| Document owner | Responsible Officer |
| Approved by | Governing Body |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Effective date | June 2026 |
| Review cycle | Annual or earlier if required by regulatory, operational or legal change |
| Applies to | Learners, centres, assessors, IQAs, EQAs, staff, contractors and relevant persons involved in regulated qualification activity |
1. Purpose
Albion Awards is committed to operating a fair, transparent, timely and accessible appeals process. This policy explains how learners, centres and other relevant parties may appeal against specified decisions made by Albion Awards or by an approved centre acting on behalf of Albion Awards.
The policy supports the integrity of Albion Awards qualifications and protects learners by ensuring that decisions affecting assessment, quality assurance, centre approval and certification can be challenged where there are reasonable grounds.
2. Scope
This policy applies to regulated and proposed regulated qualification activity undertaken by Albion Awards and its approved centres. It covers appeals relating to assessment decisions, internal quality assurance, external quality assurance, certification decisions, reasonable adjustment and special consideration decisions, malpractice outcomes, centre approval decisions and other decisions that may affect a learner, centre or qualification outcome.
Where an appeal relates to a complaint, malpractice investigation, data protection issue or safeguarding concern, Albion Awards may also apply the relevant associated policy. The Responsible Officer will determine the most appropriate procedure where matters overlap.
3. Principles
Albion Awards will handle appeals in accordance with the following principles: fairness, accessibility, independence, proportionality, confidentiality, evidence-based decision-making, timely response, clear records and protection of learners.
No person will determine an appeal if they made, directly influenced or had a conflict of interest in the original decision. Where internal independence cannot be achieved, Albion Awards will appoint an external reviewer with suitable expertise.
4. Decisions that may be appealed
Appeals may be submitted against: assessment or grading decisions; refusal of a reasonable adjustment or special consideration request; certification refusal, suspension, withdrawal or correction; malpractice or maladministration findings; centre approval, sanction, suspension or withdrawal decisions; EQA findings where these materially affect learner outcomes or centre approval; or any procedural decision where the appellant believes Albion Awards failed to follow its published process.
An appeal is not a route to request a second opinion simply because a learner or centre disagrees with a professional judgement. The appellant must identify grounds showing that the decision may have been unsafe, unfair, procedurally flawed or unsupported by evidence.
5. Grounds for appeal
Valid grounds may include evidence that procedures were not followed, relevant evidence was not considered, irrelevant evidence was relied upon, there was administrative error, a conflict of interest was not managed, the decision was unreasonable in light of the evidence, published assessment or certification rules were misapplied, or the appellant was materially disadvantaged by circumstances that were not properly considered.
Appeals must be supported by relevant evidence. Albion Awards may reject appeals that are vexatious, malicious, outside scope, out of time without good reason, or unsupported by any arguable ground.
6. Centre-level appeals before escalation
Where the appeal concerns a centre-assessed decision, the learner should normally use the centre’s internal appeals process first. Centres must keep records of centre-level appeals, decisions, evidence reviewed, persons involved and outcomes.
An appeal may be escalated to Albion Awards where the learner has exhausted the centre process, where the centre has failed to follow its own process, where there is a conflict of interest, or where the matter may affect qualification standards, certification or learner protection.
7. Submitting an appeal
Appeals should be submitted in writing to Albion Awards within 20 working days of the decision being communicated, unless an alternative timeframe is stated in a qualification, centre or investigation outcome letter. Albion Awards may accept a late appeal where there is a good reason and where fair consideration remains possible.
The appeal submission should include the appellant’s name, centre, qualification, learner reference where relevant, decision being appealed, date of decision, grounds for appeal, evidence relied upon, outcome sought and contact details.
8. Initial review and acknowledgement
Albion Awards will acknowledge receipt of an appeal within five working days. The Responsible Officer or nominated appeals lead will check whether the appeal is within scope, whether it is in time, whether the required evidence has been provided and whether any urgent learner protection or adverse effect action is required.
