An overview of my End Point Assessment in my Apprenticeship

It’s May 2023, which is typically exam season for students and apprentices.

I’ve recently completed my End Point Assessment for the Level 3 HR Support apprenticeship* and I am awaiting my results.

Here’s an overview and some top tips to support apprentices with their assessment:

What is the End Point Assessment?

The End Point assessment (EPA) is the final stage of an apprenticeship and decides whether apprentices have developed the skills, knowledge and behaviours outlined in their apprenticeship standard.

You may not necessarily do the same style of EPA as other apprentices; but you may complete one and/or more of the following assessments:

1. Practical assessment
2. Interview
3. Project
4. Written and/or multiple-choice tests
5. Presentation

As part of my EPA I completed a Consultative Project and a Professional Discussion (interview).

Consultative Project

A Consultative Project is a written submission where apprentices describe how they’ve applied their knowledge and skills in relation to a business need, problem or situation. It is marked by an independent assessor.

Examples of knowledge and skill for my EPA

Knowledge: HR Legislation & Policy – Good understanding of the HR legislation and policy framework of the organisation.

Skill: Service Delivery - Delivers excellent customer service on a range of HR queries and requirements, providing solutions, advice and support primarily to managers.

My top tips are:

1. Make sure you’ve covered ALL the knowledge and skills components in your project
2. Make sure you balance planning and writing your consultative project (the 3-month period goes fast!)
3. Ask at least 1 person to proof-read your project (e.g. ideally your Line Manager or colleague) before submitting it

Professional Discussion

The Professional Discussion is a two-way discussion between the apprentice and the independent assessor. This takes place one week after the Consultative Project has been submitted. It is usually carried out virtually and lasts around 60 minutes.

The discussion is semi-structured and consists of 13 questions that test the apprentices’ skills and behaviours.

Example questions

Skills: Personal Development - Describe how you keep up to date with the needs of the business and related legal, policy and procedural change in respect of your HR job role.

Behaviours: Honesty & Integrity - Describe how you ensure confidentiality of information or data that might be sensitive?

My top tips are:

1) Complete mock discussions where you can practice talking for 5/6 minutes on each question

2) Use notes (but try to not use them as a script)

3) Talking for 1 hour can be challenging – ensure you drink water before and throughout the discussion

Conclusion

Completing your end point assessment may feel daunting but it’s a great opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours from your apprenticeship so make sure you sell yourself and show the assessor what you’re made of!

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and to those about to/currently taking their end point assessments and exams, I wish you the very best of luck!

*Please note: End Point Assessments differ from apprentice to apprentice. My assessment is specifically designed for the Level 3 HR Support Apprenticeship with CIPD as the apprenticeship standard.