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This policy in 60 seconds
- Who it is for: learners, Course Assessors and IQAs on every TTT qualification.
- Every decision is made against the assessment criteria and must be valid, authentic, current, sufficient and reliable.
- Written feedback within 24 to 72 hours of submission (weekends excluded).
- Theory: two free resubmissions per criterion. Practical: one. If all attempts are used, you can re-register at the current course fee.
- Your work is sampled by an IQA. Disagree with a decision? Use the Appeals Policy.
The full policy below is the official version.
1. Purpose
This policy sets out the principles, methods, roles and standards by which TTT conducts assessment of learner achievement. It ensures that every assessment decision is fair, valid, reliable, authentic, current and sufficient and that assessment practice complies with Awarding Organisation requirements and Ofqual General Conditions of Recognition as they apply to recognised centres.
2. Scope
This policy applies to:
- All qualifications and units delivered by TTT, including the L3AET, L3DCM, L4CET, L5DiT, L3AUPPA, L3AACWE, L3AAVRA, L3CAVA, L4AUIQAAPP, L4AIQAAPP and L4CLIQAAPP
- All learners enrolled on TTT provision
- All Course Tutors, Course Assessors, IQAs, EQAs and administrative staff involved in the assessment cycle
- All assessment activity, including formative, summative, online, portfolio-based, observation-based and professional discussion
3. Definitions
The following terms carry the meanings given throughout this policy.
4. Principles of Assessment
TTT applies the following principles to all assessment activity.
5. Policy Statement
TTT is committed to the following principles and commitments.
- 1TTT complies with Ofqual's General Conditions of Recognition as they apply to recognised centres and with the assessment and centre requirements of each Awarding Organisation with which TTT is registered.
- 2Every assessment decision is made solely by a suitably qualified and currently occupationally competent Course Assessor.
- 3All assessments are planned with the learner, clearly communicated and documented from outset to outcome.
- 4Reasonable adjustments and special considerations are applied in line with the Accessibility, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations Policy.
- 5Assessment evidence is retained securely for a minimum of three years after certification or longer where the Awarding Organisation requires it.
- 6Malpractice, maladministration and plagiarism, including AI misuse, are actively prevented, detected and managed under the Malpractice and Maladministration Policy, the Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Policy and the Artificial Intelligence Policy.
- 7Learner appeals against assessment decisions are handled under the Appeals Policy.
- 8Assessment practice is subject to systematic IQA under the IQA Policy and external scrutiny under the EQA Policy.
- 9Course Assessors maintain their occupational and assessment competence through annual CPD recorded in line with the CPD Policy.
6. Roles and Responsibilities
7. Assessor and IQA Competence
TTT ensures every Course Assessor and IQA meets the following minimum requirements.
8. The Assessment Cycle
8.1 Assessment planning
For funded or face-to-face courses, the Course Assessor and learner agree a written Assessment Plan at the start of each unit. The plan identifies the Assessment Criteria covered, the evidence method, the deadline, any reasonable adjustments agreed and review dates. It is signed by both parties and held in the learner file.
For TTT's standard online courses, assessment planning is delivered through the LMS by design. The Course Assessment Map for each qualification sets out units, Assessment Criteria, evidence methods, deadlines and submission points and is acknowledged by the learner at the start of the course. This published structure replaces the per-unit signed plan because every learner follows the same documented route.
A bespoke written Assessment Plan resumes whenever the standard online flow no longer fits the learner's circumstances, including: an approved RPL claim, a reasonable adjustment or special consideration affecting evidence routes, a paused course resuming on revised dates or a referred resubmission requiring a different approach. The bespoke plan is signed and held in the learner file as in the funded model.
8.2 Evidence methods
TTT uses the following evidence methods, selected to suit the Assessment Criterion and the Awarding Organisation's guidance:
- Written assignments and scenario-based responses
- Professional discussions, recorded with the learner's consent
- Observations of practice, conducted live, live-remote or via recorded video evidence
- Witness testimony from a qualified workplace witness, with the Awarding Organisation's permitted format
- Reflective accounts and case studies
- Product evidence such as lesson plans, resources, scheme of work, documents or IQA samples produced by the learner
- Recognition of Prior Learning under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy
8.3 Making the decision
The Course Assessor reviews each piece of evidence against the relevant Assessment Criteria using the VACSR principles (Valid, Authentic, Current, Sufficient, Reliable).
