Centres delivering these diplomas will now have the choice to assess mandatory units individually or via a synoptic assessment, with extended overlapping assessment windows to enhance planning and delivery.

These changes are vital in ensuring that qualifications remain fair, robust, and responsive to the needs of both learners and training providers. By broadening the assessment windows, centres gain the freedom to plan effectively around their delivery models, provide learners with the time they need to prepare confidently, and reduce unnecessary pressure. Offering a choice between individual unit assessments and synoptic assessments further supports this flexibility, allowing centres to select the format that best reflects their learners’ strengths and local delivery needs. Together, these changes help prevent predictability in assessment, minimise opportunities to ‘teach to the test’, and strengthen the overall integrity and authenticity of learners’ achievements.

The updates apply to mandatory units for the following qualifications:

• NOCN Level 2 Extended Technical Occupational Entry for Carpenters and Joiners (Diploma)
• NOCN Level 2 Extended Technical Occupational Entry for Bricklaying (Diploma)
• NOCN Level 2 Extended Technical Occupational Entry for Painting and Decorating (Diploma)
• NOCN Level 2 Extended Technical Occupational Entry for Plastering (Diploma) - Solid Plastering pathway only

Flexible Assessment Options

Centres now have the option to assess mandatory units either through individual unit assessments completed progressively during delivery, or via a synoptic assessment taken at the end of the programme. This choice allows centres to adopt the approach that best fits their delivery model - whether that’s building skills steadily through unit-by-unit assessment or concentrating learning over time and assessing holistically at the end. There is no requirement to offer both models; centres simply select the option that meets their learners’ needs. Learners must complete either the individual or synoptic mandatory assessments, along with the optional units specified for their qualification.

Revised Assessment Windows

Assessment windows have been extended and structured into longer, overlapping periods to give centres greater flexibility in planning delivery, preparing learners, and accessing assessment materials. Centre staff can now choose the assessment window that best aligns with their timetable and provides sufficient time for learners to complete their assessments - whether they are completing individual unit assessments or a synoptic assessment. This approach supports smoother delivery, reduces pressure on learners, and ensures completed assessment materials clearly demonstrate to EQAs that the appropriate assessment model has been used.

For the remainder of the 2025/2026 academic year, the practical and theory assessments will be available for the following assessment windows:

• November 2025 – May 2026
• February 2026 – August 2026
• May 2026 – November 2026

For the 2026/2027 academic year, the assessment windows for Bricklaying, Painting and Decorating, and Plastering qualifications will be as follows:

• November 2026 – May 2027
• February 2027 – August 2027
• May 2027 – November 2027

For the 2026/2027 academic year, the assessment windows for the Site Carpentry and Architectural Joinery qualifications will be:

• November 2026 – May 2027
• May 2027 – November 2027

Full details are available in the Assessment Model Guidance to Centres, accessible via the Centre Hub: https://nocn.org/login