Exams and Assessment Policy

1. Scope

This policy explains how final exams and other supervised final assessments work on Qualify Nation® courses: who can book an exam, how it is taken, what is included in your course fee, what resits cost, and how results, certificates and appeals are handled.

It applies to all enrolments made on or after 1 November 2026. It should be read alongside our Terms and Conditions (in particular Section 8, Academic Integrity), our Refund and Cancellation Policy and our Complaints and Escalation Policy.

2. Exam Eligibility

You become eligible to book your final exam when you have completed all modules, quizzes and assignments on your course.

Submitted is not the same as complete. An assignment counts towards exam eligibility only when it is a genuine attempt at the brief you were set. Our team reviews coursework before and around the exam stage. If an assignment is blank, a placeholder, unrelated to the brief, copied, or clearly incomplete, it is treated as outstanding, even if the platform shows it as submitted or the lesson as complete.

• If outstanding coursework is identified before your exam starts, we will postpone your exam until the work has been completed to the required standard. A postponement for this reason does not count as an exam attempt and no resit fee is charged.
• If it is identified after your exam, your result may be withheld until the coursework is complete.
• Deliberately submitting token or placeholder work to unlock progress is academic misconduct and is handled under Section 8 of our Terms and Conditions.

3. Booking Your Exam

• Once you are eligible, you will be prompted on the platform to book an exam slot, or to arrange an interview-style exam with your tutor where your course uses one.
• Your exam must be taken within your one-year licence period. We recommend booking soon after finishing your coursework, while the material is fresh.
• Licence extensions are not standard. In exceptional circumstances, Student Support may grant a one-time extension of one additional month. You must ask before your licence expires.

4. How Exams Are Taken

Final exams are taken online, from home, at your booked time. Depending on your course, the final assessment is either:

• An online proctored exam: monitored by our proctoring system, which verifies your identity and records your webcam and screen during the exam; or
• A live online interview or practical assessment: conducted by a tutor or assessor by video call.

You will need a computer with a working webcam and microphone, a stable internet connection, a quiet private space, and a valid photo ID. The format, number of questions, duration and pass mark are set for each qualification and are shown to you before you book. Full instructions and technical requirements are sent before your exam date.

How proctoring recordings and identity data are processed and retained is set out in our Privacy Policy and, for organisations, our Data Processing Agreement.

5. Exam Fees and Resits

Your first attempt at the final exam is included in your course fee. If you do not pass, you may resit for a fee, depending on when you resit:

• After 3 months from your original exam date, your exam eligibility lapses. To sit the exam again you must re-enrol on the course, which includes a new first attempt.
• All resits must also fall within your licence period.
• Resit fees are payable when you book the resit and are non-refundable once the resit has been taken.

6. Rescheduling and Missed Exams

• You may reschedule a booked exam free of charge up to 48 hours before its start time.
• A change requested less than 48 hours before the start, or not attending your booked exam, counts as a missed exam unless an extenuating circumstance is accepted (Section 7).
• A missed exam counts as an attempt. Booking another exam after a missed exam is a resit and the resit fees in Section 5 apply.

7. Extenuating Circumstances

If something serious outside your control, such as illness, a medical emergency or bereavement, stops you from taking your exam or affects your performance, contact Student Support as soon as possible at [email protected], with supporting evidence where you can.

Each case is reviewed by our academic committee. Where a case is accepted, we may waive the resit fee, treat a missed exam as not attempted, or allow a resit later than the 3-month window without re-enrolment.

8. Results and Feedback

• Automatically marked exams (for example, multiple choice) show your result as soon as you submit.
• Interview, practical or assessor-marked exams are marked by an assessor, and results are normally released within 5 working days.
• Whether you pass or not, you will receive feedback or a performance summary showing your strengths and the areas to work on.
• Results may be withheld while an integrity review is in progress, or while outstanding coursework is resolved (Section 2).

9. Certificates

• Passing your final exam, with all coursework complete, earns your Certificate of Competence for the qualification.
• If you complete your course but do not take or do not pass the final exam, you may receive a Certificate of Completion. This shows that you completed the learning, not that you passed the assessment.
• Certificates can be downloaded from the platform and carry a verification link that employers can use to confirm them.
• Certificates can be revoked if they were obtained through academic misconduct (Terms and Conditions, Section 8).

10. Appeals

If you believe an exam result or assessment decision is wrong, for example because of a marking error or a procedural irregularity, you may appeal within 10 working days of receiving the decision.

1. Email [email protected] with the subject line "Assessment Appeal", stating the exam, the decision and why you believe it is wrong.
2. Your appeal is reviewed by a member of staff who was not involved in the original decision.
3. You will receive the outcome within 15 working days.

An appeal can review whether your assessment was marked correctly and fairly. It cannot challenge the academic judgement of an assessor where the correct process was followed. If you remain dissatisfied, you may escalate through our Complaints and Escalation Policy.

11. Academic Integrity in Exams

Exams must be your own unaided work. Using notes, devices, other people, or AI tools that are not explicitly permitted, sharing exam content, or interfering with proctoring is academic misconduct. Misconduct can lead to your result being invalidated, your certificate being revoked, and removal from your course without a refund, as set out in Section 8 of our Terms and Conditions.

12. Courses Delivered Through a Partner

This policy applies to all students, including those enrolled through a delivery, reseller or white-label partner. Qualify Nation sets and administers the exam rules, attempts and resit fees for its qualifications. A partner may offer its students additional benefits, such as covering the cost of a resit, only where Qualify Nation has agreed this in writing; any such benefit is provided by, and is the responsibility of, the partner. A partner's own terms cannot change your obligations under this policy or our academic integrity rules. If you enrolled through a partner, contact them first with any questions.

13. Contact

For exam bookings, extenuating circumstances or appeals:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 7426 985335