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])$ |
| ExamSeries | Exam series data relates to, for example June 2024 | 2 | Full month name of exam series and year. | ^(June)([ ][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9])$ |
| 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}$ |
| UniqueLearnerNumber | Unique Learner Number (ULN) provided by the Learning Records Service . -2 accepted if not available | 5 | 10 digits accepted. -2 accepted if not available | ^(?:-2|\d{10})$ |
| UniqueCandidateIdentifier | Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI). -2 accepted if not available | 6 | Valid UCI. Alpha numeric 13 characters accepted. -2 accepted if not available | ^(?:-2|.{13})$ |
| CandidateIdentifierOther | Any other unique candidate 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 | 7 | 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. | 8 | 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 | 9 | 0 to 150 characters accepted. Can be left blank if not known, unavailable, or if middle names cannot be separated from first names. | ^.{0,150}$ |
| Surname | Student’s surname or family name | 10 | 1 to 150 characters accepted | ^.{1,150}$ |
| DOB | Student’s date of birth | 11 | 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. -2 accepted for other or not stated | 12 | 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 | 13 | Valid Centre URN. 6- digit integer accepted. -2 accepted where centre does not have a URN | ^(?:-2|^\d{6})$ |
| CentreNCN | Centre’s National Centre Number as allocated by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). -2 accepted where centre does not have a NCN. Higher NCN code not accepted | 14 | Valid NCN code. 5-digit integer accepted. -2 accepted where centre does not have a NCN. Higher NCN code not accepted | ^(?:-2|^\d{5})$ |
| CentreIdentifierOther | Any other unique number allocated to the centre or assessment venue by individual awarding organisation 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 CentreURN have been provided or for students who are not registered to a centre. | 15 | 1 to 15 characters accepted. -2 accepted where at least one of CentreNCN or CentreURN have been provided or for students who are not registered to a centre | ^{1,15}$ |
| RegistrationDate | Date when the student originally registered/entered for the qualification. This date must be on or before the first entry date and the award date. | 16 | 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])$ |
| 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 | 17 | 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])$ |
| QualificationGrade | Final grade awarded for the qualification. Submit fail grades (‘U’) where possible. | 18 | Accepted values: A, B, C, D, E, U, X, Q | ^(A|B|C|D|E|U|X|Q)$ |