Centre document library

Quality Assurance Standards

We have produced a single set of City & Guilds / ILM documents setting out a comprehensive model of our quality assurance requirements, from centre approval through to issue of results. This is to:

• maintain consistent standards of delivery and assessment across all centres
• ensure the validity and reliability of assessment outcomes for learners.

The new documents incorporate information from, but replace, the following key City & Guilds documents currently in place:

• City & Guilds Centre Manual (including the General Terms)
• City & Guilds Our Quality Assurance Requirements

The new Quality Assurance Standards suite of documents have now come into effect.

• Centre Contract General Terms (PDF)
• City & Guilds / ILM Quality Assurance Standards: Centre Approval Process (PDF)
• City & Guilds / ILM Quality Assurance Standards: Centre Handbook (PDF)
• City & Guilds / ILM Quality Assurance Standards: Centre Assessment (PDF)

General

• Guidance on Internal Quality Assurance of Qualifications (PDF)
• Recording Forms for centres and candidates (PDF)
• Guidance on Internal Quality Assurance of Qualifications forms and documents (DOCX)
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy & Guidance Document (PDF)

Technicals

• Technical Qualifications - Guide to Marking and Moderation (PDF)
• Technical Qualifications - Guide to Teaching, Learning and Assessment (PDF)
• Technical Qualifications – Employer Involvement Centre Guidance (PDF)

Centre Devised Assessments

• Centre Devised Assessment Form (DOCX) | (PDF)
• Centre Devised Assessments - Developing centre devised assessments (GM1) (PDF)
• Centre Devised Assessments - Generic grading criteria (GM2) (PDF)
• Centre Devised Assessments - Guidance for IQAs and EQAs (PDF)
• Guidance for IQAs and EQAs for centre devised assessments (PDF)

Accreditation

• Accreditation Policy (PDF)
• Accreditation Quality Assurance Manual (PDF)

Results and Exceptions

• Placing Exception Orders via EDI Centre Guide (PDF)
• EDI Centre Result Submission Exception Tool (XLSX)

International customers

• International Qualification Status Guidelines (PDF)
• International Centre Guide (PDF) - This guide will help you understand what is required to become a City & Guilds approved centre and provides on-going guidance and support in the delivery of our qualifications. 
• International General Terms & Conditions (PDF) - The legal terms and conditions for doing business with us.

Guidance documents

• JCQ Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments
  This JCQ document provides information and guidance on access arrangements and reasonable adjustments for candidates.
• JCQ – A guide to the special consideration process
  This JCQ document provides guidance on the process for special consideration. Special consideration may be given following a dated examination for candidates who are present for the examination but may have been disadvantaged, for example, by temporary illness or adverse circumstances during the examination.
• Access arrangements - When and how applications need to be made to City & Guilds (PDF)
  This document provides a short summary for centres on when and how to apply to City & Guilds for access arrangements or special consideration for candidates.
• Applying for access arrangements on the Walled Garden (PDF, 4MB)
  This document provides a step-by-step guide on how to apply for access arrangements on the Walled Garden.

Access forms:

• Access 1 - Request for access arrangements(DOC, 52KB)
  Centres can use this form if they are applying to City & Guilds for access arrangements.
• Access 2 - Application for access arrangements – Profile of Learning Difficulties(DOC, 114KB)
  This form should be completed by the centre for candidates with learning disabilities. This form should be used to collate the evidence and kept on file within the centre. Centres can use either Form Access 2 or JCQ Form 8 (below), there is no need to use both.
• Access 4 - Request for modified, enlarged or Braille question papers (DOC, 52KB)
  This form must be completed by the centre for each candidate who will require unmodified A3 question papers, modified, or Braille examination papers. The completed form should be submitted to City & Guilds, Policy, three months before the month of the examination.
• JCQ Form 8 - Application for access arrangements - Profile of Learning Difficulties (DOC, 156KB)
  This form should be completed by the centre for candidates with learning disabilities. This form should be used to collate the evidence and kept on file within the centre. Centres can use either Form Access 2 (above) or JCQ Form 8, there is no need to use both.

 

Stage 1 - Enquiries

A centre can ask for a candidate’s exam result to be reviewed, alternatively a candidate can request this directly. City & Guilds will arrange for the candidate’s answers to be remarked.

In the case of assessment decisions made by centres, candidates must go through the centre’s own internal appeals procedure.

A centre can request an Enquiry into the Qualification Approval Risk Status/ Qualification Status that has been applied by City & Guilds following external quality assurance activities.

Related documents

• Stage 1 - Candidate enquiry (form E2) 
• Stage 1 - Centre enquiry (form E1)
• Stage 1 - Centre review of moderation (form E4)
• Stage 1 - Centre EQA EV activity (form E3) 

• Enquiries and appeals (PDF 3MB)

Stage 2 and 3 – Appeals

You can ask us to look at:

• examinations results
• decisions regarding qualification (approval risk) status
• decisions concerning the withdrawal or suspension of centre/qualification approval
• decisions, penalties and sanctions resulting from a malpractice investigation
• outcomes of applications for access arrangements or special consideration.

Related documents

• Stage 2 Appeal – exam results (Form A1)
• Stage 2 Appeals (Form A2)

• Application for an Appeal – calculated results form

Extended Project qualifications

For details on the appeals process for the Extended Project, please refer to the JCQ appeals document.

Application forms and further information to become a City & Guilds approved centre or to apply for qualification approval.

For the information regarding CA2, please refer to the Quality Portal User Guide.

UK customers

• Additional staffing pages for Centre Update Form and Qualification Approval Form (PDF)
• Centre charges list (PDF)
• Workplace Skills Quality Statement (DOCX)

Centre Update Form

To change your main centre address, billing address, question paper address or delivery address; please go to the Settings tab in your Walled Garden account.

