CIEH Annual Moderators Report

20122013
CIEH Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in the Workplace

Key points

Requirements

As well as drawing attention to strengths in candidate

performance, a key purpose of this report is to highlight areas
where candidate performance is weak and to suggest
possible causes. It also recommends where improvements
might be made, by both trainers and candidates.

Level 4 assessments test knowledge, understanding and

application. Trainers should provide candidates with examples
of questions that address each of these areas and help them
to differentiate between the demands of each question.

On completion of the Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in

the Workplace, candidates should possess the knowledge and
skills to be able to monitor and audit health and safety
management systems. Candidates should therefore
demonstrate their proficiency and competency to do so
within their examination responses and controlled
assignment reports.
Overall, results have improved this year, particularly with
regard to the examination. However, several common
problems remain, including:
providing one-word answers to knowledge-based
questions
offering lists for questions based on understanding
failure to respond from a management perspective in
application questions
poor understanding of key health and safety legislation
and the implications and penalties for non-compliance
poor understanding of contractor management and
CDM duties
failure to address the full scope of questions or to identify
wider issues other than the subject basics
answering questions with reference to what happens in
their own workplace rather than demonstrating an
understanding of current best practice.
Stock Code MOD4HN

There has also been improvement in the controlled

assignments, although many candidates still struggle with
their responses to the risk assessment section.
The pass rate can be improved through the diligence and
support of trainers, particular in helping candidates to
prepare for the two assessments.

Knowledge
This aspect tests a candidates ability to recall facts and
information and uses question words such as list, state and
define. For example:
List three ways of checking that safety training given to
an employee has been adequate.
State the purposes of a fire risk assessment.
Define the terms hazard and risk.
When answering knowledge-based questions, candidates
need to provide more than one-word answers. Brief answers
tend to reveal a candidates lack of detailed knowledge.
A significant number of candidates are not aware of even the
general principles of health and safety, including risk
assessment, permits to work and accident reduction. Key weak
areas of knowledge highlighted by moderators include civil/
criminal law, contractor management, CDM duties and general
aspects of the Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations. Candidates are not expected to cite regulation
details or numbers but should understand the key requirements.

Understanding
This aspect tests a candidates comprehension and uses question
words such as identify, describe, explain and outline:
identify name or pinpoint something
describe communicate the key features of a situation or
process, possibly using examples
explain this is different from describe; explanations
often include short descriptions but also express the
relationships between component parts
outline this involves part description and part
explanation, but in a more concise format.

CIEH Annual Moderators Report 20122013

CIEH Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in the Workplace

Proficient candidates provide detailed examples of good

practice to demonstrate their depth of understanding. At
Level 4, candidates understanding will be checked through
their use of realistic and relevant examples of the syllabus
being applied to the workplace. They must have a sound
understanding of risk assessment principles and safe systems
of work from a management perspective.

Examiners and moderators have expressed concern that

candidates cannot answer questions about:

Less able candidates who only provide one-word answers or lists

in response to this type of question fail to provide sufficient
detail. This limits the number of marks that can be awarded.

Application
Question words such as apply, demonstrate, prepare and
solve are frequently used to test candidates application
skills. Candidates are required either to make reasoned
arguments for or against a point (or several points) or to find
an answer to a problem. For example, after identifying the
key points in a COSHH hierarchy of control, candidates could
be asked to outline how each point could be monitored.

general health and safety, for example the differences

between directives, regulations and approved codes of
practice/guidance
the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (employers/
employees responsibilities and policy) and Management
of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
employers/employees responsibilities under the
Personal Protective Equipment Regulations.
These types of questions, covering subjects that are central
to the success of health and safety management in any
organisation, appear in some form in every examination
paper. If candidates fail to address these syllabus areas, they
are likely to lose a significant number of marks.

Examination

A recurrent weakness is candidates failing to answer

questions from a management perspective. They need to
address how they would react as a manager in the given
circumstances, and demonstrate how they would manage a
situation and implement a solution. Even if candidates are
not yet in a managerial position in their own workplace, they
must still answer as if acting in the role of manager,
otherwise they are unlikely to provide the level of detail
required by the question. Examples, where required, need to
be relevant and applicable to the specific type of premises.

