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Assessor report checklist and sample

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As part of their award process, young people need to provide at least one piece of evidence to track their progress in each section of the award, which will then be examined by a DofE assessor before a decision's made. 

Anyone who takes on this role needs to: 

  • Be over 18
  • Have knowledge in the area they're assessing
  • Be officially accredited, if they're assessing expeditions
  • Be approved by the leader
  • Be impartial (for example, young people's family members can't assess their awards for them)

Assessors can submit evidence by:

  • Completing the official DofE keeping track booklet
  • Submitting evidence online at dofe.org/assessor
  • Emailing the report to the participant
  • Keeping a simple written or phone-logged piece of evidence

All of these can then be linked to the young person’s eDofE account and uploaded by the young person, assessor or leader.

Checklist for all assessor’s reports

  • Does the report contain the young person's details (eg their name)?
  • Does it include the assessor's own name and contact details? 
  • Have they confirmed the young person's activities took place? 
  • Have they confirmed how frequently the young person took part in these activities, and checked whether the dates match those logged via eDofE?
  • Are they impartial? 
  • Has the young person completed the section through their own initiative (school activities don't count, for example)?

Additional checklist for the expedition section

  • Is there a clearly defined team goal for the expedition?
  • Is there an expedition notification number (for wild country areas and Gold level expeditions)?
  • Was at least 50% of their planned activity spent travelling?
  • Has the assessor included their own accreditation number?

Report example

The feedback within the assessor’s report must be written personally for the individual, looking at their individual progress and development. It’s not acceptable to simply say 'He/she completed the section': assessors need to write several short paragraphs.

At the end of the report, it might be a nice time to reflect on the young person's next steps: perhaps suggesting that they progress to the next level of their DofE or Scout award. If they've already achieved their Gold Award and King’s Scout Award, it might be worth suggesting they consider volunteering with Scouts going forward. 

Read a sample report, submitted by an assessor