Guidance

Using the learning records service (LRS) for awarding organisations (AOs)

Updated 11 March 2024

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

1. Who this guide is for

This user guide is for awarding organisations (AOs) that sign up to use the learning records service (LRS) portal.

Awarding organisations are also known as awarding bodies.

2. What you can do with LRS

The learning records service (LRS) allows you to:

• validate unique learner numbers (ULNs) received from learning providers
• upload and manage achievements on a learner’s personal learning record (PLR)

3. Keeping learner data safe

As an LRS user your obligations are set out in the LRS user agreement, while the LRS requirements for data governance are found in the LRS AO agreement.

If you need to contact the service desk by email and are sending any learner data, you must:

• encrypt and password protect the data
• contact the LRS service desk by phone with the password details

Where users do not follow this process, we’ll need to contact their organisation’s super user. Continued security concerns could lead to:

• user and organisation permissions being disabled
• escalation to your data protection officer (DPO) and senior management
• reporting the organisation to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

3.1 Common security breaches

These include:

• sharing account details or allowing someone else to use your account - each user must have their own user account, and you should remove accounts that are no longer needed
• sending a learner’s ULN and any of the 5 demographics (‘Given name’, ‘Family name’, ‘Date of birth’, ‘Gender’ or ‘Postcode’) in an unencrypted email
• sending more than one of the 5 demographics in an unencrypted email (‘given name’ and ‘family name’ are deemed one demographic in this instance)
• sending an encrypted file containing learner data, where the password has been sent in the same email
• sending your username and password in an email

3.2 Standard user responsibilities

You must not:

• share your login details (username and password)
• share your email address with another user
• use the account for purposes other than those for which it was created
• leave your workstation unlocked and unattended when accessing personal data or allow unauthorised people to see your screen
• use, copy, send or share data, except where the Education and Skills Funding Agency gives you permission, or you’re otherwise permitted to do so by law
• send any personal learner data by email unless it’s encrypted and password protected using a separate method for sending the password

4. Logging in

4.1 Logging in for the first time

You’ll receive an email to the unique email address you provided when your account was created. Follow the link in the email to log in for the first time.

If the link has expired, contact your super user to re-send the registration email. If you’re the only super user in your organisation, contact the service desk.

When you follow the link, you’ll see the ‘Change password’ screen. Enter your username and create a password that meets the requirements shown on screen.

You can then login to the portal.

4.2 Changing your email address

Once you’ve logged in, from the ‘My account’ page, you can change your email by selecting ‘Edit and verify email’.

Enter your new email address in both the ‘Email’ and ‘Confirm email’ fields, then select ‘Save changes’.

The email address you use must be unique and accessible only by you. Generic email addresses, for example contact@yourorganisation.co.uk are not allowed.

You’ll receive an email with a link to validate your email address. Once you follow the link to validate your email address, you’ll be asked to accept the terms of the user agreement.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll be taken to the ‘Learner Management’ homepage.

If the link in your email has expired, you’ll need to log in again and re-enter your email to receive a new link.

If another account holder has already used this email address, you’ll see an error message. You’ll need to log in again then enter a different email to receive a new link.

5. Using the portal as a super user

5.1 Super user responsibilities

Super users are the first contact point for your user community to:

• create user accounts – the service desk only creates accounts in specific circumstances, for example, where all super users have left the organisation
• update a user’s personal details and permissions
• resolve access problems, including suspending and reinstating user accounts
• delete user accounts
• monitor user activity to ensure the data held on the LRS is used appropriately

Super users are responsible for managing other LRS users in their organisation, including setting up additional super users. We strongly recommend having at least 3 super users but no more than 5.