For funded or face-to-face courses, decisions are recorded on the Awarding Organisation's Assessment Record or the TTT equivalent, showing the criterion addressed, the evidence referenced and the outcome (achieved or not yet achieved). The completed record is signed by the Course Assessor and held in the learner file.
For TTT's standard online courses, no separate Assessment Record is produced. The LMS itself captures the assessment trail by design: each submission is mapped to its Assessment Criteria, the Course Assessor's decision (achieved or not yet achieved) is logged against each criterion, written feedback is recorded inline and the timestamp, version history and assessor identity are held automatically. This forms the audit trail the EQA relies on at sampling.
A separate written Assessment Record is produced where the standard LMS flow does not capture the decision adequately, for example: a viva or professional discussion held outside the LMS, an observation written up offline before upload or a reasonable-adjustment-driven evidence route. In those cases the record is uploaded to the learner's LMS file eventually and auto signed by the Course Assessor.
8.4 Feedback
Written feedback is issued within 24 to 72 hours of evidence submission (weekends excluded). Feedback is specific, developmental and linked directly to the Assessment Criterion. Where evidence is not yet achieved, the feedback makes clear what the learner must do to meet the criterion and the deadline for resubmission.
8.5 Resubmission and retake
Learners are entitled to two resubmissions per Assessment Criterion for theory assessments and one resubmission per Assessment Criterion for practical assessments within the agreed timescale at no additional charge. Where the permitted attempts are used without achieving the criteria, the learner may re-register at the current course fee. Resubmitted work is assessed by the original Course Assessor unless unavailable, in which case a second qualified Assessor is allocated.
8.6 IQA sampling
Assessment decisions are sampled by the IQA in line with the IQA Sampling Strategy, covering every Course Assessor, every unit, every assessment method and a representative range of learners across the academic year.
8.7 Certification claim
Once all units are achieved and confirmed by the IQA, the Centre Manager submits the certification claim to the Awarding Organisation following that organisation's procedure. Certificates are issued to learners under the Certification Policy.
9. Authenticity and Plagiarism
Every learner signs a Learner Authenticity Declaration on enrolment and, where the Awarding Organisation requires it, at each unit submission. Course Assessors check authenticity through comparison with prior work, plagiarism detection where available, professional discussion and the balance of evidence across the portfolio. Suspected plagiarism or AI misuse is handled under the Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Policy, the Artificial Intelligence Policy and, where the conduct amounts to malpractice, the Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.
10. Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations
Reasonable adjustments are agreed with the learner before assessment begins. Special considerations are applied after assessment where a learner is disadvantaged by temporary circumstances. Both are operated under the Accessibility, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations Policy and, where Awarding Organisation approval is required, within the timescales specified there.
11. Assessment Records and Retention
TTT retains the following records for a minimum of three years after certification or longer where the Awarding Organisation requires it:
- Assessment Plans, Assessment Records and feedback
- Learner-produced evidence, including recordings of observations and professional discussions
- IQA sampling reports and standardisation records
- Reasonable adjustment and special consideration approvals
- Appeals and malpractice records
Records are held securely in line with the Data Protection and GDPR Policy and the Data Retention and Disposal Policy.
12. Standardisation
Standardisation activity is held a minimum of twice per academic year and after any significant change in qualification specification, Awarding Organisation guidance or assessor team. All Course Assessors and IQAs attend. Activity includes blind marking of anonymised samples, discussion of borderline decisions and review of recent Awarding Organisation feedback. Outcomes are documented and inform future practice.
13. Training and CPD
14. Monitoring and Review
This policy is reviewed annually by the Centre Manager as part of TTT's self-evaluation process. Interim reviews are triggered by Ofqual or Awarding Organisation changes, EQA findings, significant incidents or stakeholder feedback. Assessment data, including first-submission achievement rates, resubmission rates and appeal rates, is analysed quarterly. All outcomes are recorded in the Version History at Section 16.
15. Related Policies
This policy should be read alongside:
16. Version History
17. Approval
This policy has been reviewed and approved by the Centre Manager of TTT.
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