In this section you can find information on our approval process, how to make registrations and assessment bookings, and support on using The Portal.

Gain Approval

Once you have identified a qualification that is appropriate for your learners, you can gain Centre approval by visiting our dedicated page, which gives you a helpful step by step guide on the approval process.

Registering your Learners

Once you have gained approval for a qualification, the next step is to register your learners onto the qualification.

Registrations are managed via the registration screen in The Portal. All approved centres will be issued login details to access our Portal system. More information can be found in our Portal User Guide.

Making a registration will trigger the allocation of your External Quality Assurer. Follow this link to view our Quality Assurance model and learn how to prepare for an External Quality Assurance visit.

Booking onto an External Assessment

If you are registering learners onto a qualification which contains an external assessment, you will be required to make an assessment booking on The Portal.

Before booking an external assessment please refer to our External Assessment Timetable for booking cut-off dates, assessment dates/times and results release dates.

Some of our qualifications require you to make a booking for the external assessment at the time of registration. You will be prompted to select an external assessment date/window before completing the registration in The Portal. 

For all other qualifications with an external assessment, or for booking learners for a resit, it is the responsibility of the Centre to ensure learners are booked via the booking page on The Portal for the appropriate external assessment within the advertised timescales. Resit fees may apply, for information see our fees and pricing document.

Late Bookings

It is possible to book learners onto external assessments after the booking cut-off date has passed. A fee will apply to any bookings made after the booking cut-off date.

Centres can make a late booking for up to 20 learners on The Portal Booking screen up until the day before the external assessment. There are some exceptions, if you find you are unable to complete the booking on The Portal please contact our Customer Support Team.

• All learners must be registered and booked in advance of completing an external assessment.
• Photocopying external assessment papers is a breach of the NCFE Regulations for the Conduct of External Assessment.

Online Assessments

to sit some of our assessments online. Bookings need to be made directly via our online assessment system. More information for which assessment can be sat online can be found here.

Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments

If your learner requires Access Arrangements or Reasonable Adjustments Centres must notify NCFE in advance of the learner completing an external assessment.

Click here for more information and to access the Access Arrangements & Reasonable adjustments form.

Modified papers must be requested in advance of an external assessment. Please visit this page for more information, timescales, and to request a modified external assessment paper.