5.2 Creating a new user or super user account

Before you create a new account

When you create other user accounts check:

• who authorised the request – it’s your responsibility to ensure that applications follow your internal process for access to confidential learner records, which may involve criminal record checks – these are not carried out by LRS
• what level of permission the user needs - we recommend you only give users access to the areas of LRS that they need
• what details are recorded for each user – all user accounts require a given name, family name and unique email address, and we also recommend adding a phone number
• whether users know their responsibilities when using the LRS – make sure each new user has read and understood the LRS user agreement as your organisation’s access to the portal may be suspended if users break the conditions
• how users will be trained – for example, any users uploading batch files to the portal should know how to create and validate batch files, and how to process any exceptions returned

Creating an additional user

You’ll first need to search for a user to check whether they already exist in the LRS.

1. Choose ‘User Management’ from the left-hand menu, then ‘Find user’.
2. Fill in the ‘Given Name’ and ‘Family Name’ fields and select a value from the ‘Status’ drop down, then select the ‘Search’ button.
3. You’ll see the results screen with the message ‘No users match the selected criteria’.
4. Select the ‘Create user’ button.
5. When prompted, enter the new user’s given name, family name and a unique email address.
6. Select the tick box next to the ‘User Role’ you want to assign – see appendix A for a list of user role descriptions.
7. You’ll need to enter some information into the ‘Verification Provided’ box – this could be a staff ID or a school email address.
8. Select ‘Create User’ and the LRS automatically produces a user account name in the format ‘firstname.surname’.
9. The user will get an email that tells them their username, with instructions and a link to complete their registration and create a password.
10. If the link has expired, the user will need to contact their super user to resend the registration email. This is done by selecting the ‘Resend Welcome Email’ button on the ‘View user’ page.

User housekeeping

Audit your users annually to check who’s using the LRS and whether they hold the right level of access. You can find your organisation’s users on the portal.

1. Select ‘Find User’ from the left-hand menu under ‘User Management’.
2. Leave the ‘Find organisation’ fields blank.
3. Select a status from ‘Active’, ‘Inactive’, ‘Deleted’ or ‘Suspended’.
4. Tick the ‘Select all’ box from the ‘Select role(s)’ list and then select ‘Search’.

You’ll see a full list of users to review including allocated user roles. As a super user, you must decide how to administer your user community and set up all other users.

Super users and the service desk cannot reset passwords. Users must reset their own passwords using the ‘I have forgotten my password’ link on the login page.

Contract staff and third-party organisation accounts

Temporary staff must undergo the same checks that protect confidentiality. They should have access as users belonging to your organisation, so that all transactions conducted for your organisation are audited as belonging to your organisation.

If you’re an agency working for several different organisations, you’ll need separate user accounts for each organisation you work for.

5.3 Updating or editing a user account

To update the details associated with a user account, follow the steps below.

1. Select the ‘Find user’ link under ‘User Management’ from the left-hand menu.
2. Search by username (if you know it) or given and family name.
3. Check the status is set to ‘Active’.
4. Use the ‘Search’ button.
5. On the results screen select the ‘View user’ link next to the user you want to update.
6. On the next screen, you can select ‘Edit user’ button to update the user.

You can update:

• title, given name and family name
• telephone landline and mobile numbers
• email address - by selecting the ‘Edit and verify email’ button, an email will be sent to the user to verify their email
• verification provided – confirmation of your internal authorisation procedure
• staff ID or Your reference – optional

You can also use this screen to update the roles allowed for your own super user account.

Never reassign user accounts. Instead, delete the account and create a new one for the new member of staff.

5.4 Deleting a user account

Remove a user account as soon as the user leaves your organisation or no longer needs LRS access. If an account is left active, that person could still access the portal and potentially misuse it.

1. Select the ‘Find user’ link under ‘User Management’ from the left-hand menu.
2. Search by username (if you know it) or given and family name.
3. Check the status is set to ‘Active’.
4. Use the ‘Search’ button.
5. Select the ‘View User’ link next to the user you need to delete.
6. Select ‘Delete User’.
7. Select ‘Confirm delete’.

