one GCSE, and contains both internally and externally assessed elements. 

V Certs are recognised by DfE as Technical Awards. 

Each V Cert has the same assessment structure, which consists of 2 components, one external assessment, and a Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) which is moderated. Each year there is one series of assessment, with NEA marks to be submitted in April and the external assessment timetabled in May or June.  

The qualification requires learners to complete both assessments in the same series in order to certificate, with no resits or opportunity to carry achievement on one component between series.  

Schools can deliver any existing age-appropriate qualification; visit the Government's list of qualifications approved for funding webpage for further information. However, if you're looking for qualifications that are included in the Key Stage 4 performance tables, then you will need to choose a qualification from the list published by the DfE. 

Our V Cert technical awards are on the DfE list, and each is equivalent to one GCSE. 

Yes, the Department for Education (DfE) has approved our V Cert Technical Award qualifications for KS4 performance tables. Please refer to our Performance Tables Quick Guide for more information. 

The full list of technical awards approved for KS4 performance tables can be found on this page on their website.  

The list of all qualifications that attract performance points can be found on the DfE website. This is updated every year. 

All Level 1/2 V Cert Technical Awards are graded from Level 1 Pass through to Level 2 Distinction* and are equivalent to GCSE grades 1 to 8.5. See the grading table below. 

Qualifications are assigned a discount code by the Department for Education (DfE) to show where one qualification discounts the other because the content of each qualification is deemed too similar. 

If a pupil completes 2 qualifications that have the same discount code, even though the pupil still gains both qualifications, only 1 of those qualifications will count towards the Key Stage 4 Performance Tables. For example, if a pupil completes both GCSE Physical Education and the V Cert in Sports Studies, only one of these qualifications will count in the Performance Tables. 

These discount codes are updated by the DfE every year. See the DfE website for further information. 

Qualifications taken from Year 7 onwards can count in the Key Stage Performance Tables once the pupil reaches the end of Key Stage 4. 

However, the early entry policy comes into effect from Year 9. 

This means if a pupil completes a Level 1 qualification in Year 7 or 8 and completes the Level 2 qualification in Year 9 or 10, then the best result from either the Level 1 or Level 2 qualification will count in the Performance Tables. 

However, if the pupil completes both the Level 1 and Level 2 qualification in Year 9 or later, then it is the first entry that will be reported in the Performance Tables. 

The specification for each qualification provides guidance on the experience and qualifications needed to deliver and assess the qualification, but it isn’t intended to be exhaustive or definitive. Examples of relevant qualifications and occupational backgrounds are given as benchmarks.  

Other equivalent qualifications or backgrounds may also qualify prospective staff for delivery or assessment roles. Centres must provide sufficient numbers of suitably experienced assessors and internal quality assurers to ensure that qualifications are delivered effectively. Staff recruitment is at the discretion of centres, and centres should be aware that it is their responsibility to ensure that all staff involved in the delivery and assessment of our qualifications are suitably qualified.  

Each subject specific qualification specification can be found on the qualification pages. 

The Operational End Date is the last date that we can accept registrations for a qualification. The qualifications will be reviewed before this date with the intention of extending the accreditation period, pending further review of the qualifications by the Department for Education (DfE). 

You’ll still have 2 years from the operational end date to claim your certificates. 

We'll be delivering assessor training sessions – details of how to book onto these can be found at: https://www.ncfe.org.uk/qualifications/preparing-for-eqa/assessor-training/ 

Standardisation packs will be released for each subject early in October. 

The pack may contain images and screenshots if that is the learners’ preference. 

Exemplars are available on our website – each qualification page has a set of exemplars available in the assessment section. 

The live briefs will be released early in October. Learners can commence the live assessment once all teaching and learning has been delivered. 

For the external assessment, please take a look at our external assessment timetable.  

For the non-examined assessment, please look at the tutor guide for the qualification – this can be found on the individual qualification pages, under the ‘support materials’ tab, within the teaching/delivery guidance section. Our Moderation page also provides key dates and support to help you plan and deliver the NEA.  

For all V Cert qualifications, learners must be booked onto both the external and NEA (Non-Examination Assessment) assessments at the time of registration. Please note that both paper and online exams are available, so you'll need to select the relevant delivery method appropriate for your learners. Learners are required to sit both assessments in their final year of study. 

