CPD for assessors in the UK isn't governed by a single national hours target, but every awarding organisation and most training providers expect you to prove your assessing practice is current — and that proof needs to survive a moderation visit, not just look good on paper. This guide sets out what actually counts as assessor CPD in 2026, what doesn't, and how to record it so it holds up.
TL;DR
CPD for assessors UK requirements aren't a fixed number of hours — Ofqual and awarding bodies such as City & Guilds, TQUK and NCFE ask for evidence of ongoing development, not a headcount you tick off. The verdict: log everything against your CAVA, TAQA or A1 standards, update quarterly, and attach a short reflective note to each entry. A basic spreadsheet or CPD log template beats a paid subscription tool for most independent assessors working through 2026. Standardisation meetings, moderator feedback and shadowing all qualify as assessor CPD — passive reading on its own generally doesn't.
Why this matters
Assessors who can't produce a CPD log when a moderator asks for one don't fail because their assessing was poor — they fail because there's no paper trail. Awarding organisations sampling your Level 3 CAVA or TAQA practice in 2026 will ask for what CPD means for educators applied to your specific role, and a vague answer such as "I keep up to date" doesn't count as evidence.
The bigger risk is drift. Assessment standards, EQA requirements and sector-specific guidance change most years, and an assessor who hasn't logged a single standardisation session in 12 months is an easy flag for an internal quality assurer. A recorded CPD trail protects your registration and your centre's status in one move.
What you'll need
- Your CAVA, TAQA or A1 certificate number and the unit references it covers
- A CPD log template — spreadsheet, PDF, or your awarding body's own portal
- 60-90 minutes per quarter to sit down and update it properly
- Evidence: certificates, screenshots of course completions, moderator feedback emails, standardisation meeting minutes
- Your centre's or employer's CPD policy, if you assess through a training provider rather than independently
If you're still working toward your assessing qualification, start with how to become a qualified assessor with CAVA before worrying about CPD logging.
The steps
1. Audit what already counts before you log anything
Most assessors underestimate how much CPD they've already done in 2026 without recording it. Standardisation meetings, moderator debriefs, shadowing a colleague's observation, even a difficult borderline decision you had to justify in writing — all of it counts if you can show what you learned. Go back through your inbox and calendar for the last two quarters and list anything that touched your assessing practice.
Common mistake: treating CPD as only formal courses. Most of your real development happens in the messy, informal parts of the job.
2. Set a recording rhythm, not an annual scramble
A quarterly 20-minute log-update habit beats a panicked hour before a moderation visit. Put a recurring calendar reminder on the last Friday of March, June, September and December. Assessors who log CPD as it happens produce richer, more specific entries than those who reconstruct a year from memory.
Common mistake: waiting until renewal or a spot-check to write everything up at once — details get lost and entries read as vague box-ticking.
3. Log structured CPD first
Structured CPD includes anything with a certificate, an agenda or a sign-in sheet: standardisation events, awarding body webinars, internal training days, a refresher on the Level 4 IQA award if you're moving toward internal quality assurance. Record the date, provider, duration and one sentence on what changed in your practice as a result.
4. Log informal CPD second
Informal CPD is where most assessors fall short on evidence, not effort. Shadowing another assessor's observation, a peer discussion about a tricky competence decision, reading updated awarding body guidance — these count when you can name what you took away. Write two or three sentences per entry: what happened, what you learned, what you'll do differently.
Common mistake: logging "read updated guidance" with no note on what it changed. A moderator wants to see application, not just exposure.
5. Attach evidence, not just a description
A CPD log entry without a certificate, screenshot or email trail is a claim, not evidence. For every formal entry, attach the PDF or a screenshot. For informal entries, a dated email confirming a shadowing session or a signed-off reflective note from your IQA is enough. Aim for evidence covering at least 70-80% of your logged entries — a target most well-run centres already apply informally.
