Skip to main content
  • RTO Standards Guide
  • Accredited Course Standards Guide
  • asqanet
  • asqaconnect
Australian Government Australian Skills Quality Authority

Main navigation

  • RTOs
    Close
    RTOs
    • What is an RTO?
    • How to become an RTO
      • Prepare your RTO application
      • Submit your RTO registration application
      • How we assess RTO applications
      • RTO application decision
    • Renew RTO registration
      • How to renew your registration
      • How we assess your registration renewal
    • Change RTO scope
      • Change RTO scope | Add training products
      • Change RTO scope | TAE Training Package evidence
      • Change RTO scope | Application process
      • Change RTO scope | Remove training products
      • When training products change
    • Withdraw registration
    • Requirements and responsibilities
      • Complying with legislation
      • Complying with ASQA requirements
      • Qualifications and statements of attainment
      • Data collection and provision
      • Other licensing and registration requirements
    • Change RTO details
      • Change business address
      • Change key staff or their contact details
      • Change legal or business name
      • Change scope of registration
      • Change to financial status
      • Change to legal entity type, ownership, and mergers
      • Changes due to COVID-19
      • Keep delivery locations updated
    • Focus on compliance - Spotlight On
      • Series 1 | Trainers and assessors
      • Series 2 | Assessment Validation
      • Series 3 | Assessment
      • Series 4 | Student support
      • Series 5 | Marketing and advertising
    • Users’ guide to the Standards for RTOs 2015
      • Introduction to the RTO standards users' guide
      • Chapter 1—Marketing and recruitment
      • Chapter 2—Enrolment
      • Chapter 3—Support and progression
      • Chapter 4—Training and assessment
      • Chapter 5—Completion
      • Chapter 6—Regulatory compliance and governance practice
      • Appendix 1—Index to Standards/clauses as referenced in the users’ guide
      • Self-assessment tool
    • ASQA delegations
    • More support
  • ESOS providers
    Close
    ESOS providers
    • What is an ESOS provider?
    • How to become an ESOS provider
      • Prepare your ESOS application
      • Submit your application
      • How we assess ESOS applications
      • ESOS application decision
    • ESOS requirements
      • Education agents
      • Learner Transitions
      • Legislative obligations
      • Maintaining your registration
      • Obligations when facilitating student transfers
      • Overseas student attendance
      • Provider default obligations
      • Quality Indicators
      • Quality of training experience
      • Reporting obligations summary
      • Resourcing requirements—for applicants seeking initial registration or change to scope of registration
      • Retention requirements for completed student assessment items
      • Third party arrangements for training and/or assessment of VET courses
      • Written agreements with overseas students
    • English-language courses (ELICOS)
    • Change ESOS registration
      • Change ESOS registration | Application process
      • Change ESOS registration | Documentation requirements
      • Change ESOS registration | Fees
    • Renew registration
    • Change CRICOS details
    • How we process applications
    • Withdraw registration
    • More support
  • Course accreditation
    Close
    Course accreditation
    • What is an accredited course?
    • Apply for course accreditation
      • Step 1—VET course concept
      • Step 2—Course development
      • Step 3—Course submission
      • Step 4—Application assessment
      • Step 5—Decision
      • Users’ guide to developing a course document
    • Manage a course
      • Amend a course
      • Cancel a course
      • Extend a course
    • Renew a course
      • Step 1—Intention to renew
      • Step 2—Course redevelopment
      • Step 3—Submit course renewal
      • Step 4—Application assessment (renewal)
      • Step 5—Decision (renewal)
    • Course owner responsibilities
