NVQ Assessors Courses (Assessor Qualifications and Training)

Understanding the Assessor Suite

These NVQ assessor qualifications replaced the A1 and A2 Assessor Awards in 2010. The D32/33 NVQ assessor qualifications had been initially superseded by the A1 Awards. The suite of the assessing and internal quality assurance qualifications is sometimes referred to as TAQA (Training, Assessment, and Quality Assurance). TAQA is not really a specific course but a term mainly used by City and Guilds to describe their assessor and IQA qualifications. In essence there is no TAQA Qualification. Over the years the term has now been mainly attributed to the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement.

Our Assessing Courses

Our assessing courses are delivered by an experienced team who are committed to getting you qualified as soon as possible. To become a qualified NVQ Assessor you need to choose either the Level 3 Award in assessing vocationally related achievement, Level 3 Award in assessing competence in the work environment or Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement depending on your work environment. There are no higher NVQ assessing qualifications above level 3. Although assessor qualifications are set at level 3, they enable you to assess higher qualifications depending on your occupational competency which can be demonstrated by having experience, qualifications or both associated with the area you intend to assess. It is therefore possible for you to assess level 8 qualifications as long as you have subject expertise matching the level.

Role of an Assessor

As an assessor, you support candidates to demonstrate competence and essential skills. You ensure only competent people are signed off.

Comparing the Four Assessor Qualifications

Qualification	Price	Credits	GLH	Assessment environment	Duration
Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment	£190	3	24	Knowledge only - no requirement to assess candidates in practice	3 to 28 days
Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement	£330	9	54	Classroom or workshop (simulated)	2 to 12 weeks
Assessing Competence in the Work Environment	£330	9	54	Workplace only	2 to 12 weeks
Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (TAQA/CAVA)	£350	15	84	Workplace and classroom	2 to 12 weeks

The Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment award is the only one of the four with no practical assessing requirement. The other three all need occupational competence in your assessment subject area and access to at least two learners to assess.

• Level 3
  Online

  Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment (RQF)

  This course is intended for those who wish to gain an understanding of the principles and practices of assessment without any requirement to practise. It is ideal for candidates or managers who just want to understand the work of an NVQ Assessor.

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• Level 3
  OnlineBlended

  Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement (RQF)

  This course is suitable for those who assess in environments such as classrooms. The aim of the course is to assess the candidate assessor performance in assessing vocational skills, knowledge and understanding. This course does not qualify you to assess candidates in their work place.

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• Level 3
  OnlineBlended

  Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment (RQF)

  This course makes you a qualified assessor who can only assess learners in their own work place. The course enables you to assess any courses you are occupationally competent as long as the assessments involve visiting learners in their workplace.

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• Level 3
  OnlineBlended

  Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (RQF)

  This is the direct replacement of the old A1 Assessor qualification also known as CAVA or TAQA. The course will enable you to assess both occupational competence in the work environment and vocational skills, knowledge and understanding in other environments such as workshops and classrooms.

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D32, D33, A1 and CAVA: How the Assessor Qualification Has Changed

If you've come across "D32," "D33," or "A1" while researching assessor qualifications, these are older, now-discontinued awards rather than alternatives to what's on offer today. Here's how they relate to the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (TAQA/CAVA) above.

Qualification	Used	Status	Replaced by
D32 (Assess Candidate Performance)	Until 2002	Discontinued	A1 Award (2002), later CAVA/TAQA (2010)
D33 (Assess Candidate Performance and Knowledge)	Until 2002	Discontinued	A1 Award (2002), later CAVA/TAQA (2010)
A1 (Level 3 Award in Assessing Candidates Using a Range of Methods)	2002 to 2010	Discontinued	CAVA/TAQA suite (2010)
Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA/TAQA)	2010 to present	Current	-

D32 and D33 were the two original vocational assessor units: D32 covered assessing a candidate's performance, while D33 was the broader of the two, covering performance plus knowledge evidence such as reports, projects, and written assessments. Both were retired when the A1 Award merged them into a single qualification in 2002. The A1 was itself retired in 2010, when the current TAQA suite was introduced, with the Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) becoming the direct replacement, since it's the one qualification that covers assessing in both the classroom and the workplace, the same combined scope the A1 offered.

If you already hold a D32, D33, or A1 award, it remains a legitimate qualification, it hasn't been withdrawn from you, but it's no longer the current standard, and it won't be issued to anyone starting out today. If you're returning to assessing after a long break, it's worth refreshing your knowledge with a current qualification such as our Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment award rather than relying solely on an older certificate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between the four assessor qualifications?

Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment is knowledge-only, so you don't need to assess anyone in practice to complete it. The other three are practical assessor qualifications: Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement covers classroom or workshop-based assessment, Assessing Competence in the Work Environment covers workplace-only assessment, and the Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (TAQA/CAVA) covers both environments in a single, larger qualification.

Do I need the full TAQA/CAVA Certificate, or is one of the Level 3 Awards enough?

It depends where you'll be assessing. If you only ever assess in one environment, classroom or workplace, the matching Level 3 Award covers that on its own. Most employers and awarding bodies now expect the Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement as the standard full assessor qualification, since it replaced the old A1 Assessor award and covers both environments.

What does TAQA or CAVA actually mean?

Neither is a specific qualification in its own right. TAQA is a term mainly used by City and Guilds to describe their assessor and IQA qualifications, and CAVA is used the same way by other awarding bodies. When people say "TAQA" or "CAVA" they usually mean the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement, which is what we deliver under that name.

Do I need occupational competence to start an assessor course?

For three of the four, yes: Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement, Assessing Competence in the Work Environment, and the Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement all require occupational competence in your subject area and access to at least two learners to assess. Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment is knowledge-only and has no practical assessing requirement.

Which awarding body issues these qualifications?

We hold centre approval with NOCN, Innovate Awarding, and Biiab under our brand, Focus and Achieve (FAA). Contact us if you need to know exactly which body a specific qualification sits under.

I hold a D32, D33, or A1 award. Is it still valid, or do I need to retrain?

A D32, D33, or A1 award hasn't been withdrawn from you and remains a legitimate qualification, but none of the three is still issued or delivered today; the Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA/TAQA) has been the current standard since 2010. If you've been assessing continuously, your award likely still reflects your competence. If you're returning after a long break, we'd recommend refreshing your knowledge with a current qualification such as Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment rather than relying solely on the older certificate.