Please refer to our Portal User Guide for support.

Yes, learners can sit the external assessment online via Surpass. Your centre needs to be approved for online assessments with us to enable your learners to sit online assessments. You can find more information on our online assessment support webpage.  

Yes, but this must be completed no later than two weeks before the date of the external assessment. You must contact our Customer Support team via email at [email protected]  to make this change. 

Yes, please visit the relevant qualification page on our website, and you can download these in the ‘Assessment materials’ section. 

Papers for set date/time assessments are sent by our external printers and will arrive three working days before the published date of the assessment.  

All external assessment papers are available via the Portal one hour before the published start time of the assessment, so you can also go on and download/print these if required. Instructions can be found in Instructions – Digital Materials for External Assessment.

For the Level 1/2 Technical Award in Music Technology, pre-release audio files will be available from the NCFE Portal 10 working days prior to the assessment so that you can ensure the files work on the exam equipment.  

You should follow the External Assessment Contingency Planning document. If you have any issues, please contact our Assessment Delivery team at [email protected]. 

Our courier, DHL, will attempt to deliver hard copies of assessment papers three times. This will begin three working days prior to the assessment and continue for the next two working days.   

If you don’t receive papers by the time of assessment, you can access a PDF of the assessment paper via our Portal that can be printed and shared with learners to ensure the assessment takes place as planned.  

In line with JCQ guidelines, the tolerance is 6%. More details can be found on our moderation page. 

The full moderation process, including how sample sizes are selected, how marks are applied, and what happens if adjustments are made, is outlined on our moderation page. 

Guidance on sampling, regression and marks application is available on our moderation page. 

Annotation is not required but can support your own marking. 

A proforma for assessor feedback and comments will be provided in the NEA assessment materials and must be completed for all learners at task level. This shows how marks were awarded and supports the moderation review.  

Centres must share marks with learners once the NEA is completed to allow for internal appeals before submitting marks to us. 

Grade boundaries are set each academic year once moderation and examinations are completed, in line with GCSE qualifications. 

No. Grade boundaries change each session, so a calculator is not provided. 

On results day, centres will see: 

• the external assessment mark 
• the internal assessment mark 
• the overall grade awarded. 

Guidance on marks awarded is available on our moderation page.  

The live synoptic project marking grid/centre pack details the indicative content that could be included in the pupil response. This is a guide and is not an exhaustive list of what must be included. Learners may make all, some or none of the points included in the indicative content, as its purpose is as a guide to the relevance and expectation of the responses. Learners must be credited for any other appropriate response.   

Details of sample sizes are available on our moderation page.  

• After submitting learner marks, the sampling plan list will be available the day after the submission deadline. 

• If the cohort is 15 learners or fewer, evidence for all learners must be uploaded. 

• To view the sampling plan list: 
  1. Log into the Portal 
  2. Go to the Bookings tab → Upload learner evidence 
  3. Select Sample learners to see which learners have been chosen.

The Portal User Guide has further details on how to do this. 

Yes. The evidence upload checklist is included in the live assessment materials (downloadable from the Portal). A completed checklist for each learner must be uploaded along with their evidence. 

On Monday 17 August 2026, you’ll be able to access the assessment results for your learners as well as your learners’ overall grades on the Portal (see Portal User Guide for more information). These results are embargoed until results day (20 August 2026) – when you can share results with your learners.  

After results day, you’ll be able to view the final moderation report via the Portal, in the same place where results slips are located. This report is unique to each cohort. It includes feedback from the Moderator regarding the accuracy of centre marking as well as any areas for development. 

This report covers the chief examiner’s and chief moderator’s review of the examined assessment (EA) and non-exam assessment (NEA), focusing on learner performance, key highlights, grade boundaries, administration, evidence creation, and relevant regulations. You can find this report on the individual qualification pages under ‘Assessment Materials’ and selecting the appropriate assessment series. 

No, you do not need to claim certificates for your Level 1/2 Technical Award learners. If your learner has passed the assessment, centres will not need to claim the certificate. Learners will be auto certificated 6 weeks after results release date.  

Learners will be auto certificated six weeks after the results release date. This means you’ll be able to view their e-certificates on 1 October 2026 on the Portal and will receive a physical copy of the certificates around four weeks after this date.   

