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V1.0
This document explains the requirements for end-point assessment (EPA) for the spatial data specialist degree-apprenticeship. End-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) must follow this when designing and delivering the EPA.
Spatial data specialist apprentices, their employers and training provider should read this document.
A degree-apprenticeship awards a degree with the achievement of the apprenticeship. The degree learning outcomes must be aligned with the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) in the apprenticeship. The degree must be completed, passed and awarded alongside the spatial data specialist degree-apprenticeship.
The apprentice must complete their training and meet the gateway requirements before starting their EPA. The EPA will assess occupational competence.
The employer must be content that the apprentice is working at or above the occupational standard.
The apprentice must complete and pass all credit carrying modules of the Spatial Data Specialist degree, apart from the final module which will form the EPA.
The apprentice must agree the subject, title, and scope for their EPA project with their employer and EPAO to confirm its suitability at the gateway.
The apprentice must compile and submit a dissertation to their EPAO, which will underpin the professional discussion.
The apprentice must achieve English and mathematics at Level 2. The EPAO must confirm that all required gateway evidence has been provided and accepted as meeting the gateway requirements. The EPAO is responsible for confirming gateway eligibility. Once this has been confirmed, the EPA period starts.
A degree-apprenticeship must be delivered by a Higher Education Provider (HEP) that is on the apprenticeship providers and assessment register (APAR). The selected HEP must be the training provider and the EPAO. The apprentice's employer must select a HEP from this register.
A full-time spatial data specialist apprentice typically spends 24 months on-programme. The apprentice must spend at least 12 months on-programme and complete the required amount of off-the-job training in line with the apprenticeship funding rules.
This EPA should then be completed within an EPA period lasting typically 24 months.
Occupational competence is outlined by the EPA grade descriptors and determined, when assessed in line with this EPA plan, by an independent assessor who is an occupational expert and confirms the overall EPA grade.
This EPA has 2 assessment methods.
Assessment method 1 - practical assessment with presentation and questions :
Assessment method 2 - professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio:
The result from each assessment method is combined to decide the overall degree-apprenticeship grade. The following grades are available for the degree-apprenticeship:
The EPA is taken in the EPA period. The EPA period starts when the EPAO confirms the gateway requirements have been met and is typically 3 months.
The EPAO should confirm the gateway requirements have been met and start the EPA as quickly as possible.
The apprentice’s employer must be content that the apprentice is occupationally competent. That is, they are deemed to be working at or above the level set out in the apprenticeship standard and ready to undertake the EPA. The employer may take advice from the apprentice's training provider, but the employer must make the decision. The apprentice will then enter the gateway.
The apprentice must meet the gateway requirements before starting their EPA.
They must:
For the practical assessment with presentation and questions:
The EPAO should sign off the project’s subject, title and scope to confirm its suitability at the gateway.
For the professional discussion, the apprentice will be required to submit a portfolio – see requirements below:
Evidence sources may include:
This is not a definitive list; other evidence sources can be included.
Gateway evidence must be submitted to the EPAO, along with any organisation specific policies and procedures requested by the EPAO.
The assessment methods must be delivered in the following order:
The practical assessment must be undertaken before the presentation.
The practical assessment is undertaken before the presentation enabling the apprentice to include reflections on their findings and methodology from the practical assessment.
This assessment method is made up of two components.
In a practical assessment with presentation and questions, an independent assessor observes the apprentice completing a task or series of tasks set by the EPAO. The EPAO decides where it takes place. The assessment environment must closely relate to the apprentice’s natural working environment. It gives the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method.
This assessment method is being used because:
Example practical tasks could include:
Questions must be asked after the practical assessment. The total time for the practical assessment is 3.5 hours with 2.5 hours allocated to the practical assessment and 1 hour allocated to the presentation and questions. The presentation must be delivered in 30 minutes with a further 30 minutes for questioning (total of 1 hour for presentaion and questions). A 10% time tolerance can be applied for both the presentation and questioning to enable the apprentice to finish earlier or later if required.
The practical assessment with presentation and questions must be structured to give the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method to the highest available grade.
