NVQ Internal Verifier Award, Unit V1
This is appropriate for the person who is going to be responsible for the quality assurance of qualifications offered by a Centre. It is most usual for the Centre to offer NVQs.
The original Unit D34 has now been replaced by Unit V1 - Conduct the Internal Quality Assurance of the Assessment Process. As with those who have Units D32 and/or D33, it is not necessary for people who hold Unit D34 to obtain Unit V1.
However, the same principle applies - the External Verifier will expect the verifiers are demonstrating that they are working to these standards. It is worth noting that Unit V1 is much enhanced from Unit D34.
Unless Internal Verifiers have ensured that they have kept up to date with all changes required by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Awarding Bodies, the requirements of Unit V1 will come as a big shock!
What should you do if you are assessing and assuring the quality of in-house systems?
Units A1, A2 and V1 are not appropriate for in-house systems. Instead, the following units are appropriate:
- For Assessors: Work Based Assessor Award - Unit L20 - Support Competence Achieved in the Workplace;
- For the person responsible for internal quality: Unit L8 - Manage the Contribution of Other People to the Learning;
Programme Duration:
No set time line. Qualification and development can fit around the delegate.
Maximum number of Delegates:
There is no minimum or maximum as the NVQ programme can work around an individual or individuals working as a close support group.
Achieving the Internal Verifier Award, unit v1
We are often asked about how someone goes about achieving the Internal Verifier Award Unit V1, so let us explain a few things...
Firstly, a common question relates to organisations that are implementing NVQs and setting up as a centre in their own right. We are constantly told by people who contact us regarding NVQs that "We need to have an Internal Verifier and the criteria says, 'someone needs to be an NVQ Assessor for one year before they can be an Internal Verifier' - so how do we get started as a centre if we don't have an NVQ Assessor and need an Internal Verifier to be a centre? - catch 22!"
Okay, this is actually a simple one to resolve and we have done this on many NVQ implementation contracts since 1992. Yes, the criteria to be an Internal Verifier says they must be an Assessor for at least one year' however, this relates to the achievement of the qualification, i.e. certification.
This means in English that you cannot complete your Internal Verifier Award and be certified until you have been certified as an NVQ Assessor for at least one year. This is where we use the flexibility in the system to help you become a centre.
We start the Internal Verifiers on their qualification and support the process of designing and implementing the NVQ systems, procedures and application to become a centre. Once this is underway, we then start the NVQ Assessors. The NVQ Assessors for the proposed centre will be assessed by our NVQ Assessors and then verified by the centre's Internal Verifiers.
As Internal Verifiers have to be 'competent or certified' to verify and at this time, they are not yet competent, their decisions must be countersigned by a competent Internal Verifier - this can often be one of our Internal Verifiers if your centre is implementing one of the NVQ groups that we are accredited to deliver, i.e. the Learning and Development, Management, Personnel or Health and Safety NVQs - we can also do Customer Service and Business Administration verification as examples.
If you are not implementing one of the NVQ groups that we are accredited to deliver, we are, in most cases, able to source competent verifiers from our contractors and clients who are happy to assist a fledgling centre.
Once the NVQ Assessors have achieved their qualification, then the Internal Verifiers simply wait one year before achieving their qualification. Until competence has been proved, our Internal Verifiers will continue to verifier your verification decisions.
If you are becoming a centre, we have proven 'out of the box solutions' - ready to go.
NVQs and Unit Awards are not strictly time bound so there is no set start date or end date. You can start your qualification at any time.
Achieving any NVQ or Unit Award has four key stages:
- Stage 1: Induction to the NVQ/Unit Award, initial assessment and development of the initial assessment plan;
- Stage 2: Training. As NVQs and Unit Awards are based around proving competence to a set of standards, training only needs to happen if a skills gap is identified. A plan for delivering the training needs can then be developed which could include a formal training session, some coaching or other common method. If someone has all the skills in place and just needs to provide the evidence for proving competence, then they could achieve the NVQ or Unit Award without ever having to go through training. Invariably though, as Internal Verification is a learned skill, it is common therefore, for people going through some form of formal training or coaching in order to achieve the Internal Verifier Award. The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd can organise this either face-to-face or via distance learning, as required;
- Stage 3: Ongoing Assessment. There will be regular contact and agreed assessment sessions with your assessor (the person at The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd who is assessing you against Unit V1 and is an accredited assessor of internal verifier). At these sessions, either face-to-face or remote assessment, your evidence will be checked and a new assessment plan will be agreed and put in place;
- Stage 4: Final Assessment. Final assessment is exactly that, the final assessment of the evidence portfolio to ensure that the standard is met and then can be put forward for verification.