To notify us of any other change, for example a new assessment site or member of staff please submit a Centre Update (CU) form in the Online Forms section within the Walled Garden Quality Portal. You can find further information on how to submit your CU form in our Quality Portal User Guide here.

Qualification Approval Form

If you are an existing City & Guilds centre looking to offer more qualifications you will need to submit a Qualification Approval (QAP) Form within the Walled Garden Quality Portal. Once this has been submitted we’ll be in touch to arrange approval. Please note that it can take up to 30 working days to complete this process. You can find further information on how to submit your QAP in our Quality Portal User Guide here.

If you would like to discuss your Qualification Approval in more detail, please contact your Business Manager of relevant sales executive. You can also complete our Customer Application.

Depending on the qualification you’re applying for, our Quality team may arrange an External Quality Assurer (EQA) approval visit. The EQA is there to check you meet our requirements and to support you with your approval application.

These guidance notes and forms are for customers and centres delivering City & Guilds qualifications and apprenticeships.

They set out the procedures for identifying and reporting malpractice by staff and/or candidates. This is important for the quality assurance of the assessment process by approved City & Guilds customers and centres. The notes also explain the actions City & Guilds may take when we receive allegations of malpractice.

A source document for these is Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments: Policies and Procedures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications. We are a member of this Joint Council.

• Investigation Policy (PDF)
• Managing cases of suspected malpractice in examinations and assessments (PDF)
• Malpractice in end-point assessment (PDF)

• Appendix 1 Suspected learner malpractice notification form (Word)
• Appendix 3 Suspected centre staff malpractice (Word)
• Appendix 6 Moderator notification of suspected malpractice (Word)
• Appendix 7 EPA notification of suspected malpractice (Word)
• Appendix 8 Examiner notification of suspected malpractice (Word)

• Other supporting documents are available on the Joint Council for Qualifications website.

Expert Witness Requirements Form (DOCX)

Expert Witness Testimony Form (DOCX)

Professional Discussion Form (DOCX)

Professional Discussion Planning Form (DOCX)

Professional Discussion Tutor Guidance (PDF)

Expert Witness Testimony Tutor Guidance (PDF)

Please be advised City and Guilds no longer accept registrations via S Form Submission. These will need to be completed through Walled Garden or via EDI upload.

For support please visit the following links:

• Electronic Data Interchange
• Walled Garden user guide (PDF)

Information on how to register your learners, including Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs):

• Diploma Aggregation Service (PDF, 118KB)
• Electronic S Form Help (PDF, 218KB)
• Learners' Walled Garden help card (PDF, 71KB)
• Learners' Walled Garden reports (PDF, 515KB)
• ULN - Information for framework qualification and 14-19 Diploma centres (PDF, 108KB)

FAQs

I have registered a candidate for the wrong qualification. How do I transfer to the correct qualification?

Register the candidates onto the correct route. Then e-mail centresupport@cityandguilds.com with the candidate's enrolment number, order number, qualification number and the reason why they were registered incorrectly. If your request is made within 30 days of the original registration date, we will be happy to cancel the incorrect registrations and credit your centre with a refund.

If you have re-registered the candidates onto another route of the same qualification within a six month period of the original registration, we will be happy to cancel the incorrect registrations and arrange for a credit note to be issued.

I want to cancel a candidate’s registration?

If you need to cancel a candidate’s registration you can do this by e-mailing centresupport@cityandguilds.com with the candidate's enrolment number, order number, qualification number and a reason why you wish to cancel the registration.

You can cancel a candidate registration at any time providing the candidate has not been entered for any units, or any result claimed.

If your request is made within 30 days of the original registration date, we will be happy to cancel the registration and credit your centre with a refund. Cancelations outside this period will not be refunded.

If you have re-registered the candidates onto another route of the same qualification within a six month period of the original registrations, we will be happy to cancel the incorrect registrations and arrange for a credit note to be issued.

The regulations in these documents specify the standard requirements for externally marked examinations and assessments. For certain qualifications some of the requirements may be different, please check the individual qualification handbooks and assessment guides for more information.

UK customers

• Joint Council for Qualifications
  Instructions for conducting examinations

  This document provides UK Centres with information on how to conduct City & Guilds examinations.

• Exam guidance for emergencies (PDF, 205KB)
• Examination stationery and entry forms (PDF, 11.2MB)
• Qualification Assessments - potential error notification form

International customers

• Regulations for the Conduct of Examinations (PDF, 459KB)
  This document provides International centres with information on the administration of examinations.

Documentation on equal opportunity policy and age discrimination legislation.

• Age Discrimination update (PDF, 7KB)
• Equal Opportunities - English (PDF, 31KB)
• Equal Opportunities - Welsh (PDF, 40KB).

Working with children and vulnerable adults

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) was formed in December 2012 to help employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaced the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

The Government also changed the requirements for DBS checks to reflect changes brought about by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The impact is that for disclosure and barring purposes a DBS check is only required when working in regulated activities with children or with adults.

For children, ‘regulated activity’ is (1) working in an unsupervised capacity with children on some premises (such as schools) and (2) providing personal physical or health care.

For adults ‘regulated activity’ is primarily concerned with personal physical or health care.

Clearly Associate activities do not involve them in regulated activities either with children or vulnerable adults. Moreover City & Guilds/ILM require that, during their visits, Associates should always be accompanied by a member of staff of the centre. Therefore Associates are not required to undertake DBS checks and consequently they do not have to agree to centre requests for DBS related checks.

Relevant documents:

• View City & Guilds own Safeguarding Policy (PDF, 484KB)