Guidance
File format
Updated 19 January 2026
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| Name | Description | Position | Validation Regular Expression | Description of Regular Expression / Accepted values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReportingDate | Date the file was due to be submitted regardless of when it was actually uploaded. This date to be provided by Ofqual. Format accepted 120 ODBC canonical yyyy-mm-dd | A | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits) |
| ExamSeries | The series the assessment is taking place in. For GCSE, AS, A level, and Project Level 3 qualifications, use ‘Summer’ for the June series, ‘Autumn’ for the November series, and ‘Winter’ for the January series | B | ^(Autumn|Winter|Spring|Summer)([ ][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9])$ | Exam series and year. For example, "Winter 2024", "Spring 2025", "Summer 2025", "Autumn 2025" |
| AwardingOrganisation | Awarding organisation acronym | C | ^.{1,100}$ | 1 to 100 characters accepted |
| QualificationNumber | Qualification Number, as recorded in the Register, for example, 123/1234/1 | D | ^.{1,10}$ | 1 to 10 characters accepted |
| SpecificationCode | Specification code, also known as Subject Award Code and Cash-in Code. Only required for GCSEs, AS and A levels, and Project L3 qualifications. For VTQs, submit -2 | E | ^.{1,7}$ | One to 7 characters accepted. ‘-2’ accepted for VTQ performance table qualifications |
| QualificationUnitTitle | The AOs title of the individual unit | F | ^.{1,255}$ | 1 to 255 characters accepted |
| QualificationUnitCode | The AOs code of the individual unit | G | ^.{1,25}$ | 1 to 25 characters accepted |
| AssessmentType | Internally or externally assessed | H | ^(Internal|External)$ | Accepted values: * Internal * External |
| AssessmentMethod | The method used in the assessment | I | ^(Written exam|Task-based project|Written exam window)$ | Accepted values: * Written exam * Task-based project * Written exam window |
| Pre-Pre-Standardisation | Pre-standardisation refers to observable meetings (remote or face to face) that take place between principal examiners and team leaders to discuss understanding and application of the mark scheme (including to both external and internal assessment), for example, when marking and standardisation by examiners takes place electronically and is therefore not observable. Yes (Y) a meeting is taking place. No (N) meeting is not taking place | J | ^(Y|N)$ | Accepted values: * Y * N |
| Pre-Pre-StandardisationFormat | Pre-pre standardisation Format refers to meeting face to face, remote (for example, Teams), hybrid (for example, both in person and remote) or other | K | ^(Remote|Face-to-face|Hybrid|Other|-2)$ | Accepted values: * Remote * Face to face * Hybrid * Other If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| Pre-Pre-StandardisationStartDate | First date the meeting(s) for this unit takes place, for example, 2025-02-18 | L | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| Pre-Pre-StandardisationEndDate | Final date the meeting(s) for this unit takes place (can be the same as start date), for example, 2025-02-18 | M | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| Pre-Standardisation | Pre-standardisation refers to observable meetings (remote or face to face) that take place between principal examiners and team leaders to discuss understanding and application of the mark scheme (including to both external and internal assessment), for example, when marking and standardisation by examiners takes place electronically and is therefore not observable. Yes (Y) a meeting is taking place. No (N) meeting is not taking place | N | ^(Y|N)$ | Accepted values: * Y (yes) * N (no) |
| Pre-StandardisationFormat | Pre-Standardisation Format refers to meeting face to face, remote (for example, Teams), hybrid (for example, both in person and remote) or other | O | ^(Remote|Face-to-face|Hybrid|Other|-2)$ | Accepted values: * Remote * Face to face * Hybrid * Other If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| Pre-StandardisationStartDate | First date the meeting(s) for this unit takes place, for example, 2025-02-18 | P | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| Pre-StandardisationEndDate | Final date the meeting(s) for this unit takes place (can be the same as start date), for example, 2025-02-18 | Q | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| Standardisation | Standardisation refers to observable meetings (remote or face to face) where teams leaders discuss application and understanding of the mark scheme with examiners/moderators (including to both external and internal assessment)/moderators (including to both external and internal assessment). Yes (Y) a meeting is taking place No (N) meeting is not taking place | R | ^(Y|N)$ | Accepted values: * Y * N |
| StandardisationFormat | Standardisation Format refers to meeting face to face, remote (for example, Teams), hybrid (for example, both in person and remote) or other | S | ^(Remote|Face-to-face|Hybrid|Other|-2)$ | Accepted values: * Remote * Face to face * Hybrid * Other If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| StandardisationStartDate | Date the first meeting for this unit takes place, for example, 2025-02-18 | T | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| StandardisationEndDate | Date for the final meeting for this unit (can be the same as start date), for example, 2025-02-18 | U | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| Awarding | Awarding refers to observable meetings (remote or face to face) where grade boundaries are discussed and determined using a variety of evidence. Yes (Y) a meeting is taking place No (N) meeting is not taking place | V | ^(Y|N)$ | Accepted values: * Y * N |
| AwardingFormat | Awarding Format refers to meeting face to face, remote (for example, Teams), hybrid (for example, both in person and remote) or other | W | ^(Remote|Face-to-face|Hybrid|Other|-2)$ | Accepted values: * Remote * Face to face * Hybrid * Other If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| AwardingStartDate | First date the meeting(s) for this unit takes place, for example, 2025-02-18 | X | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| AwardingEndDate | Final date the meeting(s) for this unit takes place (can be the same as start date), for example, 2025-02-18 | Y | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]|-2)$ | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day (2 digits). If this meeting is not taking place then -2 is acceptable |
| AdditionalInformation | Any useful or pertinent additional information (optional) | Z | ^.{0,255}$ | Up to 255 characters |