5.5 Dealing with user access problems

Resetting passwords

If a user forgets their password they can follow the ‘I have forgotten my password’ link on the login page to reactivate their account and reset their password.

Re-activating a locked or suspended user account

If a user makes more than 5 consecutive unsuccessful attempts to log in, we’ll send an email to their verified email to tell them their account is locked. They can use the reset process to login.

If an account is suspended, the super user is responsible for reactivating the user’s account, verifying the user’s identify first if necessary.

1. Select the ‘User Management’ tab.
2. Search by username (if you know it) or given and family name.
3. Check the status is set to ‘Suspended’.
4. Change the status to ‘Active’ to reinstate the account.

If you lose access to your only super user account

If your only super user account is suspended, you should reset your password using the link on the login page. If you’re still unable to access LRS, contact the service desk.

If you do not receive verification emails

Make sure you can accept emails from do-not-reply@education.gov.uk.

If you’re still not receiving verification emails, check with your IT support.

6. Verifying unique learner numbers (ULNs)

Learner verification allows you to verify you’re uploading achievement results to the correct records. The system cross checks the information you’ve supplied against what is held by LRS.

This ensures that the ULN belongs to the correct learner, and that you’re uploading data to the correct personal learning record (PLR).

You should verify ULNs before uploading achievement results to the PLR. If LRS and AO records do not match, an exception is returned.

You can complete learner verification by:

• manually verifying ULNs through the LRS portal – if you have a group of up to 50 learners, this is the quickest way to verify them
• using the batch process to prepare and submit batch files containing multiple learner details – this method is for more than 50 learners and you’ll be able to download the output file back into your system
• using web services to link your management information system (MIS) to the learner register, automatically updating the LRS – the MIS may assist in the resolution of exceptions

Using web services is the preferred method, but it relies on your own MIS supplier providing the interface with the LRS.

6.1 Verifying ULNs using the portal (manual)

Users with the appropriate permissions can manually verify a single learner.

1. Select ‘Verify Single Learner’ from the left-hand menu under ‘Learner Verification’.
2. Enter the learner’s personal details – as a minimum you must complete the ULN, Given Name and Family Name fields. It’s recommended you also include date of birth and gender.
3. Select ‘Verify’.

The system will give a return code. You can check the list of return codes (appendix C) to understand what each one means.

6.2 Verifying ULNs using batch files

Batch files are comma-separated values (CSV) or XML format files which you can upload to the LRS portal to quickly validate multiple ULNs in bulk.

You can use the batch file toolkit for AOs to help you do this.

6.3 Verifying ULNs using web services

Your organisation can develop its own system or use a solution from a third party developer to link your own management information system (MIS) with the LRS.

You can get more information about how to register as a developer.

You can download the web service certificate from the portal by selecting the ‘Certificate management’ link from the left-hand menu. When you download it, you’ll get an email to your verified email address with the password for the certificate.

7. Creating and managing achievements

As an AO, you can use the LRS to:

• create new achievement records
• update or withdraw existing achievement records
• reinstate withdrawn achievement records

You can manage achievements by:

• manually managing achievements through the LRS portal – if you have a group of up to 50 learners, this is the quickest way to manage their achievements
• using the batch process to prepare and submit batch files containing multiple learner details – this method is for more than 50 learners and you’ll be able to download the output file back into your system
• using web services to link your management information system (MIS) to the learner register, automatically updating the LRS

7.1 Before you create or manage achievements

When dealing with achievement records, you should:

• only create and maintain achievements for units or qualifications owned or shared by your organisation – LRS validates this with regulators such as Ofqual
• ensure you enter the unique reference for an achievement carefully - this will be a combination of the learner’s ULN, the date of the award and the unit/qualification reference code
• withdraw any record where you’ve entered the wrong unique reference – you should then create a new record with the correct information
• ensure that learner details for a ULN match those held by LRS – as a minimum the information needed is the learner’s given name and family name, but it’s also recommended that you check the learner’s date of birth and gender
• only create historic achievements where you have been provided with the ULN by learning providers

You should not:

• update a record that has previously been withdrawn
• try to withdraw a record that has already been withdrawn – the system will not allow this

7.2 Creating and managing achievements using the portal (manual)

You can use the portal to maintain a single achievement record at a time.

