Our approach
In development
Assessment built around judgement, not completion.
This page describes how AIQQA qualifications are being designed. Nothing here is open for enrolment, and no pricing or entry requirements are confirmed. It is published so employers, centres and learners can see the thinking early — and challenge it.
Assessment philosophy
What a qualification has to prove.
Access to a capable model is not a skill. The skill is knowing what to ask for, recognising when the answer is wrong, and being willing to be held to the outcome. Assessment is designed around three obligations.
01
Demonstrate the reasoning
Evidence must show how the candidate arrived at the outcome — the prompt, the checks, the corrections — not just the finished artefact.
02
Verify before relying
Candidates are assessed on whether they tested the claim against a source that does not come from the model.
03
Accept accountability
A named human signs off the work. Every level requires the candidate to state what they are answerable for.
The planned pathway
Levels 1, 2 and 3.
Three levels are planned, each building on the last. Level titles, unit content and assessment methods are still in development and will change before anything is published for delivery.
Level 1
Essential AI literacy
Who it is for
Anyone using AI tools in day-to-day work"
You will be able to
Describe what a tool did, spot obvious errors and know when to escalate
Planned assessment
Short practical tasks with a recorded explanation
Level 2
Applied AI practice
Who it is for
People who use AI on work that others depend on
You will be able to
Design a task, verify outputs against independent sources and document the checks
Planned assessment
Workplace evidence portfolio with professional discussion
Level 3
Specialist and oversight
Who it is for
Those accountable for AI-assisted work across a team
You will be able to
Set standards, review others' evidence and carry named accountability
Planned assessment
Case-based assessment plus a signed accountability statement
Content architecture
How a qualification is put together.
Every level is being built to the same four-part structure, so evidence means the same thing wherever it was produced.
Units
Each level is divided into units with stated outcomes. A unit describes a capability, not a topic to be covered.
Evidence
Candidates submit real work with the reasoning attached. Evidence produced entirely by a model, unexamined, does not count.
Assessment
Assessors judge the reasoning and the verification, using published criteria rather than a mark scheme for output.
Verification
Internal and external verification sample decisions across centres so a Level 2 pass means the same everywhere.
What this page is not
This is not a specification for delivery. No unit is finalised, no assessment is available to book, and no centre is yet approved to deliver. AIQQA is not currently an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation.
Influence the design
Tell us where this is wrong.
The pathway is still being written. If you assess, hire or train people who work with AI, your objections are more useful to us now than after publication.