News & Updates

For the theoretical element of a qualification, Safety Training Awards must ensure the assessment process is robust, valid and assessing a learner’s knowledge. Following an in-depth review with external consultants, Safety Training Awards has changed the type, style and layout of the multiple-choice question (MCQ) assessment papers. The questions are designed to test a learner’s knowledge; they require the learner to read the question and use their cognitive thinking skills to work out the correct answer.

Following feedback from members, Safety Training Awards has also created a guidance document to support tutors, assessors, markers and learners with the new MCQ assessment papers. In order to guarantee a robust assessment and to meet regulatory requirements.

When developing the assessment questions, Safety Training Awards must ensure they are assessing learners to the required standard for the level of qualification. For example, a level 2 qualification is equivalent to a GCSE-level qualification, and a level 3 is equivalent to an A Level qualification. The style and options within the MCQ assessment papers will reflect this levelling, not the number of hours within the course.

Clarification to the Assessment Process

With immediate effect, following the registration of a course, Safety Training Awards will send the MCQ assessment papers in a sealed envelope directly to either the course tutor, course venue or centre co-ordinator as requested, two weeks before a course start date. There are 3 paperwork aspects to the new MCQ assessment papers:

• Multiple-choice question assessment paper
• Learner answer paper
• Marking scheme.

The MCQ assessment paper contains the assessment questions and must be returned to Safety Training Awards on completion of the assessment. The learner answer paper is where learners are required to provide their answers. The marking scheme is to be used by the marker to mark the learner answer papers. The marking scheme will be in a separate, sealed envelope within the MCQ assessment papers’ envelope. All learner answer papers, for all courses, may be marked by the course tutor, however all learner answer papers must be second marked as per the multiple-choice question assessment paper guidance (see below).

Multiple-Choice Question Assessment Paper Guidance

Safety Training Awards have created a MCQ assessment paper guidance document, which is now available via STA Online, with sample questions and guidance within it. Tutors are able to show learners the question types and how to answer them correctly, in order to ensure learners are prepared for the assessment.

The guidance document contains assessment procedure information for the invigilator, marker and learner. ATCs are advised to ensure all tutors, assessors and markers read and understand the document to ensure a fair and compliant assessment process. At the end of the document is a declaration section, that all personnel who have read the document must sign, and which ATCs can use as evidence of competency.

This can also form part of standardisation sessions with an ATC’s tutors, assessors and IQAs—which can then form evidence for external quality assurance visits.

If you have any questions about these changes, please do not hesitate to contact us.