Creating an achievement

Use this function to create (upload) a new achievement to a personal learning record (PLR).

1. Select ‘Manage Learner Achievements’ from the left-hand menu, under ‘Achievement Management’.
2. Choose the ‘Create achievement’ link.
3. Enter the learner’s unique learner number (ULN), Given name and Family name, Postcode (optional) and Date of birth (optional).
4. Enter the learner’s Aim reference number – this must be a valid unit or qualification reference number shown as being owned by the AO submitting the achievement or marked as shared.
5. Enter the date of the award – this must be in the past, must not be earlier than 1 September 2006, and must be between the start and end dates of units and qualifications as per Ofqual or Qualifications in Wales (QiW).
6. If known, enter the UK Provider Reference Number (UKPRN) where the learner undertook their study.
7. If known, enter a Grade which best reflects the qualification/unit type (for example, GCSE or A level would be ‘A’ to ‘E’, Functional Skills or Key Skills would be ‘Pass’).
8. If there’s a language for the qualification, select it from the drop-down list.
9. Select ‘Create Achievement’.

Once you’ve successfully created an achievement, you’ll see a confirmation screen.

Updating an achievement

Use this function to update an achievement record that has been previously been created on the personal learning record (PLR) by your organisation.

To make any changes the achievement:

• must have been uploaded by your organisation
• must not be withdrawn

You can update the grade for an achievement by following the steps below.

1. Select ‘Manage Learner Achievements’ from the left-hand menu, under ‘Achievement Management’.
2. Enter the learner’s unique learner number (ULN) and select ‘Search’.
3. Choose the achievement you’d like to edit from the list.
4. Select ‘Edit Grade’.
5. Enter the new grade (for example, GCSE or A level would be ‘A’ to ‘E’, Functional Skills or Key Skills would be ‘Pass’).
6. Select ‘Save changes’ to update the record.

Alternatively, you can move the achievement to a new learner.

1. Select ‘Manage Learner Achievements’ from the left-hand menu, under ‘Achievement Management’.
2. Enter the learner’s unique learner number (ULN) and select ‘Search’.
3. Choose the achievement you’d like to move from the list.
4. Select ‘Move to New Learner’.
5. Enter the ULN of the learner you’d like to move the achievement to.
6. Select ‘Continue’.
7. Check the details are correct, then choose ‘Save changes’ to move the achievement.

Withdrawing an achievement

Use this function to withdraw an achievement record that was previously created on the personal learning record (PLR) by your organisation.

1. Select ‘Manage Learner Achievements’ from the left-hand menu, under ‘Achievement Management’.
2. Choose the ‘Withdraw achievement’ link.
3. Enter the learner’s unique learner number (ULN), Given name and Family name, Postcode (optional) and Date of birth (optional). The name fields must match the original naming convention used when the record was first created, for example ‘John’ cannot be changed to ‘Johnathon’.
4. Enter the learner’s Aim reference number – this must match the original award reference number used when the achievement record was first created.
5. Enter the date of the award – this must match the original award reference number used when the achievement record was first created.
6. Select ‘Search’.
7. Once you’ve found the achievement you’re looking for, you can enter the Action Date (the date the change was agreed upon, which must be in the past) and the Action Reason (the reason the record is being withdrawn – see the list of action reasons in appendix D).
8. Select ‘Withdraw achievement’.

Once you’ve confirmed the withdrawal, you’ll see a success screen.

Reinstating an achievement

Use this function to reinstate an achievement record that was previously withdrawn on the personal learning record (PLR) by your organisation.

