How we regulate FAQs
What are the advantages of qualifications accredited by the regulators?
Accredited qualifications provide the learner and other stakeholders with certain guarantees about the qualification itself and the awarding body that offers it.
The qualification will have met specific quality criteria that ensure it is fit for its purpose, includes relevant content and uses appropriate assessment methodology. It will meet specific sector needs, demonstrate a link to national occupational standards and be supported by an industry body.
All awarding bodies operating within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) are also required to meet certain standards relating to their governance, management and administration arrangements. More information on the NQF is available in the 'Qualifications frameworks' section of this website.
Who are the regulators?
The Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual), the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) are the regulators for external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
The regulators:
- develop and publish criteria for the accreditation of qualifications
- accredit qualifications against those criteria
- keep qualifications under review
- publish and share information relating to accredited qualifications
- ensure that the recognised awarding bodies comply to the criteria set by the government.
The awarding bodies must adhere to the terms set out in The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (2004), which can be accessed via the 'related links' box on this page.
For more information about the regulatory role of Ofqual, please visit the 'How we regulate' section of this website.
What is an awarding body?
An awarding body is an organisation that awards qualifications to learners and is responsible for:
- developing qualifications
- assessing and quality assuring qualifications
- awarding qualifications
- providing customer service to centres and candidates.
One of the regulators’ functions is to recognise awarding bodies as capable of operating within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). This involves considering awarding bodies’ systems, procedures and resources in relation to the qualifications they intend to offer.
Awarding bodies must also demonstrate that they have robust and appropriate management arrangements, and policies and procedures that will support and protect learners who take their qualifications. Although every awarding body recognised by Ofqual, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland varies in size and structure, learners and centres can be confident that each has met the regulators’ criteria in all of the above areas.
A list of the recognised awarding bodies is available from the National Database of Accredited Qualifications.
What is a centre?
A centre is responsible for delivering an accredited qualification, for example a school, college or workplace. The regulators define a centre as 'an organisation or consortium accountable to an awarding body for the assessment arrangements leading to a qualification or unit'.
Centres have a range of responsibilities, including:
- delivering and administering qualifications
- ensuring coursework is assessed
- requesting access arrangements
- enquiring about results and appeals.
The roles and responsibilities of centres are detailed in the booklet Delivering accredited qualifications.
The regulators are working with awarding bodies to develop a common process for recognising centres that are capable of delivering accredited qualifications and units. More information about the centre recognition project can be found on the Reducing monitoring burden pages of this website.