An independent assessor must conduct and assess thepractical assessment with presentation and questions .
The independent assessor must only observe one apprentice at a time to ensure quality and rigour. They must be as unobtrusive as possible.
The EPAO must give an apprentice 2 weeks' notice of the . practical assessment with presentation and questions
The practical assessment with presentation and questions must take 3.5 hours.
The independent assessor can increase the time of the practical assessment with presentation and questions by up to 10%. This time is to allow the apprentice to complete a task or respond to a question if necessary.
The practical assessment with presentation and questions cannot be split, other than for comfort breaks or to allow apprentices to move from one location to another. Where breaks occur, they will not count towards the total EPA time.
The EPAO must manage invigilation of the apprentice during the assessment, to maintain security of the EPA, in line with their malpractice policy. This includes breaks and moving between locations.
The independent assessor must explain to the apprentice the format and timescales of the practical assessment with presentation and questions before it starts. This does not count towards the assessment time.
The independent assessor must observe the following during the practical assessment:
Component one - demonstration of practical skills
Component two - presentation including questioning
After the practical assessment the apprentice has a week to prepare and deliver a presentation. The presentation will be based on their practical demonstration and needs to cover the following:
These activities provide the apprentice with the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method.
The independent assessor must ask questions. 1 hour allocated to the delivery of the presentation and questions. 30 minutes for the delivery of the presentation and 30 minutes for the questioning. A 10% tolerance can be applied.
The purpose of the questions are.
• to verify that the activity was completed by the apprentice
• to seek clarification where required
• to assess those KSBs that the apprentice did not have the opportunity to demonstrate.
Questions must be asked after the presentation and reflection. The total time for the practical element is 3.5 hours with 2.5 hours allocated to the practical and 1 hour allocated to the delivery of the presentation with reflection and questions.
The independent assessor must ask at least 3 questions. The independent assessor must use the questions from their EPAO’s question bank or create their own questions in line with the EPAO’s training.
The independent assessor can ask follow-up questions to clarify answers given by the apprentice. These questions are in addition to the above set number of questions for the practical assessment with presentation and questions .
The independent assessor must make the grading decision. The independent assessor must assess the practical assessment and responses to questions holistically when deciding the grade.
The independent assessor must keep accurate records of the assessment. They must record:
The practical assessment with presentation and questions must take place in a simulated environment selected by the EPAO for example, the EPAO’s or employer’s premises. The simulated environment must relate to the apprentice’s natural work environment. Equipment and resources needed for the practical assessment with presentation and questions must be provided by the EPAO, who can liaise with the employer to provide these.
Questioning that occurs after the practical assessment with presentation and questions should take place in a suitable environment for example a quiet room, free from distractions and influence.
The EPAO must develop a purpose-built assessment specification and question bank. It is recommended this is done in consultation with employers of this occupation. The EPAO must maintain the security and confidentiality of EPA materials when consulting with employers. The assessment specification and question bank must be reviewed at least once a year to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose.
The assessment specification must be relevant to the occupation and demonstrate how to assess the KSBs mapped to this assessment method. The EPAO must ensure that questions are refined and developed to a high standard. The questions must be unpredictable. A question bank of sufficient size will support this.
The EPAO must ensure that the apprentice has a different set of tasks and questions in the case of re-sits and retakes, to minimise predictability.
The EPAO must produce the following materials to support the practical assessment with presentation and questions :
The EPAO must ensure that the EPA materials are subject to quality assurance procedures including standardisation and moderation.
In the professional discussion, an independent assessor and apprentice have a formal two-way conversation. It gives the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method.
This assessment method is being used because:
• It is reflective of industry
• It provides a consistent method to assess knowledge, skills and behaviours holistically
• The apprentice would be expected to undertake and complete similar exercises in their day to day work for example holding discussions with peers, managers and clients.
• The apprentice can use their portfolio to underpin their professional discussion. The portfolio can include a range of evidence for example their dissertation, reports, evidence from meetings and events, evidence of CPD and statements from managers and colleagues. .
The professional discussion must be structured to give the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method to the highest available grade.
An independent assessor must conduct and assess the professional discussion.