Where further information is needed, Albion Awards may request it before deciding whether the appeal can proceed. If the appeal is not accepted, Albion Awards will explain the reason and advise whether any alternative route is available.
9. Appeal stages
Stage 1: Administrative and procedural review. Albion Awards will check the decision record, evidence, applicable policy, assessment or certification rules and whether the correct procedure was followed.
Stage 2: Independent review. Where the matter cannot be resolved at Stage 1, an independent reviewer or panel will consider the appeal. The reviewer will have no prior involvement in the decision and will declare any conflict of interest.
Stage 3: Final review. In exceptional cases involving significant regulatory risk, potential adverse effect, centre sanction, certification withdrawal or substantial procedural concern, the Responsible Officer may refer the matter to the Governing Body or an external reviewer for final consideration.
10. Possible outcomes
An appeal may be upheld, partially upheld or not upheld. Possible actions include confirming the original decision, correcting an administrative error, requiring reassessment or remarking, appointing an independent assessor or reviewer, reviewing a certification decision, changing a centre sanction, requiring centre corrective action, revising procedures, notifying affected learners or notifying Ofqual where required.
Albion Awards will not alter an assessment or certification outcome unless there is sufficient evidence that the original decision was unsafe, procedurally flawed or affected by error, bias, conflict of interest or other material irregularity.
11. Timescales
Albion Awards aims to complete Stage 1 appeals within 20 working days of accepting the appeal and Stage 2 appeals within 30 working days of referral to independent review. More complex cases may take longer, particularly where evidence must be gathered from centres, assessors, IQAs, EQAs or external reviewers.
Where timescales cannot be met, Albion Awards will inform the appellant of the reason for delay and provide a revised expected response date.
12. Records and confidentiality
Albion Awards will keep a complete appeal record including the appeal submission, evidence, correspondence, conflict checks, reviewer appointment, decision rationale, outcome, actions, lessons learned and closure date. Records will be retained in line with the Data Protection and Records Retention Policies.
Appeal information will be handled confidentially and shared only with those who need access to investigate, decide, review, quality assure or regulate the matter.
13. Conflicts of interest and independence
All persons involved in appeal handling must declare actual, potential, perceived or foreseeable conflicts of interest. A conflicted person must not make or influence the appeal decision.
Where independence cannot be secured internally, Albion Awards will appoint an external reviewer or subject specialist. The Responsible Officer will record the independence check and the rationale for appointment.
14. Learner protection and adverse effects
If an appeal identifies a risk to learners, qualification standards, assessment validity, certification accuracy or public confidence, Albion Awards will assess whether an adverse effect has occurred or may occur. Corrective action will be taken promptly to protect learners and maintain standards.
Where required, Albion Awards will notify Ofqual and cooperate with any regulatory request for information or action.
15. Monitoring and review
The Responsible Officer will monitor appeal volumes, themes, outcomes, timescales, centre patterns, assessor issues and any links to complaints, malpractice or EQA findings. Significant appeal trends or risks will be reported to the Governing Body.
This policy will be reviewed annually, or earlier where required by regulation, operational learning, appeal outcomes, Ofqual feedback or changes to Albion Awards qualifications or delivery model.
16. Minimum appeal record fields
Albion Awards will maintain an appeal log containing, as a minimum, the following fields:
| Field | Purpose |
| Appeal reference | Unique case identifier |
| Appellant and centre | Identifies the learner, centre or party submitting the appeal |
| Qualification and unit/module | Identifies the affected regulated activity |
| Decision appealed | Records the original decision and date |
| Grounds for appeal | Records the basis on which the appeal is accepted |
| Conflict checks | Shows independence and impartiality of reviewers |
| Evidence reviewed | Records the evidence used to decide the appeal |
| Outcome and rationale | Shows the decision and reasons |
| Actions required | Records corrective actions, owners and deadlines |
| Closure date | Confirms completion and record retention trigger |
17. Approval
| Role | Name / signature | Date |
| Responsible Officer | ||
| Chair of Governing Body |