Completing Your Apprenticeship

Gateway

Once you’ve completed your on-programme training you will go through Gateway. This is where we agree with you and your line manager that you have acquired the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the Apprenticeship standard and are ready to undertake end point assessment.

End Point Assessment (EPA)

EPA is the process at the end of your programme for you to demonstrate to a third-party assessor that you have acquired knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB’s) throughout your training set out in the Apprenticeship standard.

The EPA will be carried out by an End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO). The EPAO is an impartial organisation which takes responsibility for the final assessment of the apprentice against the requirements of their apprenticeship.

Your Assessment

During EPA, you will complete the following:

  • This lasts for 2 hours 15 minutes and includes 6 questions comprising of 5 essay-style questions and 1 practical written assessment.
  • There is one essay style question for each knowledge area, plus the practical written assessment which assesses the writing and editorial skill area.
  • You will aim to spend 20 minutes on each essay style question, leaving 35 minutes to read and answer the practical assessment.

  • During your apprenticeship you will compile a portfolio of evidence, which forms the basis for the professional discussion.
  • The discussion is with an independent assessor and usually lasts an hour.
  • The assessor will ask 8 – 10 open questions from their question bank, split equally between scenario and factual based questions.

Resources for End Point Assessment

There are further docs available in OneFile under Resources/Bid and Proposal/EPA docs.

Top Tips …

Knowledge Test

  • Make sure you understand the marking scheme the assessor will use as well as the topics themselves
  • Break down the total exam into chunks of time per question and stick to this so you dont have to rush at the end

Professional Discussion

  • It’s me, myself and I! The assessor wants to hear what you have done NOT what your team or organisation does in general
  • Take your time and give a full story for each question – what you did, how you did it, why you did it, who helped you