The EPAO must give an apprentice 2 weeks' notice of the professional discussion.
The professional discussion must last for 90 minutes. The independent assessor can increase the time of the professional discussion by up to 10%. This time is to allow the apprentice to respond to a question if necessary.
The independent assessor must ask at least 12 questions. The independent assessor must use the questions from the EPAO’s question bank or create their own questions in line with the EPAO’s training. Follow-up questions are allowed where clarification is required.
The independent assessor must make the grading decision.
The independent assessor must keep accurate records of the assessment. They must record:
The professional discussion must take place in a suitable venue selected by the EPAO for example, the EPAO’s or employer’s premises.
The professional discussion can be conducted by video conferencing. The EPAO must have processes in place to verify the identity of the apprentice and ensure the apprentice is not being aided.
The professional discussion should take place in a quiet room, free from distractions and influence.
The EPAO must develop a purpose-built assessment specification and question bank. It is recommended this is done in consultation with employers of this occupation. The EPAO must maintain the security and confidentiality of EPA materials when consulting with employers. The assessment specification and question bank must be reviewed at least once a year to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose.
The assessment specification must be relevant to the occupation and demonstrate how to assess the KSBs mapped to this assessment method. The EPAO must ensure that questions are refined and developed to a high standard. The questions must be unpredictable. A question bank of sufficient size will support this.
The EPAO must ensure that the apprentice has a different set of questions in the case of re-sits or re-takes.
The EPAO must produce the following materials to support the professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio:
The EPAO must ensure that the EPA materials are subject to quality assurance procedures including standardisation and moderation.
Performance in the EPA determines the overall grade of:
An independent assessor must individually grade the practical assessment with presentation and questions and professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio in line with this EPA plan.
The EPAO must combine the individual assessment method grades to determine the overall EPA grade.
If the apprentice fails one assessment method or more, they will be awarded an overall fail.
To achieve an overall pass, the apprentice must achieve at least a pass in all the assessment methods. As detailed in table.
Grades from individual assessment methods must be combined in the following way to determine the grade of the EPA overall.
Additional assessors can contribute to grading decisions in line with this EPA plan, on the following end-point assessment methods:
The outcome of the EPA must be aggregated with the degree to enable the degree-apprenticeship to be awarded.
Once the overall EPA grade has been determined, aggregation can be achieved in a variety of ways. This will be determined during the creation of the degree-apprenticeship. Examples of how this aggregation can work include:
HEPs can explore other ways of aggregating the EPA with the degree outcomes in line with the latest IfATE degree-apprenticeship policy
If the apprentice fails one assessment method or more, they can take a re-sit or a re-take at their employer’s discretion. The apprentice’s employer needs to agree that a re-sit or re-take is appropriate. A re-sit does not need further learning, whereas a re-take does. The apprentice should have a supportive action plan to prepare for a re-sit or a re-take.
The employer and the EPAO should agree the timescale for a re-sit or re-take. A re-sit is typically taken within 3 months of the EPA outcome notification. The timescale for a re-take is dependent on how much re-training is required and is typically taken within 6 months of the EPA outcome notification.
Failed assessment methods must be re-sat or re-taken within a 6-month period from the EPA outcome notification, otherwise the entire EPA will need to be re-sat or re-taken in full.
Re-sits and re-takes are not offered to an apprentice wishing to move from pass to a higher grade.
The apprentice will get a maximum EPA grade of pass for a re-sit or re-take, unless the EPAO determines there are exceptional circumstances.
The EPAO must have reasonable adjustments arrangements for the EPA.
This should include:
Adjustments must maintain the validity, reliability and integrity of the EPA as outlined in this EPA plan.
Internal quality assurance refers to the strategies, policies and procedures that EPAOs must have in place to ensure valid, consistent and reliable end-point assessment decisions.
EPAOs for this EPA must adhere to all requirements within the roles and responsibilities table and:
Affordability of the EPA will be aided by using at least some of the following:
This degree-apprenticeship aligns with:
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | End-point assessment plan revised | 30/09/2024 | Not set |
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 13/03/2024 | 29/09/2024 |
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