Apprenticeship Assessment Articles and Resources

The apprenticeship assessment reforms have changed both how assessments are designed and how they can be delivered. Awarding organisations now have greater responsibility for deciding and justifying the detailed assessment methods and approaches used, while the reforms also create greater scope for some assessment activity to be delivered through approved Centres. 

We’ve brought together our articles, videos and practical resources to support awarding organisations, providers and others working through these changes, with resources grouped by topic so you can quickly find the support most relevant to the question or stage of development you are working on.

1) Understanding the Apprenticeship Assessment Reforms

These resources look at the wider apprenticeship assessment reforms, the regulatory and policy framework behind them, and what the changes mean in practice for awarding organisations. They are a useful starting point if you are getting to grips with the new model or want to understand the principles that sit behind the more detailed assessment design decisions.

Tackling the Confusion of the Apprenticeship Assessment Reforms 

Explains some of the key changes introduced through the reforms and helps untangle the roles of Skills England, Ofqual, Assessment Plans and awarding organisations.

Hints and Tips on Preparing for the New Approach to Apprenticeship Assessment 

Provides practical suggestions for awarding organisations preparing to move from the previous end-point assessment model to the new apprenticeship assessment arrangements.

Helping you Understand What the Heck Policy Makers and Regulators Mean.

Unpacks some of the terminology used across apprenticeship assessment policy and regulation and considers what it means in practice for assessment design and delivery.

Embedding the new Ofqual Principles into the Everyday 

Looks at how Ofqual’s principles for apprenticeship assessment can be translated from high-level regulatory expectations into everyday design and operational decisions.

2) Designing Apprenticeship Assessments

Once the overall framework is understood, awarding organisations need to turn the Occupational Standard, Assessment Plan and regulatory requirements into a valid and workable assessment model. These resources explore some of the key design decisions involved, including assessment methods, mapping, assessment criteria, sampling, grading, synoptic assessment and the boundaries between assessments.

Apprenticeship Assessment by Design:

This series looks at individual assessment design decisions in more detail, with a particular focus on validity, comparability and being able to explain and justify the choices made.

Assessment criteria: why they matter from assessment design to assessment decisions 

Explores why clear assessment criteria are important both when designing an assessment and when supporting consistent judgements about whether apprentices have met the required standard.

Choosing the Right Assessment Method: Let Validity Drive the Mapping

Looks at how knowledge and skills should be allocated to assessment methods, with the method selected because it provides the most valid evidence rather than to achieve an arbitrary balance between assessments.

Sampling in apprenticeship assessment: getting the balance right 

Explores sampling between and within knowledge and skill statements and how to balance manageability with sufficient coverage of occupational competence.

Giving apprentices choice without compromising comparability

Considers when apprentices might legitimately be offered a choice between assessment methods and what needs to be controlled to ensure the different options remain comparable.

The importance of the qual spec

Looks at how the qualification specification turns the common framework within an Assessment Plan into the awarding organisation’s own detailed assessment model.

Why mapping knowledge and skills to assessment methods matters

 Explores why clear assessment boundaries matter and the difference between deliberately designing components to work together and allowing evidence to move between methods during assessment.

Further assessment design articles

Purposes and trade-offs: how they impact assessment design 

Explores how the purpose of an apprenticeship assessment should shape design decisions and the trade-offs that may need to be considered when balancing different assessment priorities.

Translating Performance Descriptors into Grading Criteria 

Looks at how high-level performance descriptors can be translated into meaningful grading criteria that support clear and consistent assessment decisions.

Writing Grading Criteria for Apprenticeship Assessments 

Considers how grading criteria can distinguish meaningfully between levels of performance while remaining assessable, clear and aligned to the Occupational Standard.

Synoptic Assessment 

Explores what synoptic assessment means in an apprenticeship context and how it can be deliberately designed into an assessment rather than treated as an additional requirement.

Synoptic Assessment – what is it, when should it take place, and who can mark it?

Explores what synoptic assessment means under the reformed apprenticeship model and considers the practical design decisions around where it sits within the overall assessment approach, when it should take place, and who can assess or mark it.