You cannot update the grade achieved when reinstating an achievement. If you need to do this, you should create a new achievement. Alternatively, you can update the grade by submitting a batch file with the amended grade included against the reinstated achievement.

1. Select ‘Manage Learner Achievements’ from the left-hand menu, under ‘Achievement Management’.
2. Choose the ‘Reinstate Achievement’ link.
3. Enter the learner’s unique learner number (ULN), Given name and Family name, Postcode (optional) and Date of birth (optional). The name fields must match the original naming convention used when the record was first created, for example ‘John’ cannot be changed to ‘Johnathon’.
4. Enter the learner’s Aim reference number – this must match the original award reference number used when the achievement record was first created.
5. Enter the date of the award – this must match the original award reference number used when the achievement record was first created.
6. Select ‘Search’.
7. Once you’ve found the achievement you’re looking for, you can enter the Action Date (the date the change was agreed upon, which must be in the past) and the Action Reason (the reason the record is being reinstated – see the list of action reasons in appendix D).
8. Select ‘Reinstate achievement’.

Once you’ve confirmed the reinstatement, you’ll see a success screen.

7.3 Managing achievements using batch files

Batch files are CSV (comma separated values) or XML format files containing learner data which, once submitted, can create new, update existing, withdraw or reinstate achievements in bulk.

You can use the batch file toolkits to help you prepare and process a batch file.

7.4 Managing achievements using web services

You can develop your own system or use a solution from a third-party developer to link your management information system (MIS) with the LRS.

You can get further guidance on web services.

8. Managing event data challenges

The personal learning record (PLR) of each learner contains the achievements (also known as learning events) uploaded by awarding organisations (AOs).

Learning providers and local authorities can view PLRs using the LRS. If they notice any problems on the PLR, they can report this by raising an ‘event data challenge’ (EDC).

If a valid EDC is submitted that needs resolution by your organisation, we’ll send an email to your nominated EDC resolver to let them know.

We also send them a report of all open EDCs at the start of each month.

8.1 Types of event data challenge

EDCs may be raised for the following reasons:

• information on one of the qualifications is wrong – this happens when the grade, award start date, or award end date has been recorded incorrectly
• one of the qualifications does not belong to the learner – this happens where a ULN was previously shared (so the qualification needs to be removed or transferred), where the qualification was assigned to the wrong ULN, or where the qualification is disputed entirely
• one of the qualifications appears more than once – this happens when a qualification is uploaded more than once in error

8.2 Viewing event data challenges

You can view all open EDCs in the portal, or filter by status.

1. Select ‘Achievement Management’ from the left-hand menu.
2. Select ‘Event Data Challenges’.
3. Use the ‘Status’ dropdown to apply a filter and select ‘Refresh’ to update the results.

You can change the status of an EDC to ‘In progress’ by:

• selecting ‘Process’ next to the relevant result, if you’re updating an individual EDC
• ticking multiple checkboxes in the first column then selecting ‘Set status to ‘In progress’’, if you’re updating multiple EDCs at once

Selecting ‘Process’ will show you the full details of the data challenge, including the user who originally raised it.

8.3 Processing data challenges

This section explains how to resolve a data challenge using the portal.

Once you’ve resolved the EDC and updated its status to either ‘Resolved – Upheld’ or ‘Resolved – Rejected’, the LRS service desk will receive an email notifying them that you’ve investigated the problem and giving them details of your resolution.

