Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) (RQF) Level 3

The Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) Level 3 is the nationally recognised assessor award for those who assess vocational qualifications in the workplace. It replaced the legacy A1/A2 and D32/D33 assessor awards and is now accepted by all major awarding bodies including City & Guilds, NCFE CACHE, TQUK, and VTCT. It is designed for trainers, supervisors, mentors, and sector professionals who want to formally qualify to assess NVQs, RQF diplomas, and apprenticeship standards.

You need access to at least two candidates in a real workplace setting to gather the portfolio evidence required for the qualification. This can be in your current role as a trainer, supervisor, or manager, or through a formal arrangement with an employer. You do not need to be working exclusively as an assessor — many learners complete the CAVA while continuing in their substantive professional role — but you must be able to assess real candidates in genuine work environments.

Most learners complete the CAVA in 3 to 6 months, studying around 5 to 8 hours per week alongside their professional role. The qualification has a Total Qualification Time of 120 hours, including guided learning and the time spent gathering portfolio evidence in the workplace. Because the course is delivered online and is entirely self-paced, you can progress faster or slower depending on how quickly you can arrange and document assessments with your candidates.

The A1 Award for Assessors — and its predecessor D32/D33 — were the legacy assessor qualifications that were valid prior to the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). The CAVA replaces both of these qualifications and is the current Ofqual-regulated standard for vocational assessors in England. All awarding bodies and most employers now require the CAVA (or the TAQA Award, its equivalent for assessment-only contexts) rather than the older A1 award. Holders of the A1 may still work in some settings, but employers and awarding bodies increasingly request the up-to-date CAVA.

Yes — the CAVA is universally accepted as the entry qualification for assessors by all major UK awarding bodies, including City & Guilds, NCFE CACHE, TQUK, Focus Awards, VTCT, Gateway Qualifications, and Pearson. Once qualified, you can apply to work as an assessor with training providers approved by any of these awarding bodies. Some employers and awarding bodies may also require you to hold occupational competence in the specific sector you are assessing.

You need to be occupationally competent in the specific sector or subject area in which you intend to assess. This means you should hold a relevant qualification at or above the level you are assessing, and/or have substantial, current work experience in the field. For example, to assess hairdressing NVQs you should hold a hairdressing qualification at the relevant level and have recent practical experience. Your occupational competence is verified by your assessor as part of the qualification process and will be reviewed by the awarding body's external quality assurer.

Yes — the taught content and portfolio preparation for the CAVA are delivered entirely online through our learning platform, which you can access 24 hours a day from any device. The practical assessment elements — observing and assessing your own candidates — take place in the workplace, as you must gather evidence from real assessment practice. Your tutor will also conduct observations and professional discussions, some of which may take place remotely via video call.

Once you hold the CAVA, you are qualified to assess competence-based qualifications regulated by Ofqual, including NVQs, RQF diplomas and certificates, and the on-programme assessment elements of apprenticeship standards. You are qualified to assess in any sector in which you hold occupational competence. Common assessment roles include assessing health and social care NVQs, childcare qualifications, construction trades NVQs, hairdressing and beauty therapy qualifications, business administration awards, and customer service qualifications.

The natural progression route from the CAVA is the <strong>Level 4 Award for the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice (IQA)</strong>. The IQA Award qualifies holders to oversee, monitor, standardise, and improve the assessment practice of a team of assessors, and is required for lead assessor, quality assurance manager, and centre approval roles. Many experienced assessors also progress to the <strong>Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET)</strong> or the <strong>Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training (DET)</strong> to develop their teaching and training skills alongside their assessor competence.

The CAVA and the TAQA (Training, Assessment and Quality Assurance) Award cover similar ground but are structured differently. The TAQA Award for Assessors covers only the assessment of occupational competence and knowledge, while the CAVA is a fuller certificate that also covers the underpinning principles of assessment in a standalone unit. Both are accepted by most awarding bodies as evidence of assessor qualification, but the CAVA is the more widely recognised and comprehensive of the two. When in doubt, check with the specific awarding body you intend to work with.