High-scoring scripts are well structured, to the point and

coherent, and it is evident that candidates have the required
depth of knowledge and are able to apply it successfully.
However, many candidates continue to demonstrate poor
technique. The following comments from moderators highlight
the key areas in need of improvement in candidates
examination responses. Trainers should emphasise these
matters when providing feedback to candidates.

Application is particularly important in the controlled

assignment, where candidates must use their own
management-based workplace experiences in order to
answer the questions. For example, in the second part of the
assignment, when discussing training many candidates
describe a training programme for a certain aspect of health
and safety rather than the managers role in delivering that
programme. A manager would look at identification of
training needs, prioritisation, the selection of trainers,
appropriate levels and methods of training, assessment of
competence after training and keeping training records.

Candidates must be reminded to read examination

questions carefully in order to understand what is being
asked of them. It is still apparent that some candidates do
not read questions properly and as a result waste both time
and marks by giving inappropriate and irrelevant answers. An
example is where a question relates to employees
responsibilities and the candidate answers on employers
responsibilities. They should be careful to answer the specific
question as set, rather than one that they would like to
answer. It is strongly recommended that candidates read
through the entire question before answering any part of it.

Many candidates appear to have little understanding of how

they might use their knowledge to develop health and safety
management systems. They tend to answer questions based
on their own workplace rather than applying their knowledge
to develop relevant management systems and fail to
demonstrate a detailed understanding.

Using highlighter pens to pick out key words/verbs in the

question can help candidates to ensure they respond to all
the requirements and avoid deviation.

Syllabus areas
Candidates must be able to answer questions based on any
part of the syllabus. It is evident that some trainers are still
failing to cover the whole syllabus in their training, leading to
candidate disappointment and frustration in the
examination and controlled assignment. The syllabus areas
represent the cornerstones of successful health and safety
management, and it is troubling that some candidates
cannot demonstrate understanding of important principles.

Focus on the question

It is inappropriate to prime candidates with standard-style

answers to examination questions. While it is possible to
prepare candidates for the style of questions they are likely
to encounter, the exact requirements cannot be guaranteed.
They should not be encouraged to reproduce answers
learned by heart and should instead address each
examination question in context on the day. Providing a
pre-prepared response that does not fit the precise
requirements of the question will not gain any marks.

Length and structure of examination responses

As in previous years, candidates often provide one-word or
very short answers, which provide neither sufficient depth nor
detail for a Level 4 qualification, nor evidence of their

CIEH Annual Moderators Report 20122013

CIEH Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in the Workplace

practical, theoretical or technical understanding of health and

safety management. As the questions are focused and clear
as to their expectation, candidates should be able to provide
the appropriate length and reasoning in their responses.

Candidates should be advised to allow around 15 minutes at

the end of the examination to check through their answers
for any gaps or errors in particular, they should make
certain that all the key issues have been addressed.

Conversely, writing copiously on a subject without

considering the finer points of the question is not an
effective practice. It leads to digression and unnecessary/
irrelevant information, which will not gain any marks. It is
also a waste of a candidates time, which would be better
utilised in answering another question. By looking at the
mark scheme, candidates should be able to work out the level
of detail required in their answers. Answers should be concise
but show a complete and rounded appreciation of health
and safety. Unless a candidates handwriting is particularly
large, extra answer sheets should not be necessary.

Practice is essential, as it will allow candidates to become

familiar with the process and time demands of the examination.

The examination questions are written in a format that

guides the candidate. More able candidates use the structure
of the question to plan their answer. The use of a simple
answer plan with key headings would help candidates to
structure longer responses in a logical and concise manner.
This approach allows candidates to focus on the particular
demands of the question and to respond to the specific
issues. It also ensures that no salient information is omitted
and points are not repeated.
Bullet-pointed lists do not generally provide sufficient depth
and breadth of information and tend to be restrictive. Unless
the question specifically requests it, a bullet-pointed list will
not be eligible for the full range of marks; neither will vague
or generalised statements such as following good practice.

Think like a manager

Candidates must answer questions from the perspective of a
manager, not an employee. For example, an employee may
refer to the various controls in place, whereas a manager
would plan, prioritise, implement, monitor and review.
Candidates must demonstrate their understanding of key
management concepts.

