National Qualifications - external verification

There will be two rounds of external verification in 2023-24.

Centres that have been selected for verification will be informed before each round to allow time to prepare materials for the uplift and/or the visit.

Note: IACCA (or Internally Assessed Component of Course Assessment) is a component of a National Qualifications course, which is conducted and marked by centre staff.

For the purposes of verification, courses and units are grouped into subject verification groups (eg French, Spanish, German or Italian).

There are a number of reasons why we select centres for verification in each of the groups. This might include their past verification history and the length of time since their last verification activity. In addition we also carry out 'random' selections in all verification groups.

The volume of selections in each verification group is considered carefully. Centres should be aware that where courses include an internally assessed component (IACCA), verification will usually be more frequent.

When centres are selected in a verification group, this can be for any courses or units specified by SQA

You may request external verification of any unit(s) or IACCA(s) during rounds 1 and 2. If you would like to request verification, please complete our contact form with details of the qualification, level(s) and unit(s) and/or IACCA(s) you would like verified.

Requests for round 1 must be submitted by Tuesday 07 November 2023. Requests for round 2 must be submitted by Tuesday 09 January 2024.

Your SQA Co-ordinator will be informed of planned verification activity through SQA Connect or by email.

You can find guidance on the evidence you are required to provide for external verification in the Verification submission guidance documents below:

• Verification submission guidance - Units (273 KB)
• Verification submission guidance (IACCA) (218 KB)
• Sampling guidance - Physical Education (140 KB)

These guidance documents cover:

• Evidence requirements including sample sizes
• Documentation that should be provided
• Interim evidence guidance (unit only)
• Guidance on provided evidence in electronic formats
• Subject-specific information

Centres must retain all candidate assessment evidence for National Qualifications, including evidence for any of the freestanding units at SCQF levels 5, 6 and 7, until 31 December.

• Evidence retention requirements (85 KB)
• Retention of candidate assessment records (100 KB)

There are three possible outcomes of verification:

• Accepted - the centre's assessment approach and judgements are fully in line with national standards.
• Accepted* - the centre's assessment approach and judgements are in line with national standards, but there are suggested recommendations to improve assessment.
• Not Accepted - there are significant issues with the internal assessment approach and/or judgements. Required Actions are specified which must be completed. Certification can only take place once these are resolved.

If the outcome is Not Accepted, SQA will work with the centre to ensure that the correct follow-up actions are completed. In all cases, centres will receive an outcome report which will provide feedback on the approach to assessment and assessment judgements.

Appeals

Centres that wish to appeal a Not Accepted outcome should follow the guidance outlined in the Appeals Process document.