If you or your learners have queries about grades received, please view our post-results services for more information on enquiries about results, access to scripts, a review of marking and more. 

No, there are no resits for single assessments, early attempts at either assessment, or the chance to combine multiple attempts across more than one series. Learners can retake the qualification in full, but no assessment results from previous attempts at the qualification can be carried forward. Learners complete both assessments in a single series, and this provides their qualification outcome.     

Although there are no resits, these qualifications give learners a platform for further study if they do go on to continue that subject in further education - they'll have subject-specific knowledge which gives them a head start and helps set them up for future success.    

Yes, every mark counts! The scaled marks awarded for the NEA and EA are added together and aggregated to award the overall grade for the qualification. Providing the total combined NEA and EA marks equate to at least the marks required for a L1 Pass, the pupil will achieve the qualification. 

The NEA assessment will be numerically marked by centres, rather than graded. Centres will have access to administration and standardisation training to support the application of the mark scheme. Setting the grade boundaries and awarding learner grades is completed by NCFE as part of our awarding processes. As the grade boundaries are set by us as part of the awarding process, we won't know the boundaries in-year so will not be able to provide indicative grade boundaries ahead of time. 

• Tuesday 2 September: We released the draft NEA on our website and opened the clarification window.  

• Tuesday 16 September: Clarification window closed.  

• Wednesday 1 October: We released the final NEA, and you started delivering it to your learners.  

The deadline for this clarification window passed on 16 September 25. All questions were submitted via a web form when we released the draft NEA on 2 September 25.  

You can read the answers to these clarification questions in the section above titled ‘NEA - questions received during 2025-26 clarification window’. 

Please note that the draft version is for reference and preparation purposes only and shouldn’t be used for the live delivery of the NEA.    

Queries were collated and answered when the clarification window closed. You can read the answers to these clarification questions in the section above titled ‘NEA - questions received during 2025-26 clarification window’. 

We released a draft version to support you with the delivery and planning of the NEA, allowing you to review and gain clarification on any points, prior to delivery commencing.   

No, the draft version must not be used to begin delivery; this would be deemed as malpractice. The draft must also not be shared with learners; this would be deemed as a maladministration.  

The draft NEA is a near-final version.  

The draft version will be watermarked as draft and shouldn’t be used for live delivery to learners.   

The submission date for learner marks will continue to be 30 April each academic year (or the closest working day to this date). This ensures sufficient time for the moderation process, and supports the accurate and timely release of overall grades in line with the published results release date.    

Once the assessment material is live, we may be unable to answer questions about the materials directly as this could potentially compromise the integrity of the assessment. Additionally, responding to individual queries after the finalised assessment is live may disadvantage other learners and centres if we cannot provide the same information to all centres at the same time.  

The clarification window was specifically designed to allow centres to submit their questions before the assessment goes live. This process enables us to collate all enquiries and share comprehensive answers with all centres at the same time, ensuring fairness and consistency.  

If you have questions about the live assessment, please refer to:  

Clarification document: Answers to questions raised during the clarification window are available in the clarification FAQ document on the website.   

JCQ guidance: For additional information about V Cert delivery or regulatory questions, please refer to the JCQ guidance document.  

Thank you for your understanding, these measures are essential to maintain the fairness and validity of the assessment process for all learners and centres. 

The NEA briefs for 2024-25 were released on 1 October 2024. 

Centres need to follow these steps to get their draft materials. The centres must have learners registered in the current assessment window: 

• Log in to the Portal. 
• Go to 'Bookings' tab and click 'View Assessments'. 
• Search for batch number or product code. 
• Select all relevant learners. 
• Click 'View Bookings'. 
• Click the component they want for a dropdown menu. 
• Download via the material link. 

This process can be found in the Portal User Guide.  

The Regulations for the conduct of the NEA can be found in the subject-specific tutor guidance documents. You can download the tutor guidance documents under the ‘support materials’ tab, in the teaching/delivery guidance section on the qualification pages. Please ensure you’re using the latest version downloaded from the website.   

For additional information about V Cert delivery or regulatory questions, please refer to the JCQ guidance document. 

Yes, please visit the qualification page on our website and you can download these in the ‘assessment materials’ section.