How to Seek and Analyse Feedback When Designing Apprenticeship Assessment 

Looks at how feedback from employers, providers and other stakeholders can be gathered and used effectively during assessment development.

Sample Assessing on Apprenticeship Assessments (1)

Sample Assessing on Apprenticeship Assessments (2)

These two articles explore the different ways sampling can be used within apprenticeship assessment, including the distinction between sampling across assessment outcomes and sampling within an outcome, and the implications for coverage, validity and evidence of occupational competence.

3) Developing your Assessment Strategies 

The assessment strategy is where an awarding organisation brings together and justifies its overall approach to designing, delivering and quality assuring apprenticeship assessments. These resources take you from understanding the purpose of an assessment strategy through to structuring the document, recording key design decisions and keeping the strategy live as assessments develop and operate.

Assessment Strategies - Purpose

Video introducing the purpose of the assessment strategy and the role it plays in explaining and justifying an awarding organisation’s approach.

Assessment Strategies - Deciding what, when and how to assess

Video looking at the core assessment design decisions that need to be worked through and captured within the strategy.

Recommended Approach to Creating Your Assessment Strategy 

Provides a practical structure and suggested process for developing an apprenticeship assessment strategy.

Assessment Strategies for Apprenticeship Assessments: 

This series explores how awarding organisations can develop an effective assessment strategy for apprenticeship assessments under the reformed model. 

Structuring your Assessment Strategy 

Provides a practical approach to organising an assessment strategy so that the key decisions, controls and rationale are clear and easy to follow.

What Ofqual expects to see. 

Explores the regulatory expectations for assessment strategies and the types of decisions and rationale awarding organisations need to evidence.

Importance of the Scheme of Assessment 

Looks at why establishing the overall scheme of assessment is an essential foundation before the detailed strategy is written.

 Assessment Design Under the New Reforms

Considers how the greater flexibility within the new model affects the assessment design decisions that awarding organisations need to make and justify.

Keeping your strategy live.

Explains why the strategy should continue to develop as the assessment is implemented, monitored and reviewed rather than becoming a static document.

Further assessment strategy articles

Lessons Learnt from Reviews of Assessment Strategies 

Draws together practical lessons from reviewing assessment strategies, highlighting areas of good practice, common gaps and where clearer rationale is often needed.

4) Centre Management 

The reforms create greater scope for some apprenticeship assessment activity to be delivered through approved Centres. These resources look at what that means for awarding organisations developing Centre-based models and for training providers preparing to take on an assessment delivery role.

Centre Management

Video introducing some of the key considerations for awarding organisations where apprenticeship assessment is delivered through approved Centres.

Developing a Centre based model for Ofqual regulated EpAOs 

Explores the systems, controls and quality assurance arrangements awarding organisations need to consider when developing a Centre-based assessment model.

Training Provider Preparation for the new system of Apprenticeship Assessment 

Looks at what training providers can do to prepare for the new assessment arrangements and the potential responsibilities that may come with Centre-based delivery.

Becoming a Centre for Apprenticeships Assessment Delivery: Guidance for Training Providers 

Provides practical guidance for providers considering becoming an approved Centre and the expectations they are likely to need to meet.

5) Earlier reform commentary / archive

The resources below were produced while the new apprenticeship assessment model was still developing. They are retained as useful background and a record of how the reforms evolved, but may have been superseded by later guidance and resources.

Preparing for Change: What Ofqual regulated EPAOs Need to Know About Assessment Strategies 

An early look at the emerging requirement for apprenticeship assessment strategies and the preparations awarding organisations could begin making.

Thoughts on the first 3 Assessment Plans 

Reflects on some of the themes and design implications emerging from the first Assessment Plans published under the new model.

Takeaways from the Ofqual / Skills England webinar on 3rd Feb - Sarah

Takeaways from the Ofqual / Skills England webinar on 3rd Feb - Jacqui

These 2 article summarise the key messages and observations from the Ofqual and Skills England webinar as the new apprenticeship assessment arrangements were developing.