As to the 'course' start date, NVQs and Units of NVQs are not time bound and you can start whenever you like. Some organisations may have preferred induction dates, say three or four times a year. However, at The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd, we can start you when you are ready - as it should be.
If you need to know more, use our contact form to get in touch and we will try to answer all your questions and queries.
Unit V1 - Conduct Internal Quality Assurance of the Assessment
UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit is appropriate for you if your role involves:
- evaluating the internal assessment process
- monitoring and reviewing internal assessment audit systems
- carrying out related internal verification or moderation activities
The activities you are likely to be involved in:
- ensuring health, safety and environmental protection procedures are applied within assessment arrangements
- applying and monitoring equal opportunities and access procedures throughout all assessment procedures
- monitoring the performance of assessors
- supporting assessors to develop their skills
- monitoring and supporting the people and organisations who provide administrative support to the assessment process
- monitoring and making recommendations on the resources needed to evaluate the assessment process
- ensuring an appropriate balance of candidates to assessors
- monitoring and reporting on the achievement rates of candidates
- monitoring the progress and satisfaction of candidates
- meeting the assessment requirements of awarding bodies and other external agencies
What the unit covers:
1 carrying out and evaluating internal assessment and quality assurance systems
2 supporting assessors
3 monitoring the quality of assessors' performance
4 meeting external quality assurance requirements
Preferred methods of assessment for this unit:
The minimum evidence you need to provide for this unit is listed in the Evidence requirements section. Evidence will be assessed using one or more of the following assessment methods:
- observation
- examination of evidence
- questioning
- professional discussion.
For example, you could agree with your assessor to use a professional discussion to demonstrate how you have developed induction materials for new assessors rather than asking you to create a written report.
Element V1.1 - Carry out and evaluate internal assessment and quality assurance systems
Performance criteria
You must be able to do the following:
a) put your organisation's requirements into practice for auditing internal assessments and those of the external awarding body
b) identify the outcomes needed by the agreed standards and their consequences for internal auditing
c) carry out appropriate administrative and recording arrangements to meet external audit requirements
d) identify and ensure the agreed criteria for choosing and supporting assessors are applied
e) carry out assessment standardisation arrangements
f) ensure a procedure for complaints and appeals is in place, which meets the requirements of the awarding body - and that it is followed when necessary
g) identify and use internal and external measures of performance to adjust internal systems
h) make recommendations to improve internal quality assurance arrangements and develop a plan to put these improvements into practice
Element V1.2 - Support assessors
Performance criteria
You must be able to do the following:
a) ensure assessors have appropriate technical and vocational experience
b) ensure assessors are familiar with and can carry out the specific assessment and follow the recording and internal audit procedures
c) identify the development needs of assessors in line with:
- principles of assessment
- the needs of candidates
- their technical expertise and competence
d) give assessors the chance to develop their assessment experience and competence; and monitor their progress
e) ensure assessors have regular opportunities to standardise assessment decisions
f) monitor how assessors are capable of maintaining standards
Element V1.3 - Monitor the quality of assessors' performance
Performance criteria
You must be able to do the following:
a) ensure that individual assessors are preparing for and planning assessments effectively
b) ensure that individual assessors have effective processes for making assessment decisions
c) ensure that individual assessors understand the necessary outcomes
d) ensure that individual assessors apply safe, fair, valid and reliable methods of assessing candidates' competence
e) check individual assessor's judgements to ensure they are consistent over time and with different candidates, including watching them carry out assessments
f) check a sufficient number of assessors to ensure consistency between assessors over time and with different candidates
g) check different assessment sites to ensure assessment decisions are consistent
h) ensure that assessors set up and maintain effective working relationships with candidates at all stages of the assessment process
i) ensure assessors apply relevant health, safety and environmental protection procedures, as well as equality and access criteria
j) monitor how often assessment reviews take place and how effective these are
k) monitor how often assessors give feedback to candidates and how effective this is
l) monitor how accurate and secure assessors' record-keeping is
m) give assessors accurate and helpful feedback on their assessment decisions
Element V1.4 - Meet external quality assurance requirements
Performance criteria
You must be able to do the following:
a) identify how internal assessments will be checked externally and the information needed for this purpose
b) plan, collect and analyse information on internal assessment decisions
c) agree the timing and nature of external assessment audit arrangements
d) give supporting background information to external auditors about the assessment process
e) explain any issues raised by external auditors and give them supporting information as necessary
f) raise concerns and disagreements about external audit decisions in a clear and constructive way
g) refer any questions or concerns, which could not be dealt with internally, to the awarding body
h) give assessors feedback on external audit decisions
i) ensure that external auditing decisions are included in internal reviews of procedures
© QCA
