Our regulatory policies are integral to our approach and explain how we meet internal and regulatory requirements. We review them annually to ensure that they remain fit for purpose.
Understanding our qualifications
Policies for centres, learners and employees
Here, you'll find Pearson regulatory policies and guidance for centres, learners and employees on our qualifications and any accompanying procedures.
Please visit The Joint Council for Qualifications for these policies.
JCQ - Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration
This policy is for anyone who is interested in authoring commercial resources for Pearson qualifications. There may be other restrictions placed on Pearson associate roles. Any such restrictions are outlined in the associates terms and conditions.
This policy describes how to minimize the risks associated with examiners who write question papers as well as being involved in other related activities.
This policy is for all centres delivering qualifications that may be going into administration or closing to learners for other reasons.
This guide is for all Pearson approved centres delivering qualifications to use as a basis for their own internal malpractice policies. It includes advice on how to prevent malpractice and maladministration and what action we will take where there is alleged or suspected malpractice and maladministration.
This policy provides information about collaborative and consortium arrangements with centres in the UK and internationally. It describes the models of arrangements that we can support you with and how you need to apply for them.
All staff (including assessment associates and contractors) need to be aware of the potential for a conflict of interest. This policy is designed to provide information on conflicts of interest, why these need to be managed, and how they will be managed. It provides information on the responsibilities staff have to report conflicts of interest.
Additionally, the publication of this policy ensures that we meet all of our regulatory requirements as an awarding organisation.
This is the SCQF Credit Accumulation and Transfer policy, which we are required to have by regulation. The policy is about our arrangements for credit accumulation and transfer of SCQF credit. It applies to all qualifications and units including those on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
This policy is for centres who are applying to use distance learning or assessment in our qualifications and outlines the minimum requirements needed to deliver our qualifications in this way.
This policy is for publishers who are seeking endorsement for resources relating to our qualifications and who are interested in advertising or marketing those resources at Pearson events.
This policy describes the principles we will follow and apply in reviewing materials for endorsement and what opportunities there are for publishers who want to market or promote their materials at our events. To apply for endorsement you should contact publisher.relations@pearson.com
This policy is for employers, providers, and apprentices. It includes information about how to make an enquiry or appeal about results or assessment decisions in our end-point assessment service.
The intent of this policy is to clearly outline our approach to setting fees related to End-Point Assessment (EPA), and covers fees for EPA First Attempts and re-sits/re-assessments in full or per required EPA component.
The subject of this policy is fee setting; this policy does not cover billing, invoicing, partial delivery, or withdrawals.
This policy is for all invigilators to ensure compliance with JCQ requirements when invigilating EPA tests.
This policy provides information on how Pearson approaches qualification development, assessment and our related services in an inclusive way to ensure all learners have equal opportunity, and that our qualifications are awarded in a way that is fair to every learner. The policy reflects how we ensure our developments, assessment and support materials reflect a diversity of learners.
This guide is about the fair and equal recruitment of learners onto all of our qualifications. Qualifications that are not in scope are those which are restricted for legal reasons, such as serving alcohol or using firearms.
This policy is for centres who want to make an appeal against a Pearson decision relating to internal assessment for our vocational qualifications.
This policy applies to Pearson Edexcel National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and to competence qualifications accredited being delivered outside the territories of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Pearson Edexcel accredited Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) are excluded from being delivered outside the territories of the United Kingdom and they are outside the scope of this policy.
This policy is for centres who may wish to apply to us for a late registration onto a withdrawn qualification or certification of learners on an expired qualification. The policy describes the criteria that must be met to apply.
This policy is for publishers who are interested in developing resources for our new qualifications. The policy outlines our approach to giving all publishers access to information about new qualifications approved for development.
This policy applies to organisations that have gained or are seeking to gain Pearson Assured status. Pearson Assured is an independent quality measure for third-party organisations that have education or training programmes they have designed, delivered, quality assured and/or assessed.
This policy applies to all qualifications on Pearson's Self Regulated Framework, designed to meet the needs of a wide range of learners and stakeholders. The policy provides the criteria for developing customised qualifications for this framework.
These Terms and Conditions need to be signed by all Heads of Centres before a centre can become Pearson-recognised. They apply to centres both UK and Internationally across all of our qualifications.
The Pearson training for Regulated Qualifications Events Policy sets out our commitment to protect the security and integrity of our qualifications. This policy has also been put in place to help our customers understand how we protect the security, integrity, and confidentiality of our regulated qualifications by ensuring effective governance is in place and regulations are met.
By 'qualifications training' we mean training that relates to a particular regulated qualification offered to teachers by an Awarding Organisation and/or any actual or virtual activity which provides teachers with guidance or information aimed at the ability to deliver a qualification, or improving either their knowledge or understanding of a qualification.
Pearson delivers examinations that are taken by students in many countries around the world across many different time-zones. The content of our examinations must remain confidential before the exams are taken, to ensure they are a fair and accurate measure of each student’s knowledge and skills.
This policy sets out the approach Pearson takes when scheduling the start times of exams taken by centres outside of the UK.
This policy is for Pearson approved centres with an Edexcel online account. This policy sets out the requirements of the head of centre and examinations staff to manage and maintain Edexcel online accounts.
This policy concerns the removal of centre and/or programme approval.
It applies to all UK and International centres offering Pearson vocational and general qualifications. The decision to remove centre or programme approval will generally be taken by the Centre Management or Business Improvement and Regulation teams, and approved by the Responsible Officer in each case.
This policy sets out which assessment materials we publish on our website and provides information about copyright of our materials.
This policy is about prior learning and recommends ways a learner can meet any requirements while avoiding repetition of learning and assessment.
This policy explains how anyone can raise safeguarding concerns with us and how we will manage those concerns.
We expect all of our centres to have a Safeguarding policy in place. This template can be adapted by centres to ensure it is suitable for individual needs.
This guide is for centres that are seeking to apply a reasonable adjustment to a Pearson vocational internally assessed unit or qualification to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty which would place a learner at a disadvantage in an assessment. Where these reasonable adjustments have not been successful we have provided information about how to request for a special consideration to be applied to an assessment result.
Please visit The Joint Council for Qualifications for these policies.
JCQ - Malpractice downloads and further information
These terms and conditions relate to all qualifications that centres deliver.
This policy provides guidance on the use of language in specifications, assessment and support materials where a learner wishes to undertake a qualification in a language other than English.
Applies to virtual centres delivering Pearson Edexcel Qualifications wholly online. This policy does not apply to temporary online arrangements or vocational distance learning.
Centres seeking approval to deliver General or Vocational qualifications in high-risk locations or centres operating in a country that has been flagged by our Corporate Security Team as a high-risk location because there have been changes to local circumstances.
This policy provides guidance on the withholding of results and certificates from learners by Pearson centres. It applies to all centres approved to offer our qualifications, including the UK and international centres.
The policy has been updated to clarify that we will not withhold results or certificates, and do not permit centres to do so, on financial grounds.
This policy is for centres delivering Pearson qualifications who want to understand the circumstances in which assessment of learners in Welsh language is possible.
The policy describes what provision Pearson makes for assessment in Welsh and how Pearson liaises with customers to understand the demand for Welsh-medium assessment.
For information about what provision Pearson makes for assessment in other languages and how centres can apply to assess work in languages other than English please read our Use of languages in qualifications policy.
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