How does IPSQA ensure assessment integrity?
The most common question we get about IPSQA is how do we ensure assessment integrity? With the experience of working around the world, we have several quality assurance mechanisms that exceed ISO17024 to make sure we provide robust, pragmatic and effective assurance of assessment. Learn more below.
One of the challenges of modern certification schemes is balancing the cost of quality assurance. Most national vocational frameworks has as one size fits all approach to quality assurance, for skills ranging from making a coffee through to disposing of explosives. Clearly the consequences of getting things wrong are quite different between the two.
When developing the International Qualifications Framework, experience showed that certification demanded a tiered model for quality assurance. Every tier must be independently quality assured as part of third-party certification, yet some industries require far greater confidence—akin to moving from “on the balance of probabilities” to a “beyond reasonable doubt” threshold.
Our Pass Series, including CorePass, is similar to unit standards and units of competency in that trainers can also be assessors. Assessment tools are moderated by providers before use, and evidence undergoes external moderation. We call this our Bronze Standard—robust in quality, but for those who need more, higher tiers are available.
Our Silver Standard is the Qual Series. For example, those in North America may recognise this from ProQual certifications such as NFPA 1006 Rope Rescue Technician. Here, theoretical exams are externally moderated by IPSQA before use, and assessors cannot have trained candidates within the previous two years, following ISO 17024 guidelines.
The Gold Standard is for the highest level of assurance, exceeding silver requirements. This tier incorporates professional requirements such as demonstrated real-world experience and requires a portfolio of evidence that is assessed by someone not domiciled in the same country as the candidate. This supports both global consistency and limits potential for local bias or interference. At this level, IPSQA offers Awards and Certificates in Public Safety, with awards for standards of 10 credits or less, and Certificates above 10 credits (typically equivalent to 100 hours of learning and experience).
Our fee structure varies across these certification levels as the quality assurance requirements become progressively more resource-intensive—but this guarantees certification you can genuinely trust when it matters most.
Quality Assurance Levels
The International Qualification Framework developed by IPSQA redefines traditional vocational certification by applying consistent global standards that transcend outdated quality assurance barriers. It then adds purpose-built requirements tailored to specific industry needs. Discover how IPSQA is setting a new benchmark for global certification and raising the standard for a smarter, more effective approach to qualification.
Common Standards
Foundation quality assurance requirements for assessment against our gold, silver and bronze quality levels.
Gold Standard
Our highest level of quality assurance for public safety critical role certification compliant with ISO17024, including our Certificate in Public Safety (CertPubS®) and Award in Public Safety using IPSQA standards, requiring real-world experience.
Silver Standard
Our next highest level of quality assurance for public safety critical role certification compliant with ISO17024 using NFPA and IPSQA standards without the requirement for real-world experience. Includes ProQual and WorkQual series.
Bronze Standard
Our baseline certification range for a range of public safety and community resilience roles, with robust quality assurance without the requirement for independent assessment. Includes CorePass®, DefraPass® and MedPass® series.
Quick Comparison
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Higher Education Quality Assurance
The IPSQA Diploma in Public Safety and Graduate Certificate in Public Safety both have their own curriculum document that also outlines wider quality assurance requirements for each our higher education products. These are aligned to international best practice including:
Introduction, quality management, and the overall purpose of the programme, including the target audience, entry and selection requirements, and the main qualification aim and outcome statements.
The graduate profile, including required personal and interactive attributes, likely graduate pathways, and a high-level delivery overview for the graduate certificate, including core requirements and delivery risks.
Detailed module descriptors for each paper (PUBS301–PUBS304) in public safety, covering doctrine, expert reporting, academic publication, and a capstone, along with their associated marking rubrics for written work, presentations, and viva voce assessments.
Regulations around examiners, graduate examiner induction, involvement of capstone guest advisors, expectations for language and research, ethics approval processes, recognition of prior learning, fees, conduct, and academic integrity.
Award regulations for the graduate certificate, including assessment, submission and feedback processes, module grading, word count penalties, academic referencing style, assessment evidence, service delivery times, re-assessment, appeals, merit and distinction, and endorsements.
Policies covering intellectual property, access to resources and the library, academic assurance structures such as higher education advisory committees and moderation, academic integrity platforms, telephone validation, revocation, graduating year review, periodic review, and academic dress.
Document control arrangements and annexes, including a schedule of approved academic writing courses.
For further information visit IPSQA Higher Education.