Guidance

End-Point Assessment Outcomes: guide to the data submission process

Updated 12 February 2024

Applies to England

Introduction

In order to fulfil our regulatory and accreditation functions as set out in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, we require awarding organisations to provide assessment delivery data for regulated qualifications.

Ofqual requires this information on apprenticeships end-point assessments (EPAs) for the purposes of performing its functions.

As a regulator, we monitor the delivery of EPAs by drawing on a number of sources of information, including the EPA outcomes data.

When will data be collected?

Data will be collected according to the vocational and technical qualifications reporting schedule which is agreed and maintained by Ofqual’s data services team.

What data will be collected?

Data on grades awarded to individual Apprentices for each assessment component of the EPA and the EPA as a whole will be collected.

The data should be provided for all EPAs where Ofqual is the regulator as of 1 January 2024.

File format

The file must be CSV format and the first row must be headers as displayed in the ‘Name’ column of the table below. The subsequent rows must have the values of the data to be reported which must match the format and validation rules below.

Changes

No changes have been introduced to the template in 2024.

Additional guidance has been provided on assessment methods in Annex A. The guidance should be followed when providing information on assessment methods of EPA components, as detailed in the template below.

General completion guidelines

To capture the different levels at which grades can be aggregated, the following key terms are used in the template:

• EPA – the overall qualification
• Component – an individual assessment that contributes towards the EPA, such as an observation, practical demonstration, test, project, presentation, professional discussion.

The terms used in the template and particularly in the ‘Name’ column of this template mainly follow those that are used elsewhere in Ofqual’s regulatory framework. Where a generic term is used in the template, it should be read as referring to the relevant term in the context of EPAs. For example, ‘awarding organisations’ will be end-point assessment organisations and a ‘qualification’ will be an EPA.

Only a single record for each EPA component undertaken by the apprentice should be provided. It should contain the most recent information for each EPA component. For example, if an apprentice resat a component, the details entered for the component should relate to the most recent resit, not the original assessment result. Please do not list prior failed attempts of the same component undertaken by the apprentice.

All EPA components undertaken by individual apprentices need to be included in the data request, regardless of whether the EPA was completed by the apprentice or not. For example, if the apprentice undertook 2 out of 3 assessment components of their EPA, only records of the 2 assessment components should be provided for the apprentice.

Values for each field are compulsory. Some fields permit a value of ‘-2’ to indicate where the field is not applicable or not available for the row of data in question. Where a value of -2 is not permitted it is mandatory to provide a valid value for the field.

Name	Description	Position	Regular Expression	Values
ReportingDate	Date the file was due to be submitted regardless of when it was actually uploaded (date provided by Ofqual).	1	^(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) Format accepted 120 ODBC canonical yyyy-mm-dd
AwardingOrganisation	Name of the awarding organisation offering the EPA (as it appears in Ofqual’s Register of Regulated Qualifications)	2	^.{1,100}$	1 to 100 characters accepted
AwardingOrganisationID	Unique identifier of the awarding organisation offering the EPA (as it appears in the Register of End-point Assessment Organisations)	3	^( EPA)([0-9][0-9][0- 9][0-9])$	A 7-character code in the following format EPAxxxx, for example, EPA1234
StandardTitle	Title of the Standard for which the EPA is delivered (as it appears in the Apprenticeship Standard Register)	4	^.{1,100}$	1 to 100 characters accepted
StandardID	Unique identifier of the Standard for which the EPA is delivered (as it appears in the Apprenticeship Standard Register)	5	^( ST)([0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9])$	A 6-character code in the following format STxxxx, for example, ST1234
AssessmentPlanVersionNumber	Version number of the assessment plan used for the EPA, as it appears in the assessment plan used for the EPA	6	^.{1,10}$	1 to 10 characters accepted -2 accepted where this value is not available
QualificationNumber	Unique identifier for the EPA as it appears in Ofqual’s Register of Regulated Qualifications	7	^.{1,10}$	1 to 10 characters accepted -2 accepted where this value is not available
ULN	Unique Learner Number (ULN) for the candidate provided by the Learning Records Service	8	^.{1,10}$	1 to 10 characters accepted -2 accepted where the Apprentice does not have a ULN (for example, privately funded Apprentice)
CandidateIdentifierOther	Any other unique number identifying an Apprentice. Must be provided where ULN is not available To allow us to identify the Apprentice please provide at least one of Unique Learner Number or Candidate Identifier Other. If both are available, please provide both	9	^.{1,20}$	1 to 20 characters accepted -2 accepted where this value is not available
FirstName	Apprentice’s forenames	10	^.{1,150}$	1 to 150 characters accepted
MiddleNames	Apprentice’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.	11	^.{0,150}$	0 to 150 characters accepted
Surname	Apprentice’s surname or family name	12	^.{1,150}$	1 to 150 characters accepted
DateOfBirth	Apprentice’s date of birth	13	^(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) Format accepted 120 ODBC canonical yyyy-mm-dd
Gender	Apprentice’s gender	14	^(M|F|-2)$	Accepted values: M, F -2 accepted for other/ unknown
UKPRN	UK Provider Reference Number of the training provider	15	^.{10000000, 99999999}$	An 8 digit number between 10000000 and 99999999 -2 accepted where the UKPRN is not available
CentreIdentifierOther	Any other unique number used to identify the training provider by individual awarding organisations Must be provided if UKPRN is not available To allow us to identify the training provider please provide at least one of UKPRN or Training Provider Identifier Other. If both are collected, please provide both.	16	^.{1,15}$	1 to 15 characters accepted -2 accepted where this value is not available
AssessmentDate	The date when the assessment took place For projects, please provide the submission deadline. For assessments taking place over multiple days, please provide the final date of the assessment.	17	^(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) Format accepted 120 ODBC canonical yyyy-mm-dd
ComponentCode	Unique identifier for the component (assigned by the awarding organisation)	18	^.{1,20}$	1 to 20 characters accepted -2 accepted where the code is not available
ComponentTitle	Title of the component (assigned by the awarding organisation)	19	^.{1,100}$	1 to 100 characters accepted
AssessmentMethod	Description of the assessment method used for the component If multiple assessment methods are used, please record the primary method here. The list of assessment methods is given in Annex A below. Please choose the most appropriate	20	^(Observation|Practical assessment|Multiple-choice question test| Written test|Professional discussion|Interview|Presentation|Project|Portfolio / logbook)$	Accepted values provided in Annex A (given below)
DeliveryMode	Mode of the primary assessment method used for the component The list of assessment modes is given in Annex B below. Please choose the most appropriate one.	21	^(Paper based|Computer based|Face to face|Remote|Product based)$	Accepted values provided in Annex B (given below)
ComponentGrade	Final grade for the component (including a Fail)	22	^(Fail|Pass|Merit|Distinction)$	One of the following list: fail, pass, merit and distinction
QualificationGrade	Final overall grade for the EPA (including a Fail) or ‘withdrawn’ for apprentices that have withdrawn from the course. Please record Fail if 1) the apprentice completed all EPA assessment components but failed some or all and was not awarded any grade or 2) the apprentice failed an EPA component and could not undertake further component assessments until they retook or resat the failed component.	23	^(Withdrawn|Fail|Pass|Merit|Distinction)$	-2 also accepted for 1) EPA which has not been completed by the end of the data submission period or 2) the EPA overall grade has not been formally awarded by the end of the data submission period.
NumberOfResits	Number of resits/retakes an Apprentice has taken for this component Please record 0 if it is the first attempt by the Apprentice and no resits/retakes have been taken for this component	24	^\d{1,2}$	A numeric value between 0 and 99 accepted -2 also accepted for unknown value
CompletionDate	Date an EPA result was issued to the Apprentice (including a Fail) If the completion date is not yet known or not applicable, please provide 2999-12-31	25	^(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) Format accepted 120 ODBC canonical yyyy-mm-dd