The allocated time for each NEA can be found within the tutor guidance for each qualification. If a learner receives additional time as a reasonable adjustment for external assessments, this can also be applied to the NEA. Centres do not need approval from NCFE to apply reasonable adjustments that reflect a learner’s normal way of working.  

All reasonable adjustments made in relation to the NEA must be recorded on JCQ Form VQ/IA and a record kept within the centre for inspection by NCFE. Details of any reasonable adjustments applied should be included on the checklist along with learner evidence and submitted on the Portal.  

The two hours of preparation and research time is to support the completion of the whole NEA. This 2-hour time period is entirely open book, so learners can access their teaching and learning materials, textbooks, the internet and other published materials. During this time, they should develop a research support pack which they can use when completing the NEA. Find more detailed information about the research pack in the Tutor Guidance document on each qualification page of the website.  

Learners should produce their research and support pack on an individual basis. Supervisors must not direct learners or provide templates or writing frames for learners to complete.   

Learners are only permitted to use the internet for the completion of NEA tasks where the brief states it is allowed. 

Each learner must list their browsing history for each task which allows internet access. The supervisor is responsible for making sure all learners begin each task and session with a clear browsing history. At the end of the supervised session, internet browsing history should be obtained by selecting the relevant history tab in the browser toolbar.  A learner’s browsing history should be clearly attributable to the individual learner who completed it. Acceptable formats include a screenshot of the learner’s history, an IT-based report or a typed/written list of websites accessed during the session. See the example below:  

Record of internet browsing history 

Learner Name: XXXX XXXX  

Learner number: 106xxx  

Qualification: NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Food and Cookery (603/7014/2)  

Assessment series: Summer 2025  

Learners should only be provided with the NEA brief; no other resources can be provided. Centre staff should not provide any additional resources or support, such as a template/writing frame or set of questions that could be seen to assist learners.   

The specification is not a list of everything which could be included in the NEA tasks – it is an overview of the vital components and content which should be included in teaching the qualification. In industry, there will be differences in what processes and/or equipment are used, so tutors will need to apply the specification to context and include specific detail regarding what could be used in the industry. 

If a learner is absent from one or more supervised sessions, they should be given the opportunity to make up any missed time. The length of the assessment window will allow centres to implement their contingency plan should such issues arise. If a learner is unable to carry out the NEA tasks, centres should follow the special considerations or the access arrangements and reasonable adjustments guidance on our website. 

Where no specific recommendations are provided, learners should select the software or equipment which is capable of allowing them to access all elements of the specification and undertake the assessment effectively. Tutors should refer to the guidance and NEA brief for further information.   

Yes, centres must retain learners’ research support packs and upload them with learner evidence to NCFE if selected for moderation.    

No, tutors should not use live NEA content or tasks as examples – the skills should be covered in the delivery of the content areas. Under no circumstances should indicative content or live mark schemes be shared with learners; this would be seen as malpractice.   

Learners should have access to relevant resources during their research activity – it is up to them to identify what would be relevant.  

This decision is up to the centre. If a learner’s evidence is contained all in a single document, it should be clearly indicated which work belongs to each task to support both assessment and moderation. If a learner’s evidence is on separate documents, each document will need to be labelled correctly. All evidence will need to be uploaded to NCFE for learners selected for moderation, including the assessor feedback document and student research pack. We accept both .doc and .pdf file types, and further information can be found in the Portal User Guide. 

No – they should follow the tutor guidance and NEA brief as this would be seen as malpractice. The learners can only carry out research when the project brief allows it. Their research notes, taken from appropriate sources (including lesson notes and textbooks), should provide all the information they require to complete the tasks.   

If learners have attempted the NEA but have achieved no marks, the marks should be entered as 0. If they have not attempted the task, this should be marked as DNA. If no tasks for NEA have been attempted, each task should be entered as DNA and the learner’s overall mark would be DNA. 

The submission date for learner marks will continue to be 30 April each academic year (or the closest working day to this date). This ensures sufficient time for the moderation process, and supports the accurate and timely release of overall grades in line with the published results release date.   

The resources are available to download for free via individual qualification pages.  

You can register for our upcoming webinars here and view our on-demand playlist here.

To access additional teaching and learning support, please visit our V Certs delivery support page.