Time management and planning

Candidates must prepare thoroughly for the examination
and manage their time carefully. Candidates have lost most
marks either by failing to answer all the questions or by
spending too much time answering the earlier questions and
as a consequence rushing the later ones. Therefore they must
understand how to plan adequately and pace themselves
accordingly.
Candidates should look at the mark scheme to gauge the
amount of information the question is requesting and the
comparative amount of time they should afford in answering
it. A question worth five marks will require a more detailed
response than one carrying a single mark, and should
therefore take longer to answer. Providing only one or two
points for a five-mark answer will not be sufficient.
Candidates who are unsure of how to answer a section of a
question should move on but leave sufficient time to return to
it before the end of the examination when they are checking
their work. They must answer all the questions and not leave
any blanks. There have been several instances in the last year
where whole sections of questions were left unanswered.

Legibility
On occasion, candidates handwriting is difficult to read, and
sometimes it cannot be deciphered at all if a candidates
answers are not clear, marks will be lost. If this problem is
identified by trainers during the training programme, the
candidate should be advised and help should be sought. There
have been some instances in the last year where examination
scripts have only just been legible. Also, if a candidate makes a
mistake and rewrites an answer, it should be made clear to the
examiner where the correct answer is written.

Controlled assignment
As the controlled assignment is carried out under examination
conditions, candidates are unable to rely on and/or use
company documentation/material. Therefore, trainers must
emphasise the importance of thorough preparation.
It is essential that candidates read through the exemplar
scoping documents and sample controlled assignments
provided by the CIEH, so that they understand what is
expected of them. It is also recommended that trainers allow
their candidates to undertake practice controlled
assignments, in order to familiarise themselves with the
requirements and timings.
While trainers should support their candidates in the
completion of the controlled assignment, it is not advisable
to use a template, as this limits free thinking and leads to
similarity across candidates. It can also mean that
candidates do not appreciate key words or phrases and are
unable to follow through the hazards and examples to the
later parts of the assignment.

Scoping document
Prior to sitting the controlled assignment, candidates must
complete the scoping document provided by the CIEH. They
should describe their chosen workplace and their role, not
exceeding the limit of 500 words.
An exemplar scoping document has been produced to give
candidates an idea of the level of detail required. Controlled
assignments submitted without a scoping document will not
be marked.

Part 1 Risk assessment

Candidates should ensure that both sections of the
controlled assignment are completed with reference to their
chosen workplace. Many candidates are limited in their
performance in Part 1. It is important that candidates select
a work activity for this section that offers them the
opportunity to demonstrate a thorough understanding of
the risk assessment process, from identification of hazards to
assigning risk ratings and deciding on control measures.
Many candidates choose relatively simple tasks that are

CIEH Annual Moderators Report 20122013

CIEH Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in the Workplace

limited in scope, and as such they are unable to provide the

depth of response required to achieve the highest marks.

advance of the training to allow them to appreciate what the

qualification involves. Directing candidates to the HSE/CIEH
websites at this stage will alert them to the scope of the
subject matter.

In this section, many candidates provide narrow responses

and use the same answers for several questions. Answers to
questions relating to risk often fail to identify consequences,
which is fundamental in even a Level 2 qualification. Some
candidates fail to identify residual risks following the
introduction of control measures. A good understanding of
the HSEs five steps to risk assessment should enable
candidates to answer this part of the assignment well.

Part 2 The role of the manager

In Part 2, a significant number of candidates are unable to
demonstrate all the aspects of safe systems of work.

Trainer support for candidates

This award is aimed at managers or aspiring managers.
Consequently, it is expected that candidates have the
necessary managerial responsibility and autonomy and can
analyse, interpret and evaluate complex material and relate it
to their own experiences. However, as has been identified in
previous years, there are candidates whose basic underpinning
knowledge and practical application appear lacking and do
not meet the required depth for a Level 4 qualification.
A number of candidates appear to have been recruited onto
the course without sufficient prior knowledge and appreciation
of health and safety or management principles to meet the
exacting demands of a Level 4 qualification. Consequently,
they struggle with the content, terminology and requirements
of the training programme, examination and controlled
assignment, and will be unlikely to achieve a pass.
It is therefore recommended that candidates have achieved a
Level 3 award in health and safety in the workplace, or have
gained sufficient practical experience in managing workplace
health and safety, before enrolling on the training programme
for the CIEH Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in the
Workplace. Centres must be aware that some employers may
not have assessed or understood their employees ability to
cope with the rigours of a Level 4 qualification.
The challenges of the training programme mean that
candidates need to be fully supported in their learning.
Trainers must ensure that candidates understand the CIEH
Candidate Guidelines document and that they are fully
aware of the requirements in both the examination paper
and controlled assignment. Candidates also need to
appreciate that self-directed study time is essential to be
successful in this qualification.

