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How the IGC assessments work
Everything on this page comes from NEBOSH's own documents for the 2025 specification (units GIC1 and GIC2). Each point names its source. Where two NEBOSH documents give different figures, both are shown. For anything that affects your own sitting, follow your Assessment Registration Confirmation and your Learning Partner. See all sources.
Unit GIC1: Management of health and safety
| Point | What NEBOSH says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Open book examination. The learner guide lists "Open book examination (OBE)" with an assessment time of 5 hours. | Learner guide v1.1 |
| Format | It starts with a scenario, then tasks. Scenario-based assessments were previously known as OBEs. Some papers may also contain theory-only questions. | Sample paper; PD030 v1 |
| Time in the sample paper | "Approximately 4 hours" to complete, including reading, researching and completing the tasks, and not more than 3,000 words in total. | GIC1 sample paper v1 |
| The window | The sample paper shows the paper being made available on a date between 00:00 and 23:59 UTC. The GIC2 guidance calls GIC1 the "24-hour scenario-based assessment". The digital assessment guide says the exact time frame is on your qualification page or your Assessment Registration Confirmation, and that you are not expected to work for all of it. | Sample paper; GIC2 guidance v1; Q023 v8 |
| Marks | The sample paper is a Learning Partner example of five tasks totalling 50 marks. NEBOSH states that the actual paper contains tasks and questions totalling 100 marks. | GIC1 sample paper v1 |
| Pass mark and grade | The provisional pass mark is 45 percent. The qualification grade is based on GIC1 only: Distinction 75 or more, Credit 65 to 74, Pass 45 to 64, Refer 0 to 44. NEBOSH's FAQ explains that a provisional pass mark is set first and the final mark is set with statistical methods and expert judgement. | Learner guide v1.1; NEBOSH FAQs |
| Not invigilated | You may use any learning resources you have access to, such as course notes or the HSE website. You must not collaborate with or copy work from others, and must not cut and paste blocks of text from the Internet or other sources. | GIC1 sample paper v1 |
| Word count | Each assessment specifies a word count. The overall count must be no more than 10 percent above the recommended word count. | Q023 v8 |
| References | You are expected to include a list of sources you used or quoted, at the end of the answer sheet. The reference list does not count towards the word limit. | Q023 v8 |
| Deadline | The deadline is UK local time, so consider time zones if you are outside the UK. | Q023 v8; CX026 v14 |
| Answer sheet | The Word answer sheet template is recommended. If it is compulsory, the paper will say so. | CX026 v14; sample paper |
| Closing interview | You must attend a closing interview with your Learning Partner, by video link or in person, or your mark will not be awarded. It confirms that the work is your own. You show identification (passport, driving licence or national identity card). It is not an assessment and gets no mark. | Q023 v8 |
| Marking | Marked by NEBOSH Examiners and checked for plagiarism and collusion. Mark schemes for live assessments are not released. | Q023 v8; NEBOSH FAQs |
How GIC1 questions are written and marked
- The paper is a scenario (a narrative about a workplace and situation) and a series of tasks that partly or wholly rely on it. The scenario hides clues using a "show, not tell" approach, so you often have to infer the answer (PD030 v1).
- NEBOSH says it no longer uses command words to tell you how much detail to give. The marks guide the length of your answer (PD030 v1).
- In general, one mark is given for each correct technical point that is clearly demonstrated. Single word answers or lists are unlikely to gain marks (GIC1 sample paper).
- If a question is worth 10 marks, examiners look for 10 unique things. Repeating a point, or rewording it, does not earn another mark. Copying the scenario back, without explaining it, earns nothing (PD030 v1).
- Question notes tell you what to use. "Your answer should be based on the scenario only" means no theory points. "You should support your answer using relevant information from the scenario" means technical points plus scenario evidence. Another note can tell you to use a supporting document as well as the scenario (PD030 v1).
- Wording such as "comment on", "justify", "evaluate", "how effective" or "to what extent" implies weighing up the evidence, and good answers include positives and negatives (PD030 v1).
Practice with the NEBOSH sample paper first (link on the sources page). The scenario practice on this site was written for this site, in the same style, and is not a NEBOSH paper.
Unit GIC2: Risk assessment
| Point | What NEBOSH says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Type | A practical assessment: a risk assessment of your own workplace. The learner guide lists 4 hours of assessment time. The GIC2 guidance recommends around 4 hours, says the time is not restricted, and says you may take more or less. | Learner guide v1.1; GIC2 guidance v1 |
| Before you start | You must have completed your studies and covered the whole syllabus (Elements 1 to 11). | GIC2 guidance v1 |
| Marks | Marked out of 100. Pass is 60 percent (60 marks). The result is Pass or Refer (59 or less). You can resubmit after a Refer by registering and paying again; you must pass both units within five years. | GIC2 guidance v1 |
| Template | Use the NEBOSH assessment template (a Word document). It says to identify at least 10 hazards from at least 5 different hazard categories. | GNC2 and GIC2 template, NEBOSH 2025 |
| Submission | Submit through the NEBOSH online assessment platform as a PDF. The deadline is UK local time. Results are emailed up to 60 working days from the assessment date. | CX039 v1 |
| Your own work | The assessment must be your own work. Your tutor may advise whether you are "heading in the right direction" but must not pre-mark drafts. | GIC2 guidance v1 |
See the GIC2 practice kit for the four sections and how the 100 marks are split.
Results and the qualification
- You must pass both units. Both units' results are issued on the same day, 60 working days from the GIC1 assessment (GIC2 guidance v1).
- You have five years from your first passed unit to complete the qualification. You can re-sit GIC1 to improve the grade (Learner guide v1.1).
- The recommended minimum English level is equivalent to IELTS 6.0 or higher for learners (Learner guide v1.1).