Q: What
Apprenticeships
do you offer? |
Full information on CACHE Apprenticeships is available in our dedicated Apprenticeship section
on the website, along with supporting information on Apprenticeships and Functional Skills on
cachezone. |
Q: Are Functional
Skills relevant to
Wales? |
No. Functional Skills do not apply in Wales - Essential Skills are the Welsh version. SQA/CACHE
does not offer Essential Skills. |
APPROVAL |
|
Q: Can I offer
Functional Skills
as a stand-alone
qualification via
SQA? |
Yes you can offer Functional Skills as a stand-alone qualification via SQA. |
Q: How do Centres
get set up for
SQA's online
system, to
register tests
etc? |
SQA's e-assessment system is called SOLAR. As part of the approval process for Functional Skills,
Centres will be sent a login direct from SQA to get access to SOLAR. Further information is available
in the Functional Skills Handbook. |
| FUNDING |
|
Q: What are the
LARA codes for
SQA Functional
Skills (QRN
number)? |
Full information is available here. |
REGISTRATION |
|
Q: What is the
accreditation end
date for the
Functional Skills
qualifcation? |
There is currently no accreditation end date for any of the Functional Skills qualifications. This date
will only be set if a qualification needs to be withdrawn. |
Q: How does my
Centre register
for Functional
Skills, and how
long after
registration will
learners appear
on the SQA
SOLAR system? |
Centres registering on the Apprenticeship will receive an automatc confirmation of registration which
states: 'Where learners have been registered for Functional Skills, please allow a few days before
viewing your learner details on the SQA Solar system'. |
| ASSESSMENT |
|
Q: Where can I find
information
relating to the
delivery of
Functional Skills? |
Please refer to the Functional Skills Handbook, which is also available on cachezone. Further
support materials are available on cachezone. |
Q: Will SQA be
offering on
demand testing? |
Yes. From May 2013, Maths and English will be available on demand and ICT will be available every
other month on demand. |
Q: Why has SQA
changed to
month -long
assessment
windows? |
Our month-long assessment windows will allow you to schedule candidates over a wider range of
time, giving you more flexibility in your scheduling. |
Q: Is there a
change to
when the
assessment
windows open
and close? |
No. The assessment windows will still open at 00:01 on the first date and close at 23:59 on the last
date. Please refer to the assessment schedule for notification of these dates. |
|
Q: Is there a change
to when I
schedule
candidates for
assessment? |
No, you should still schedule candidates no later than 5 working days before the start of the
assessment window. |
Q: When can
candidates resit? |
Although candidates can technically be entered into the next available date to re-sit, we would advise
you to ensure that candidates receive the further training/guidance they need to make sure they are
ready to re-sit the assessment. Please refer to the section on preparing candidates for assessment
on our website. |
Q: When will support
be available? |
Technical support will continue to be available via the SOLAR helpdesk between 9am to 5pm
Monday to Friday, except public holidays. |
Q: Can a computer
reader or a
reader assist
candidates? |
A computer reader or a reader will only be allowed where a candidate has a substantial impairment,
which affects his/her reading and reflects his/her normal way of working within the centre. |
Q: How do I submit
results for
internally
assessed
components? |
Centres will use SOLAR to submit results for internally assessed components. Centres will be
asked to confirm that candidates have successfully completed the internally assessed unit.
Please see the CACHE/SQA Functional Skills Handbook for further information.
|
Q: Will SQA be
offering test
papers in Welsh? |
No. Functional Skills do not apply in Wales - Essential Skills are the Welsh version. SQA does not
offer Essential Skills. |
Q: What is the SQA
process for
Appeals? |
For full information on the SQA Appeals process, please see the Functional Skills Handbook, where
this is covered. |
Q: What
qualifications will
be equivalent to
Functional Skills
so that my
learners do not
need to take
Functional Skills? |
Alternatives to Functional Skills are listed in the Transferable Skills section of the relevant
Apprenticeship Framework document. The relevant Apprenticeship Framework documents are
located on www.afo.sscalliance.org/frameworkslibrary/. |
| RESULTS |
|
Q: What is the
turnaround time
for issuing
results? |
Results for external assessments will be available to Centres on SQA Connect within four weeks of
the assessment window closing. |
| CERTIFICATION |
|
Q: Do learners have
until the
certification end
date of the
qualification in
order to complete
like other CACHE
qualifications, or
does SQA have
their own cut off
date? |
Learners will have until the accreditation end date (also referred to as the finish date) to complete
the qualification. There is no time frame from the point of registration in which the candidate is
required to complete and claim their certificates, as long as it is prior to the end date. |
Q: When will
Centres receive
certificates? |
SQA Functional Skills qualifications are certificated four weeks after the closure of the assessment
window. For Functional Skills in English, the certificate will be issued once the candidate has
acheived a pass for all three components. |
Q: How will I receive
my certificates? |
If a Centre claims certificates in cohort, you will receive one package containing the certificates,
addressed to your Centre. If a Centre claims individual certificates, you will receive individual
packets addressed to the learner, at your Centre's address. |
Q: Where will my
certificates be
sent to? |
Your certificate will be sent to the delivery address specified in the 'My Centre' area of cachezone,
which you can update as and when necessary. |
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