Information on one of the qualifications is wrong

To address this, you should check your own internal records to validate the EDC. You can then take one of the following actions:

• reject – if you disagree with the EDC, reject it by changing the Status drop-down to ‘Resolved – Rejected’ and adding comments to the additional comments box with the reason
• accept – if you accept the EDC, take any necessary action to correct the record(s) on LRS, then change the Status drop-down to ‘Resolved – Upheld’, ensuring you explain the action taken in the Additional Comments box

One of the qualifications does not belong to this learner

To address this, you should check your own internal records to validate the EDC. You can then take one of the following actions:

• reject – if the qualification was uploaded correctly, reject the EDC by changing the Status drop-down to ‘Resolved – Rejected’ and adding comments to the additional comments box with the reason
• accept – if the qualification was uploaded incorrectly, you should withdraw the qualification using the LRS portal, update your own internal records with the correct ULN details, then upload the same qualification to the new ULN

After accepting a EDC, you should change the Status drop-down to ‘Resolved – Upheld’ and entering the action taken into the Additional Comments box.

Qualification data belongs to a different learner

Sometimes one ULN is shared by two learners. The LRS support team will lead on the main investigation and notify your organisation of these instances in the monthly EDC report.

Your organisation should then validate the findings and take the necessary action to resolve the EDC.

One of the qualifications appears more than once

This may be intentional, for example if a learner first failed the qualification before later passing. It’s therefore important you check your own internal records and confirm if one or more of the qualifications were uploaded in error.

If the qualification was uploaded correctly, reject the data challenge with a reason in the Additional Comments box.

If the qualification was uploaded incorrectly, you should withdraw any duplicate qualifications on the portal, then resolve the data challenge with the ‘Resolved – Upheld’ status.

8.4 Marking data challenges as ‘resolved’

You can mark an EDC as resolved by changing the Status drop-down to either of the resolved states. You should do this as soon as you have taken the required action or have confirmed no action is necessary.

Make sure you include some comments in the Additional Comments field to summarise the action you’ve taken.

If you receive any error messages or have any problems, you should contact the service desk.

9. If you still need help

There’s further guidance documents available to help you, including:

• maintenance schedules – a schedule of all outages of the LRS portal and the compatibility site for developers to test
• registration documents - all documentation required to register with the LRS, update your organisation’s details, request a new super user account and register as a developer

You can also contact the service desk for further support.

Sign up for email communications to receive the latest information and notifications about the LRS.

10. Technical requirements

10.1 Screen resolution

We recommend using a screen resolution of width at least 1280 pixels to remove the need for horizontal scrolling.

10.2 Browser compatibility

We do not recommend Internet Explorer before IE8. Any other standard compliant browser should work without any issues. Mobile browsers may work, but we do not recommend using them.

11. Appendix A – types of user

It’s your responsibility to make sure users only have the level of access they need. You can use the set roles below or ‘mix and match’ the level of accessed required.

You can only select the user types that you have been granted access to when your organisation was set up as an AO.

The following user roles are available:

11.1 LRS super user

Responsible for managing all users within their registered organisation.

11.2 Awarding body batch user

Can submit, manage and retrieve ‘verify learner’ batch files.

This user role will have access to the following menu items:

• the ‘Learner Verification’ tab on the menu bar
• the ‘Submit Batch Job’ and ‘View Batch Job’ menu options

11.3 Awarding body user

Can access the portal to verify an individual learner.

This user role will have access to the following menu items:

• the ‘Learner Verification’ tab on the menu bar
• the ‘Verify Single Learner’ menu option

11.4 QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework) record set user

Can submit, manage, and retrieve batch files of achievements to the portal. Batch files enable new creations, updates, withdrawals, and reinstatement of achievements. This user role can also perform a credit check.

This user role will have access to the following menu items:

• the ‘Achievement Management’ tab on the menu bar
• the ‘Submit Achievement Batch’, ‘View Achievement Batch’ and ‘Perform Credit Check’ menu options

11.5 QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework) user

Can create, update, withdraw and reinstate individual achievements using the portal. This user role can also perform a credit check.

This user role will have access to the following menu items:

• the ‘Achievement Management’ tab on the menu bar
• the ‘Manage Learner Achievements’ and ‘Perform Credit Check’ menu options

12. Appendix B – learner data restrictions

There are some restrictions on the data that can be entered when registering and updating learner profiles.

