Summary
This guide covers moderation in skillSYMS: selecting an audit-defensible sample of assessments, working through the moderation queue, verifying assessor decisions, and recording outcomes that confirm or adjust them. Sound moderation is what assures the quality and consistency QCTO expects.
Who This Guide Is For
- Moderators reviewing assessor decisions
- SDP staff coordinating internal and external moderation
- Quality officers preparing moderation reports for audits
Prerequisites
- Assessment results recorded and submitted (see Recording Competency Decisions)
- An active moderator account
- Your organisation’s sampling policy and the QCTO minimum sample size
Step 1: Build Your Sampling Plan
Navigate to Moderation → Sampling.
Set your selection criteria in the sidebar:
- Include NYC results — always sample Not Yet Competent outcomes
- New assessors — sample a higher proportion (for example, 20% during the first three months)
- Random selection — apply random sampling across the remaining population
Click Auto-Select Sample to draw the sample. The Sampling Status panel tracks Total Assessments, Sampled, and Remaining against the QCTO minimum (typically 10%), and the Assessors Overview table shows the required versus sampled count per assessor.
Tip: Sample every NYC and every new assessor’s work in addition to your random draw. Auditors expect 100% coverage of those two categories, not just the headline percentage.
Step 2: Work the Moderation Queue
Navigate to Moderation (the SDP moderation workspace).
Use the tabs — Pending Review, Internal Moderation, External Moderation, and Completed — and the Status and Type filters to focus your work. The stat cards flag Pending, In Progress, Approved, and Overdue items so nothing slips past its due date.
Click View on a row to open the assessment, then check:
- The assessor’s outcome against the evidence
- Whether the criteria scoring is justified
- Feedback quality and consistency with comparable learners
Step 3: Record the Verification Outcome
Navigate to Moderation → Verifications (or record directly from the queue item).
Set the outcome:
- Agree — the assessor’s decision is confirmed
- Disagree — the decision requires adjustment, with justification
The Verifications view tracks your Agree, Disagree, and Pending counts and the overall Agreement Rate. Where you disagree, reference the specific evidence and notify the assessor and learner.
Tip: A consistently high agreement rate is good — but record at least a short rationale even when you agree. “Confirmed, evidence sufficient” is enough to satisfy an auditor that you actually reviewed it.
Step 4: Generate the Moderation Report
Navigate to Moderation → Reports.
Choose the reporting period and review the Assessment Summary (Competent, NYC, RPL, and competency rate), the Programme Breakdown, and the Moderation Pipeline Status (Draft, Submitted, Moderated, Final). Click Export Report to produce a CSV for your records or the QCTO file.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Sampling below the minimum — never drop under the QCTO percentage, and always add NYC and new-assessor cases
- Batch-approving without review — open and check each sampled item individually
- Adjusting without justification — every Disagree needs an evidenced reason
- Ignoring overdue items — clear the Overdue card before reporting
Verification Checklist
- Sample meets or exceeds the QCTO minimum percentage
- All NYC results and new-assessor work are included
- Every sampled item has a recorded Agree/Disagree outcome
- Adjustments cite specific evidence
- A moderation report has been generated and exported for the period
Next Steps
- Recording Competency Decisions — the decisions being moderated
- ICASS Cycles — moderation within continuous assessment
- Statement of Results — issue results once moderation is complete
- Audit Readiness Checklist — prepare for external audits