Guidance
File format
Updated 21 September 2026
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| Name | Description | Position | Description of Regular Expression | Validation Regular Expression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting date | 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])$ |
| Exam series | 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])$ |
| Awarding Organisation | 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}$ |
| Centre No. | Centre’s National Centre Number as allocated by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Higher NCN code not accepted | 4 | Valid NCN code. 5-digit integer accepted. Higher NCN code not accepted | ^\d{5}$ |
| Request identifier | Unique case identifier assigned by the awarding organisation | 5 | 1 to 25 characters accepted | ^.{1,25}$ |
| Unique Candidate Identifier | Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) | 6 | Valid UCI. Alpha numeric 13 characters accepted. -2 accepted if not available | ^(?:-2|.{13})$ |
| QAN | The unique identifier for the qualification as it appears in Ofqual’s Register of Regulated qualifications, for example 123/1234/1 | 7 | Valid Qualification Number. 10 characters accepted. -2 also accepted for students not certificating | ^(?:-2|.{10})$ |
| Specification title | Specification title, also known as subject title | 8 | 1 to 150 characters accepted. -2 also accepted for students not certificating | ^(.{1,150})$ |
| Specification code | Specification code, also known as Subject Award Code and Cash-in Code | 9 | One to 7 characters accepted. -2 also accepted for students not certificating | ^(.{1,7})$ |
| Qualification level | Type of qualification | 10 | Accepted values: GCSE, AS, A level. -2 also accepted for candidates not certificating | ^(GCSE|AS|A level|-2)$ |
| Unit/component description | Unit or component code assigned by the awarding organisation | 11 | 1 to 10 characters accepted | ^.{1,10}$ |
| Assessment type | To indicate type of assessment, internal or external. Internal assessment means set and/or marked by centres. External assessment means that the assessment is externally set and marked by the awarding organisation or another independent body. | 12 | Accepted values: Internal, External | ^(Internal|External)$ |
| Request date | Date when the request for special consideration was received by the awarding organisation. | 13 | 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])$ |
| Exam/coursework date | Date the exam was taken by the student or submission deadline for non-exam assessment | 14 | 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])$ |
| Special consideration type | Type of special consideration applied for | 15 | Accepted values: Present but disadvantaged, Absent with good reason | ^(Present but disadvantaged|Absent with good reason)$ |
| Disadvantage category | The disadvantage category. The list of disadvantage categories is given in Appendix A below. Choose the most appropriate one. | 16 | Accepted values: See appendix A. ‘Absent with good reason’ also accepted for absent candidates | See appendix A |
| Specific disadvantage | The specific disadvantage. See appendix A for further guidance. | 17 | Accepted values: See appendix A. ‘Absent with good reason’ also accepted for absent candidates | See appendix A |
| Tariff | Percentage allowance given to students who were present but disadvantaged | 18 | Integer between 0 to 5 accepted. -2 accepted for rejected, pending, withdrawn or absent students | ^(?:-2|\d{0,5})$ |
| Status | Status of the special consideration request at time of data submission | 19 | Accepted values: Accepted, Rejected, Pending, Withdrawn | ^(Accepted|Rejected|Pending|Withdrawn)$ |
| Rejection reason | Reason special consideration request was rejected if applicable | 20 | Accepted values: See appendix B. ‘Approved’ accepted for cases that were approved. -2 accepted for cases that were pending or withdrawn | See appendix B |
| Evidence requested | To indicate if evidence was requested by the centre | 21 | Accepted values: Y for yes, N for no | ^(Y|N)$ |
| Evidence received | To indicate if evidence was received by the awarding organisation | 22 | Accepted values: Y for yes, N for no | ^(Y|N)$ |