How to prepare for an EQA visit.

Journey keeps reviews, evidence and quality assurance on the apprentice’s record, so a sample is drawn from the system rather than assembled by hand. See ePortfolio and off-the-job tracking.

What an EQA visit looks at

External quality assurance checks that assessment is valid, consistent and fairly applied, and that your internal quality assurance (IQA) would catch problems before they reach a learner’s result. The exact scope depends on your awarding organisation or the end-point assessment organisation’s quality assurer, so read their visit letter and centre requirements first.

Before the visit

• Confirm the agenda, the staff they want to meet and the learners or cohorts to be sampled.
• Check that your IQA strategy, sampling plan and records are up to date and show sampling across assessors, sites and methods.
• Make sure the actions from the last visit are closed, with evidence of what changed.
• Check assessor and IQA staff records: qualifications, occupational competence and recent standardisation.
• Check that each sampled learner’s file holds reviews, feedback and evidence that can be followed from start to now.

On the day

• Give the quality assurer one place to find each sampled learner’s record.
• Have the assessor and IQA who worked with each sampled learner available to talk through decisions.
• Note every observation as it is made, so nothing is lost before the report arrives.

After the visit

Turn every finding into an action with an owner and a date, and feed it into your self-assessment report. Recheck the same area at your next standardisation meeting so you can show the action worked.

Free tools that help

• The Ofsted readiness self-check scores your evidence by area and comes with a SAR template.
• The EPA gateway readiness checker lists what is blocking an apprentice and comes with a progress review template.
• The break or withdrawal decision tool comes with an ILR data quality checklist.

Primary sources

• Ofsted, Further education and skills inspection toolkit and operating guide — gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information (accessed 15 October 2026).
• Ofqual, General Conditions of Recognition — gov.uk/guidance/ofqual-handbook (accessed 15 October 2026).

• Who carries out an EQA visit?

  Your awarding organisation, or the end-point assessment organisation’s external quality assurer, depending on the programme. Their centre requirements set the scope.

• What is usually sampled?

  Learner files across assessors, sites and assessment methods, together with your IQA records and the actions from the last visit.

• How should findings be handled?

  Give every finding an owner and a date, record it in your self-assessment report and recheck it at the next standardisation meeting.