12.1 Date of birth

The age of a learner must fall between:

• the minimum age of 11 - unique learner numbers (ULNs) are usually generated for those approaching age 13, but to allow for learners who take general qualification examinations at an earlier age (gifted and talented learners), the parameter is set to 11
• the maximum age of 110

12.2 Names

Valid names must always contain at least one upper case character (A-Z) or one lower case character (a-z).

The following characters are also permitted:

• space
• hyphen
• ’ (normal apostrophe)
• ` (backwards apostrophe)
• . (dot)

No text other than the name itself (for example, text relating to the status of the name) should be included.

This restriction applies to the following fields:

• Given Name
• Preferred Given Name
• Middle Other Name
• Family Name
• Previous Family Name
• Family Name at 16

12.3 Postcodes

Postcodes distinctly associated with prisons and offender institutions will be rejected.

This restriction applies to the Postcode field.

12.4 Prohibited text

LRS restricts inappropriate words or phrases to prevent entry of data which may cause a learner to be discriminated against.

This restriction is applied to all fields.

View the list of prohibited text in section G4 of the web services interface specification.

13. Appendix C – return codes and descriptions

13.1 VRC001 – exact match

This means all of the supplied learner’s details exactly match the learner’s details for that unique learner number (ULN) held on the system. For name fields, there will be an exact match after normalisation of capital and lower case letters.

You do not need to take any further action as the ULN has been verified.

13.2 VRC002 – exact linked match

This means that the supplied learner’s details exactly match those held on the system for that ULN, but the learner is also registered with another ULN. A link between the two ULNs has been made on the system.

The returned values you see will be for the learner marked as the ‘master’ learner.

You do not need to take any further action as the ULN has been verified.

13.3 VRC003 – possible match

This means that the supplied learner’s details do not exactly match a learner’s details held on the system. This will be returned if either or both supplied names ‘fuzzy match’ but do not match what we hold exactly character for character.

The date of birth and gender, if supplied, must match those held on the system.

The system also compares:

• double names such as Sally Ann against the name held on the system – if any part of the name matches, it’ll return a possible match
• the inputted Given Name against a list of common synonyms, for example Jim would match against James – a synonym match will not return an exact match
• the inputted Family Name against the previous Family Name held on the system – a match against a previous family name cannot return an exact match

You should check the differences between the supplied information and the information returned by the system. If you have any doubt about the result, you should get clarification from the learning provider.

13.4 VRC004 – possible linked match

This means a possible match has been found against our database (as described in VRC003), but the learner is linked to another ULN that has been marked as the master (as described in VRC002).

The details returned are for the master ULN.

You do not need to take any further action as the ULN has been verified.

13.5 VRC005 - learner does not match

This means that the supplied learner’s ULN exists on the system but the other details supplied do not match the learner’s details on the system. This means the system cannot be confident that the correct learner has been identified.

This code will be returned if:

• gender or date of birth does not match, if supplied
• any of the names supplied do not ‘fuzzy match’

You’ll see failure flag(s) on the screen. You should take a note of the failure flag descriptions and send a request to the learning provider to do one of the following:

• update their submission to you
• update the LRS, if this is incorrect

13.6 VRC006 – ULN not found

This means the supplied ULN does not currently exist on the system.

You’ll see failure flags on the screen. You should take a note of the failure flag descriptions and send a request to the learning provider to provide an update.

14. Appendix D – action reasons

You can select one of the following reasons when withdrawing or reinstating a qualification:

• ULNINVALID - the qualification was originally submitted with the wrong unique learner number (ULN)
• ACHINVALID - the qualification was originally submitted with the wrong aim reference number
• DATINVALID - the qualification was originally submitted with the wrong achievement award date
• SUBINERROR - the individual record was submitted in error
• BATCHERROR - all records in a batch were submitted in error