Marketing Manager Level 6

Version 1.0  |  ST0612

EPA Overview

End-Point Assessment (EPA) is the final stage of the apprenticeship and provides an opportunity for apprentices to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and behaviours they have developed during their Marketing Manager Level 6 apprenticeship.

The assessment for a Marketing Manager Level 6 apprentice includes a Project Showcase, Presentation and Q&A and a Professional Discussion.

An apprentice cannot achieve their apprenticeship without passing the End-Point Assessment.

The apprentice will be given the opportunity to complete their End-Point Assessment either face-to-face or remotely.

The assessment plan states that the order of the EPA should be as follows:

1. Project Report

2. Presentation and Q&A

3. Professional Discussion

The Project Presentation with Q&A and Professional Discussion must take place on the same day.

Gateway Requirements

Gateway requirements for Marketing Manager Level 6 Apprentices are:

• Evidence of achieving relevant maths and English qualifications if required by funding regulations or the employer

• Gateway Document including 350-word project plan summary

Assessment Methods

The EPA for the Marketing Manager Level 6 apprenticeship is made up of two assessment components, both of which must be passed to achieve the apprenticeship.

Project Showcase

This method combines 3 components – a Project Report, a Presentation and a Q&A which are marked and awarded a grade, the purpose of which are to showcase the apprentice’s marketing plan project.

The Project Report will be submitted to NQual for remote assessment prior to the 20-minute presentation and 30-minute Q&A session. The Project Report must be submitted 2 weeks in advance of the other assessment components to ensure adequate time for assessor marking and preparation. The apprentice will not pass through to the Project Showcase’s Presentation and Q&A or the Professional Discussion unless the Project Showcase has been passed.

The Apprentice will be given 4 months after the Gateway to develop the marketing plan and complete the project report. The Project Report should take the form of a formal business report of 4000 words (+/- 10%), not including annexes, tables, and charts.

The report annexes must contain a maximum of 10 pieces of evidence relating to the project and a minimum of 8. The annex must include a mapping of the evidence to the KSBs assessed by the project report.

The focus of the 20-minute (+/-10%) presentation is for the apprentice to effectively ‘pitch’ their business case for their marketing plan (as if presenting to the ‘board’ to gain backing for the plan). The presentation will be followed by a 30-minute (+/-10%) Q&A session with the independent assessor, this will allow the independent assessor to further discuss and test elements of their presentation.

Professional Discussion

The Professional Discussion will conclude the End-Point Assessment process. Over the course of 70 minutes (+/-10%) the independent assessor will holistically assess the candidate’s knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) as per the assessment plan. They will typically ask 5 competency-based questions and 5 scenario-based questions.

The independent assessor can ask follow-up questions for clarification to elicit further evidence that the KSBs have been attained, or otherwise, and to enable accurate assessment against the Pass/Distinction criteria.

Results

NQual will communicate results within 10 working days of the final assessment.

If an apprentice Fails one or more component, they will be offered the opportunity to re-sit / re-take the component(s). It is then up to the apprentice’s employer how many attempts an apprentice is given.

The timescale for a re-sit typically takes 2 months and a re-take 2 months (dependent on how much re-training is required). All assessment methods must be taken within a 7-month period, otherwise the entire EPA will need to be resat / retaken.

Where any assessment method must be re-sat or re-taken, the apprentice will be awarded a maximum EPA grade of Distinction (there is no limit to grades on re-sit/re takes). Re-sits and re-takes are not offered to an apprentice wishing to move from Pass to a higher grade.

View NQual's Support Pack document for full details about Marketing Manager Level 6 apprenticeship assessment.