Pre-course information
Prospective candidates should be provided with accurate,
comprehensive pre-course information regarding Level 4
qualifications and they must be made fully aware of the
levels of practical, theoretical and technical knowledge and
understanding they will be expected to demonstrate in both
the examination and the controlled assignment. Not only
should candidates be sent information about the
qualification and formal assessment process, but trainers
might also consider sending the CIEH course book to them in

Initial assessment
Trainers should determine candidates eligibility for the Level
4 award at the earliest opportunity, either through some
means of initial assessment before they embark on a course
(though this may not always be possible) or during the early
stages of a course. An assessment should be made of the
candidates prior knowledge and understanding, as well as of
the scope of their managerial responsibilities in the
workplace. If weaknesses are identified, candidates could be
offered pre-course training to address any significant gaps in
knowledge, understanding or experience.
Failure to ensure that all candidates are up to the expected
standard or capable of this level of study will result in poor
outcomes even for able candidates, who will be held back
from developing subject knowledge while the basics are
being covered.

Training delivery
Trainers should recognise that candidates have individual
needs and plan to meet the needs of both able candidates
as well as of those who require additional support.
If a trainer has used a pre-course assessment and identified
weaknesses, it may be possible to prioritise specific learning
areas and to consider methods of reinforcing the training
through case studies, group activities and site visits. Trainers
are reminded that the duration for delivering the qualification
stated in the training literature is a minimum requirement,
which assumes that candidates are fully able to undertake the
assessment activities and have a good command of written
communication. The learning needs of candidates should be
assessed carefully and taken into account, and it may be
necessary to spend longer on areas of difficulty.
Ideally, training sessions should be approximately 30%
trainer-focused and 70% candidate focused. There are a
range of methods to encourage active participation,
including buzz groups, case studies, role play, mind maps,
games and quizzes.
Candidates will be expected to have a rounded appreciation
of health and safety and will need to supplement the
material covered in the training sessions. They should be
encouraged and given the opportunity to read around the
subject, for example reading other health and safety material
such as HSE publications, journals, magazines, prosecution
reports and textbooks. Trainers might provide reading lists
and webpage references in order to encourage such further
study. It would be useful for candidates to subscribe to the
free HSE newsletter service.
It is imperative that trainers liaise and consult with
candidates throughout the training programme in order to
understand any difficulties they are experiencing and to
establish whether these can be addressed to enable
candidates to meet the requirements or whether a decision
needs to be made not to continue with the training or
assessment at that stage. If candidates have limited

CIEH Annual Moderators Report 20122013

experience of sitting examinations or completing controlled
assignments, centres should defer the assessment process
rather than risk losing the confidence of candidates or their
employers.
The ability of candidates to express themselves in writing
varies significantly, and it may be necessary to provide
assistance with written communication skills. Trainers should
help candidates to understand the principles of health and
safety by examining other workplace practices outside their
own organisation, for example transport systems,
construction sites or large retailers.
While the onus is on candidates to research the taught
topics, trainers must ensure that they keep up to date with
legislative/technical changes and changes in professional
practice, and that this is reflected in training materials and
course delivery.

Preparation for assessment

Trainers must guide candidates in their preparation for the
two assessments and ensure they fully appreciate the
requirements of both the examination paper and the
controlled assignment.
Some candidates may not have experienced a formal
assessment for some time, and accordingly trainers should
allow candidates to practise their examination technique as
part of the training programme. Trainers need to make more
use of the sample controlled assignments and sample
examination questions available from the CIEH. Should
trainers wish to compile their own bank of mock questions,
the syllabus will provide a useful guide.
It is recommended that candidates sit a timed mock
examination. This will help candidates not only to assess
their progress and level of knowledge, but also to familiarise
themselves with the format, level and timings of the paper.
If this is not possible, short written exercises in groups with
constructive feedback from the trainer might be another way
to increase confidence.
When candidates are required to resit the examination and/
or controlled assignment, trainers should consider carefully
the level of support required.

Presentation of scripts
Trainers should ensure that scripts are secured with staples or
treasury tags; do not use plastic sleeves for each page of text,
as this slows down the moderation process.

CIEH Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in the Workplace

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