6. Map entries to your assessing standards
Generic CPD logs get questioned; logs mapped to specific units or standards don't. If an entry relates to gathering sufficient evidence, tag it against the relevant CAVA unit. If it relates to your wider vocational assessor's responsibilities — fairness, consistency, feedback quality — note that explicitly. This mapping is the single biggest thing that separates a log a moderator accepts on sight from one that triggers follow-up questions.
7. Review with your IQA or line manager annually
A CPD log that's never been seen by anyone else tends to drift into box-ticking. Book 15 minutes once a year with your internal quality assurer or line manager to walk through the last 12 months. This catches gaps early — before an external moderation visit does it for you — and it's evidence in itself that your CPD is being taken seriously, not just filed.
Troubleshooting
Problem: I've got no CPD logged for the last six months. Start now, don't backdate. Log everything from today forward properly, and for the gap, note genuinely recalled activity with an honest approximate-date flag rather than inventing specifics.
Problem: my entries are all training courses, nothing informal. Add at least two informal entries per quarter — a standardisation conversation, a difficult decision you had to think through, feedback you gave that taught you something. Moderators expect a mix, not a course list.
Problem: I don't know which standards my CPD maps to. Pull up your CAVA or TAQA unit list and match entries against the closest one. If nothing fits cleanly, log it under professional practice rather than skip it.
Problem: my centre wants a specific number of hours. Some training providers set an internal minimum (commonly 15-20 hours a year) even though awarding bodies don't mandate one nationally. Check your centre's CPD policy directly rather than assuming a national figure applies.
Problem: I'm not sure if reading a regulation update counts. It counts only if you note what you changed as a result. Reading with no applied outcome is background awareness, not CPD evidence.
Tools and resources
- A shared spreadsheet template with columns for date, activity, type (formal/informal), standard mapped, and evidence link
- Your awarding organisation's own CPD portal, where one exists — City & Guilds and TQUK both offer basic logging tools
- Standardisation meeting minutes from your centre, kept centrally rather than scattered across inboxes
- Your IQA's annual sampling plan, which often flags which units need the most CPD attention
- Reflective note templates used across teaching and assessing roles — the same format that works for CPD for teachers transfers directly to assessor logs
What to do next
Once your CPD log is running on a quarterly rhythm, the next gap most assessors hit is knowing exactly what a moderator expects to see in a portfolio alongside it — worth reviewing before your next sampling visit rather than after.
FAQ
Is there a set number of CPD hours for assessors in the UK? No fixed national figure exists — Ofqual and most awarding bodies ask for evidence of ongoing development rather than a set hours target for 2026. Some centres set their own internal minimum, commonly 15-20 hours a year, so check your own centre's policy.
Does shadowing another assessor count as CPD? Yes, if you record what you observed and what you'd apply differently afterwards. A dated note plus a confirming email from the assessor you shadowed is sufficient evidence.
Do I need a CAVA qualification to log assessor CPD? You need an assessing qualification such as CAVA, TAQA or A1 to be assessing in the first place — CPD then sits on top of that qualification to keep your practice current.
How often should I update my CPD log? Quarterly is the practical minimum — waiting a full year produces vague, reconstructed entries that read poorly under moderation.
What's the difference between formal and informal assessor CPD? Formal CPD has a certificate or agenda (courses, standardisation events); informal CPD is reflective learning from practice (shadowing, feedback discussions) — both count if documented with a clear outcome.
Can reading alone count as CPD? Only if you record what you changed in your practice as a result — reading with no applied note is awareness, not documented development.
Do internal quality assurers have different CPD requirements from assessors? IQAs generally need broader CPD covering sampling strategy and standardisation across multiple assessors, on top of the assessing-specific CPD they may still be doing.
What happens if my CPD log has gaps when a moderator checks it? A gap alone rarely fails a moderation visit — an unexplained gap with no attempt to address it going forward is what raises concern.
One last thing
The assessors who breeze through moderation in 2026 aren't the ones with the longest CPD logs — they're the ones whose logs are mapped to specific units with a one-line reflection on each entry, because that's what turns a list into evidence.