Annex A – List of assessment methods

Please use the following list of assessment methods for entering a value for the component assessment method in field 20 given in Annex A. Where terms used by an awarding organisation differ from those given below, please select the closest match possible. Where a component is made up of multiple assessment methods, for example, a combination of multiple-choice questions and extended answer questions, please select the assessment method which makes the greatest contribution to the result for that component. If in doubt about which assessment method to select, please contact Ofqual for advice before submitting the data.

Assessment Method	Description and examples
Observation	An observation involves an independent assessor observing an apprentice undertaking a task or series of tasks in the workplace as part of their normal duties.
Practical assessment	A practical assessment involves an independent assessor observing an apprentice undertaking a set task or a series of set tasks in a simulated environment. For example: skills test, practical assessment test, task-based challenge.
Multiple-choice question test	A multiple-choice test consists of a series of questions in which apprentices are asked to select the correct answer(s).
Written test	A written test consists of a series of questions which apprentices are required to answer using short or long answer responses. For example: extended-answer test.
Professional discussion	A professional discussion is a two-way discussion between an independent assessor and an apprentice. For example: structured discussion.
Interview	An interview consists of an independent assessor asking an apprentice a series of questions. For example: interview, question and answer session.
Presentation	A presentation involves an apprentice presenting to an independent assessor on a particular topic. It will be followed by a questioning session from the independent assessor. For example: presentation, personal statement, showcase.
Project	This assessment method involves the apprentice completing a significant and defined piece of work after the gateway. This could involve a written essay or producing an item (an ‘apprentice piece/artefact’). For example: assignment project, practical project.
Portfolio / logbook	A portfolio is a collection of pieces of evidence gathered on-programme. A logbook is a record of achievement created over the course of the on-programme element of the apprenticeship. Note: where a portfolio or logbook is used as the underpinning basis of another component assessment method, and is not directly assessed, the primary assessment method should be entered in field 20.

Annex B – List of delivery modes

Please use the following list of component delivery modes for entering values for component delivery mode given in field 20 above. Where terms used by an awarding organisation differ from those given below, please select the closest match possible.

Component delivery mode	Description and examples
Paper based	A delivery mode where an assessment is delivered on a paper to access and/or gather evidence of skills, knowledge and behaviours of the apprentice. For example tests, assignments, evidence logbook.
Computer based	A delivery mode where computers are used for assessing skills, knowledge and behaviours of the apprentice. This also includes any other electronic delivery of assessments. For example tests, practical exercises, task-based challenge, online tests. Note: this delivery mode does not include remote video-based communication or performance assessments.
Face to face	A delivery mode used for assessing apprentices’ learning with the apprentice and examiner sharing the same physical space. For example oral assessments such as interviews, professional discussions as well as practical observation, task-based challenge.
Remote	A delivery mode used for assessing Apprentices’ learning with the Apprentice and examiner not sharing the same physical space, but instead using a video recording, web cam or via online video communication, for example, Skype or FaceTime. For example oral assessments such as interviews, professional discussions as well as practical observation, task-based challenge.
Product based	A delivery mode where apprentice is required to create a product/working model for assessment. Other delivery modes may be employed as part of the actual assessment process (for example, face to face questioning). Note: this delivery mode may primarily be used for projects.

Contacts

For all queries relating to the data collection process, amendments to data previously provided, or for general guidance. please contact:

Data services

Ofqual
2nd floor, 1 Friargate
Station Square
Coventry
CV1 2GN

Email Data.Services@ofqual.gov.uk