Assessment & Internal Quality Assurance
DAIS-POL-016
Assessment and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) Policy
Data and AI School of London, NCFE Approved Centre
Policy Owner: Lead IQA
Version: 1.0 | Date: April 2026 | Review: April 2027
NCFE Risk Level: High
Mode of Delivery: Fully Online
16.1 Purpose and Scope
This policy sets out the Data and AI School of London's approach to assessment and internal quality assurance (IQA) for all NCFE qualifications. It ensures that assessment decisions are valid, reliable, consistent, and fair, and that they are subject to appropriate quality oversight before submission to NCFE.
16.2 Assessment Principles
| Principle | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Valid | Accurately measures what the learner is required to know or demonstrate |
| Reliable | Decisions are consistent across assessors, learners, and time |
| Fair | All learners have an equal opportunity to demonstrate achievement |
| Transparent | Learners are informed of requirements; feedback is clear and constructive |
| Sufficient | Evidence gathered is enough to confirm competence across all criteria |
16.3 Assessor Responsibilities
Assess learner evidence against the assessment criteria in the NCFE Qualification Specification.
Provide written feedback to learners through the e-portfolio within the timeframe set in the scheme of work.
Make only assessment decisions supported by sufficient evidence.
Record all decisions on the school's digital assessment tracking system.
Attend standardisation meetings and apply agreed decisions consistently.
Assessors must hold, or be working towards, a recognised assessment qualification and demonstrate current sector competence as required by the Qualification Specification.
16.4 IQA Strategy
The Lead IQA maintains a written IQA Strategy reviewed annually. The strategy covers the sampling approach (risk-based, ensuring all assessors and all units are sampled), the sampling frequency (minimum once per term per active assessor), the method of sampling (digital review of learner portfolio evidence and assessor decisions), and the standardisation meeting schedule.
16.5 IQA Sampling Process
1. Access the digital portfolio or VLE to review a selection of learner submissions and assessor feedback.
2. Compare assessment decisions to the assessment criteria and qualification specification.
3. Record the outcome of each sample in the IQA sampling log.
4. Provide written feedback to the assessor on the sampled decisions.
5. Escalate concerns about incorrect decisions to the Head of Centre.
16.6 Standardisation
Standardisation meetings are held at least once per term via video conference. All assessors must attend. Meetings ensure consistent interpretation and application of assessment criteria. Minutes are recorded and stored digitally. Attendance is monitored by the Lead IQA.
16.7 Disagreements Between Assessors and IQAs
1. The IQA provides written feedback to the assessor explaining the basis for the disagreement.
2. The assessor reviews the evidence and the IQA's feedback, responding within 3 working days.
3. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, the matter is escalated to the Head of Centre for a final decision.
4. Any adjustment to a learner's grade is communicated to the learner in writing.
16.8 NCFE EQA Cooperation
The Lead IQA prepares the centre for NCFE EQA visits (conducted remotely) by ensuring all learner portfolios and assessor decisions are accessible digitally to the EQA, all IQA records are up to date, and any actions from previous EQA visits have been completed. Remote EQA access to the digital portfolio system will be arranged within the timescale specified by NCFE.
This policy is reviewed annually. Next review: April 2027. Approved by: Head of Centre. © Data and AI School of London, April 2026. NCFE Approved Centre.