Moderation


We moderate assessments for fairness and consistency

Moderation is the quality assurance process of monitoring and evaluating assessment documentation and assessor decisions to ensure that standards are applied validly and consistently to all learners.

If you’re an assessor, moderators will evaluate your documentation and decisions to ensure that: 

  • your assessments are consistent with the national standard
  • your assessments are fair and valid and do not disadvantage the learner
  • your judgments about learner performance are consistent with one another and those of other assessors.

Moderation gives you valuable feedback on your assessment practices so you can improve them where needed. 

What we moderate

We moderate assessment tools before you use them 

In a pre-assessment moderation, we check the quality of assessment tools before you use them. Moderators make sure the assessment asks the right questions in the right way, so it collects the right amount of evidence of the learner’s competence against the unit standard.  

We moderate the decisions and judgements you make in an assessment 

In a post-assessment moderation, we check your assessor judgement for fairness and consistency. Moderators make sure learners have met the standard and that your decisions are consistent with national standards, your other assessments, and assessments of other assessors. We conduct post-assessment moderations in an annual cycle. 

How we moderate

We moderate in four different ways

The table below shows the different ways we moderate and how they work.

Type  How we get the assessment  How we moderate 
Postal moderation  Assessors or training providers send assessment samples to our Academic Integrity Team on request.  We’ll send the samples to a contracted moderator for review. 
Panel moderation Assessors or training providers send assessment samples to our Academic Integrity Team on request.  A panel of moderators and Primary ITO staff review the samples. 
Peer moderation Assessors or training providers send assessment samples to our Academic Integrity Team on request.  A group of moderators, Primary ITO staff, and assessors will review the samples. 
Moderation visits Moderators and Primary ITO staff will visit the training provider or workplace when assessments are being conducted  The visiting group will observe the assessor(s) as they conduct assessments. 

We moderate different sectors at different times of the year 

When we moderate your learner assessments, will depend on what primary industries sector you’re in. 

Go to our 2024 moderation calendar [PDF, 399KB] to find out when your sector will be moderated. 

We normally ask for moderation samples between February and November. We expect you to take part in moderation and submit your learner assessments within 15 days of us asking. 

For more information on what documents and evidence to send in for moderation - view our Sending Assessments for Moderation video 

You must keep all assessments for 2 years 

  • As an assessor, you must keep all your learner assessment workbooks or evidence portfolios (EPs) for 2 years. This includes keeping all supporting evidence you used to make your decision, such as   work records, logbooks, or photographs. 
  • Only let your learners keep their assessments if you’re also keeping a scanned copy.
  • Securely store your assessments at your workplace and make sure they’re easy to find if we ask for them.
  • Once you’ve kept the assessment for 2 years, return it to the learner or securely dispose of it, depending on the learner’s wishes.

You have the right to appeal moderation

If you disagree with a moderation decision, contact our Academic Integrity Team first – we'll do everything we can to resolve your complaint.

Email: [email protected]

If you’re not satisfied with the result, you can lodge a formal appeal by completing a Moderation Appeal form [PDF, 1.63MB].