Guidance
File format
Updated 1 May 2026
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| Name | Description | Position | Description of Regular Expression | Validation Regular Expression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReportingDate | Date the file was due to be submitted to Ofqual regardless of when it was actually uploaded (this date will be made available by Ofqual). | 1 | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day-of-month (2 digits). Format accepted: yyyy-mm-dd | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])$ |
| AcademicYear | The academic year which this data submission relates to (defined as 1 September to 31 August). For example, “2021-2022”. | 2 | The academic year in the following format: start year (4 digits), a dash, end year (4 digits). Format accepted: yyyy-yyyy | ^(20)\d\d[-](20)\d\d$ |
| AwardingOrganisation | Awarding organisation acronym as it appears in Ofqual’s Register of Regulated organisations | 3 | Valid awarding organisation acronym. 1 to 150 characters accepted | ^.{1,150}$ |
| QualificationNumber | The unique identifier for the qualification as it appears in Ofqual’s Register of Regulated qualifications, for example 123/1234/1 | 4 | Valid qualification number. 10 characters accepted. | ^.{10}$ |
| MaxMarkAndBoundaryID | Identifier used to link information between the outcomes and grade boundaries templates. See general completion guidelines for more detail. -2 accepted for registrations/entries and where boundaries and maximum marks information do not change throughout the academic year | 5 | 1 to 50 characters accepted. -2 accepted for registrations/entries and where boundaries and maximum marks information do not change throughout the academic year | ^.{1,50}$ |
| UniqueLearnerNumber | Unique Learner Number (ULN) provided by the Learning Records Service. -2 accepted if not available | 6 | Valid ULN. 10 digits accepted. -2 accepted if not available | ^(?:-2|\d{10})$ |
| UniqueCandidateIdentifier | Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI). -2 accepted if not available | 7 | Valid UCI. Alpha numeric 13 characters accepted. -2 accepted if not available | ^(?:-2|.{13})$ |
| CandidateIdentifierOther | Any other unique student number allocated by individual awarding organisation. Must be provided where UCI and ULN are not available. If more than one identifier is available please provide as many as possible. -2 accepted where at least one of UCI or ULN have been provided | 8 | 1 to 20 characters accepted. -2 accepted where at least one of UCI or ULN have been provided. | ^.{1,20}$ |
| FirstName | Student’s first name(s). If middle name cannot be separated from first name please provide both names in the FirstName field and leave the MiddleNames field blank. | 9 | 1 to 150 characters accepted | ^.{1,150}$ |
| MiddleNames | Student’s middle name(s), if able to separate out from first names. Can be left blank if not known or unavailable, or if middle names cannot be separated from first names. | 10 | 0 to 150 characters accepted. Can be left blank if not known or unavailable, or if middle names cannot be separated from first names. | ^.{0,150}$ |
| Surname | Student’s surname or family name | 11 | 1 to 150 characters accepted | ^.{1,150}$ |
| DOB | Student’s date of birth. 2999-12-31 accepted if DOB unknown | 12 | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day-of-month (2 digits). Format accepted: yyyy-mm-dd. 2999-12-31 accepted if DOB unknown. | ^(19|20|29)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])$ |
| Sex | Student’s sex | 13 | Accepted values: M, F. -2 accepted for other or not stated | ^(M|F|-2)$ |
| CentreURN | Centre’s Unique Reference Number as assigned by the Department for Education. -2 accepted where the centre does not have an URN or for candidates who are not registered to a centre. | 14 | Valid Centre URN. 6-digit integer accepted. -2 accepted where centre does not have a URN or for candidates who are not registered to a centre | ^(?:-2|\d{6})$ |
| CentreNCN | Centre’s National Centre Number as allocated by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Higher NCN code not accepted. -2 accepted where the centre does not have an NCN or for candidates who are not registered to a centre. | 15 | Valid NCN code. 5-digit integer accepted. Higher NCN code not accepted. -2 accepted where centre does not have a NCN or for candidates who are not registered to a centre | ^(?:-2|\d{5})$ |
| CentreIdentifierOther | Any other number allocated to the centre or assessment venue by individual awarding organisations at the time of data submission. Must be provided where CentreURN and CentreNCN are not available. If more than one identifier is available please provide as many as possible. -2 accepted where at least one of CentreNCN or CentrreURN have been provided or for students who are not registered to a centre. | 16 | 1 to 15 characters accepted. -2 accepted where at least one of CentreNCN or CentreURN have been provided or for candidates who are not registered to a centre. | ^.{1,15}$ |
| CentreName | Name of the centre. -2 accepted for students who are not registered to a centre at the time of the data submission. | 17 | 1 to 255 characters accepted. -2 accepted for students who are not registered to a centre at the time of the data submission. | ^.{1,255}$ |
| CentrePostcode | Postcode of the centre. -2 accepted for students who are not registered to a centre at the time of data submission, or where a centre has closed and the former postcode is unknown. | 18 | Valid postcode. 1 to 10 characters accepted. -2 accepted for students who are not registered to a centre at the time of data submission, or where a centre has closed and the former postcode is unknown. | ^.{1,10}$ |
| RegistrationDate | Date when the student originally registered/entered for the qualification. For outcomes, this date must be on or before the first entry date and the award date. For series-based awards, this should be the deadline date for registrations/entries. | 19 | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day-of-month (2 digits). Format accepted: yyyy-mm-dd | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])$ |
| QualificationCompletionStatus | Status of qualification at the time of submission. Where possible, please indicate where students have withdrawn from the course. | 20 | Accepted values: On programme, Completed, Withdrawn | ^(On programme| Completed| Withdrawn)$ |
| AwardDate | The date that the result was issued, or is due to be issued to the centre (or student if result issued directly to student). Where used, this will be the date of the results day for this qualification. Future dates are accepted. 2999-12-31 accepted for registrations/entries or where the student has withdrawn. | 21 | The date in the following format: year (4 digits), a dash, month (2 digits), a dash, day-of-month (2 digits). Format accepted: yyyy-mm-dd. 2999-12-31 accepted if DOB unknown. 2999-12-31 accepted for registrations/entries or where the student has withdrawn. | ^(20)\d\d[-](0[1-9]|1[012])[-](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])$ |
| QualificationRawMark | Final aggregated raw mark for the qualification. See general completion guidelines for more detail. -2 accepted for not applicable or for registrations/entries. | 22 | Up to 3-digit integer accepted. -2 accepted where not applicable or for registrations/entries | ^(?:-2|\d{1,3})$ |
| QualificationScaledScore | Final aggregated scaled mark/score for the qualification, where used. See general completion guidelines for more detail. -2 accepted for not applicable or for registrations/entries. | 23 | Decimal value with up to 3 decimal places, between 0-9999. -2 accepted where not applicable or for registrations/entries | ^(?:-2|\d{0,4}\.?\d{0,3})$ |
| QualificationGrade | Final grade for the qualification. Submit fails where possible. -2 accepted for registrations/entries | 24 | See Appendix A for accepted grades. -2 accepted for registrations/entries. | See Appendix A |