    • Users’ guide to the Standards for VET Accredited Courses
      • Foreword
      • About the Standards
      • About this guide
      • National course document template
      • Standards
      • Accredited courses guide appendices
    • More support—Course accreditation
  • Students
    Close
    Students
    • How ASQA can help students
    • Choosing a course and provider
    • Provider closures
    • Student records
    • Complaints about providers
    • More support
      • Courses and providers
  • Guidance & resources
    Close
    Guidance & resources
    • Focus on compliance - Spotlight On
      • Series 1 | Trainers and assessors
      • Series 2 | Assessment Validation
      • Series 3 | Assessment
      • Series 4 | Student support
      • Series 5 | Marketing and advertising
    • Online learning
      • Planning online learning
      • Marketing and enrolment for online learning
      • Online student support
      • Online training and assessment
    • Resources
      • Users' guide to Standards for RTOs 2015
      • Users’ guide to developing a course document
      • Accredited Course Standards Guide
      • Fact sheets
      • FAQs
      • Forms
      • Guidance for Providers
      • Guides and tools
      • Presentations
      • Publications
      • Videos and webinars
    • Third-party agreements
      • Third-party written agreements
      • Third-party agreements for VET in schools
    • ESOS requirements
      • ESOS Return to Compliance for face to face training
    • Annual declaration on compliance
    • Practical training and assessment
    • Managing natural disaster and pandemics
  • How we regulate
    Close
    How we regulate
    • Our approach
    • Risk-based regulation
    • Risk priorities
      • Student work placement
      • Academic integrity
      • Online delivery
      • Shortened course duration
      • Recognition of prior learning
      • VET workforce capability
      • International delivery
      • Governance through change
      • Setting our risk priorities
      • Previous risk priority and strategy documents
    • Self-assurance
      • Towards self-assurance
      • Draft model for self-assurance
      • Building a shared understanding of self-assurance
    • Strategic reviews
      • Past strategic reviews
    • Our regulatory practice
      • Record of decisions prior to 1st March 2021
    • How we engage and educate
      • Provider Roundtable
      • Stakeholder Liaison Group
      • Consultation
    • Performance assessment (audit)
      • How to prepare for a performance assessment
      • During your performance assessment
      • After your performance assessment: If you’re compliant
      • After your performance assessment: If you’re non-compliant
    • Provider profiles
  • About us
    Close
    About us
    • ASQA overview
      • Our role
      • Our values
      • Key legislation
      • Our leadership and organisation
      • National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Advisory Council
      • Work with us
    • VET sector overview
      • National register of VET
      • Training packages
    • Fees and charges
      • Current ASQA fees and charges
      • Annual registration charge
      • Transition arrangements
      • Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS)
      • How we consult on fees and charges
      • ELICOS fee relief
    • Reporting and accountability
      • Annual reports
      • Corporate Plan
      • Gifts and benefits register
      • Consultation
      • Service Charter and service standards
      • Surveys
      • Corporate publications
      • Privacy policy
      • APS employee census results
      • Financial reporting
      • Freedom of information
      • Vulnerability Disclosure Statement
      • Harradine report
      • Information publication scheme
      • Child Safety Policy
    • Contact us
      • Office locations
    • Complaints
      • Complaints about training providers
      • Complaints about ASQA
      • More support
    • Using this website
      • Accessibility
      • Disclaimer
      • Site map
      • Copyright
  • Home
  • Assessment

Assessment

  • As part of the Rules of Evidence, under Currency, the Standards refer to ‘the very recent past’. What does this mean? (Clause 1.8)

    The Standards require that evidence demonstrating current competency is from the present or the ‘very recent past’. The Standards do not specify the time that would be considered ‘very recent past’, as this may vary between industries.

    However, trainers and assessors who have currently relevant skills and knowledge should be able to determine what constitutes ‘very recent past’ for their particular industry area. Your RTO must determine whether the evidence is recent enough to show the learner is competent at the time the assessor makes an assessment decision. For example, a computer programmer who has 10 years’ experience but has not been directly involved in hands-on programming work for the past three years may not have current skills in, or knowledge of, contemporary programming methods. However, the programmer may be able to update their skills and knowledge though a ‘gap training’ program.

    This does not mean older evidence cannot be included in the evidence used to make an assessment judgement. However, older evidence must be supported by evidence that the person has the required skills and knowledge at the time of the assessment.

  • Can ASQA provide examples of best practice for checking the authenticity of online assessments?

    Some examples of best practice for checking authenticity of online assessments might include: calling the learner and asking questions relating to assessment submitted or using the student’s webcam to take photos of the student at random intervals during the online assessment process.

  • Can my RTO use third-party evidence to assess competence? Is a written agreement required to use third-party evidence? (Clause 1.8)

    Using third-party evidence is different to using a third-party provider to provide services on behalf of your RTO.

    To inform a judgement about whether a learner has achieved competency, evidence is often collected by the assessor. However, other people (such as workplace supervisors) can also report what they see or hear to the assessor. Evidence collected in this manner is called third-party evidence (it is also sometimes called ‘supplementary evidence’).

    A person collecting third-party evidence is not conducting any assessment. It remains the role of your RTO's assessor to make the judgement about whether competency has been achieved.

    Your RTO does not require a written agreement to collect third-party evidence.

    However, a third-party provider is any party who provides services under your RTO's registration, including undertaking assessment of training products.

    Your RTO does require a written agreement to use a third-party provider.

    Read more on using third party evidence to assess competence. 

  • Can you provide some examples of how my RTO can authenticate online assessment? (Clause 1.8)

    Showing authenticity in assessment means ensuring the evidence presented for assessment is the learner's own work.

    ASQA does not prescribe the methods RTOs should use to ensure an assessment is authentic.

    However, your RTO must consider how it will:

    • ensure that the evidence gathered "belongs" to the learner being assessed and that it provides evidence of that person's skills and knowledge, and
    • verify that the person you are enrolling, training and assessing is the same person that will be issued with a qualification or statement of attainment.

    You may choose to utilise a mix of security measures to ensure authenticity.

    One example might be:

    • confirming a student's identity by using an accredited third party to confirm the student is the person who registered for and completed the assessment, and
    • storing this confirmation with the assessment results.

    There are many other security measures which RTOs can use.

  • If a student is enrolling in a diploma qualification and the entry requirement is a certificate IV qualification, can my RTO provide training and assessment in the entry requirement qualification to that student?

    Your RTO can deliver the certificate IV in this case if:

    • the certificate IV is on your RTO's scope of registration
    • the student completes the certificate IV before starting the diploma qualification (as specified in the Department of Education and Training’s Training Package Products Policy).
  • What does a ‘training product’ mean?

    The glossary in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 defines the term ‘training product’ as including an ‘Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualification, skill set, unit of competency, accredited short course [or] module’.

  • What is the difference between an assessment tool and an assessment instrument? (Clause 1.8)

    An assessment instrument is part of the assessment tool. 

    The assessment instrument is the documented activities developed to support the assessment method and used to collect the evidence of student competence. 

    An assessment instrument could include:

    • oral and written questions
    • observation/demonstration checklists
    • projects, case studies, scenarios
    • recognition or workplace portfolios
    • workplace portfolios

    An assessment instrument will include:

    • the tasks to be administered to the student
    • an outline of the evidence to be gathered from the candidate
    • the evidence criteria used to judge the quality of performance (i.e. the assessment decision-making rules).

    The assessment tool comprises the assessment instrument and the context and conditions of assessment.  An assessment tool can also contain the administration, recording and reporting requirements of the assessment.

  • Who is responsible for a student's work-based training in apprenticeships? Is it my RTO or is it the employer?

    The RTO and employer are both responsible for ensuring students have access to applicable job tasks, resources and supervision while undertaking on-the-job training as well as off-the-job training.

    Ultimately, the off-the-job training component of an apprenticeship is negotiated as part of the training contract between employer and apprentice/trainee and is registered and regulated by the appropriate training authority in your state or territory.

  • Was this page helpful?

    Share

    Print
    Australian Government Australian Skills Quality Authority
    Logo Working Together

    Footer

    • RTOs
    • Guidance & Resources
    • How we regulate
    • About Us
    • CRICOS
    • RTO standards
    • Our regulatory practice
    • Contact us
    • Students
    • Course accreditation
    • Privacy
    • Using this website

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    Logo Working Together
    Aboriginal flag Flag TI

    The Australian Skills Quality Authority acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.