CSL and CCSO Assessment Candidate Terms
Reference: GCSB-POL-016 Version: 1.0 Issuing authority: Global Converged Security Board Issued: 11 November 2026
Services and admission
GCSB independently assesses and awards CSL and CCSO through standard assessment or Recognition of Prior Learning. It does not provide training. Free screening does not guarantee admission, recognition or an award. A standalone component award is separate from recognition toward PGDCSL.
Before formal assessment, the candidate receives a written offer specifying programme and edition, route, outcomes, evidence, examination arrangements, assessment criteria, dates, authorised independent participants, reasonable adjustments, cancellation rights and the total charge. The candidate accepts that offer before paying. An incomplete offer must not be issued for acceptance.
Fees and inclusions
CSL standard assessment is £195; CSL RPL is £195; CSL reassessment is £75. CCSO standard assessment is £245; CCSO RPL is £245; CCSO reassessment is £95. Screening is free. Standard and RPL are alternative route fees, not automatically combined charges. The initial assessment fee covers the agreed assessment, independent moderation and credential issue only following successful award. Training, PGDCSL portfolio assessment and unagreed supplementary services are excluded. Any additional service requires a separate itemised offer accepted in advance. Reassessment eligibility, scope and attempt limits must be authorised and disclosed before charging.
GCSB is not VAT registered and adds no UK VAT while unregistered. This is not a worldwide tax exemption. Any applicable overseas tax and final payable total must be disclosed before payment.
Cancellation and refunds
Where applicable consumer law grants a cancellation period for a distance service contract, the candidate may cancel within 14 calendar days of contract conclusion. GCSB must not begin a chargeable service within that period without the candidate's express request and the legally required acknowledgement. A lawful proportionate charge may apply only to services actually provided following that request. Loss of cancellation rights following full performance requires the legally required express consent and acknowledgement. Statutory consumer rights are not limited by these terms.
Before acceptance, the written offer must state how to cancel, the refund process, treatment of withdrawn or postponed assessment and any lawful administrative charges. Failed assessment does not alone entitle the candidate to a refund of a properly delivered service; cancellation, unfair terms and defective-service rights remain unaffected. If GCSB cannot provide the agreed authorised independent assessment, it must offer a lawful remedy and not retain payment for undelivered services without a valid basis.
Candidates may notify cancellation or withdrawal through their enrolment portal or by email to info@gcsb.uk, identifying the programme and offer. GCSB acknowledges the request and explains the applicable refund calculation. Where the statutory distance-contract cancellation rules apply, eligible refunds are made within 14 calendar days of notice, using the original payment method unless otherwise agreed without additional cost. Cancelling an assessment does not delete an account or alter a previously issued credential.
Recognition of Prior Learning
RPL assesses demonstrated prior learning against the same authorised outcomes as the standard route. Job title, years of service, attendance, self-declaration and payment are not substitutes for evidence of competence. Candidates receive an agreed mapping and evidence scope before payment and must identify their personal contribution to organisational work. Evidence may include verified credentials, authentic work products and independent corroboration; confidential material must be redacted or submitted through an agreed secure alternative.
The assessor records satisfied criteria and gaps, the moderator independently reviews the judgement, and the authorised Board records the outcome. Any additional assessment needed to close gaps is disclosed before the candidate agrees to it. The RPL fee pays for assessment, not guaranteed recognition. No automatic second standard-route charge applies. An agreed route change or additional service requires a separate written scope and transparent treatment of fees already paid. Recognition toward PGDCSL and a standalone CSL or CCSO award are separate decisions; PGDCSL's integration portfolio is not waived by these terms.
Resits and reassessment
CSL resits cost £75 and CCSO resits cost £95 for the reassessment service specified in the accepted offer. A resit is not automatically booked or charged following an unsuccessful outcome. The candidate receives feedback identifying the criteria requiring reassessment and a written offer stating the permitted attempt, scope, preparation requirements, dates and applicable rules. The same competence requirements and independence safeguards apply. RPL candidates may be required to supply replacement evidence or undertake targeted assessment rather than repeat an examination unnecessarily.
No attempt limit, waiting period, duration or extension entitlement is created by these terms. These settings must be authorised and disclosed before an initial or resit offer is accepted. GCSB must not sell a resit where the candidate is ineligible or independent assessment capacity is unavailable. Payment for a resit does not alter the original decision or guarantee success.
Evidence, decisions and privacy
Candidates submit their own authentic, current and relevant evidence, redact third-party personal or confidential information and disclose assistance. Assessors record outcomes against authorised criteria; independent moderators check them and the authorised Board records the award decision. Candidates do not assess or decide their own applications. Relevant conflicts must be declared and recused.
Evidence, offers and deliberations stay private to the candidate and authorised assigned participants. Public verification contains only approved award information. Award documents are issued separately after successful independent decision; the portal does not generate qualifications from payment or enrolment.
Personal data and permitted use of evidence
Global Converged Security Board is the controller for assessment records. It processes identity and contact information, verified credentials, application and RPL evidence, outcome mappings, adjustment requests where necessary, offers, acceptance and payment references, assessment feedback, moderation and Board decisions, appeals and security records. Information is used to administer screening and the agreed assessment, verify authenticity, arrange adjustments, prevent fraud and malpractice, make and defend independent decisions, issue and verify approved credentials, and meet applicable legal and record-keeping obligations. It is not sold or used for targeted advertising.
Contractual necessity applies to agreed assessment services; legitimate interests apply to proportionate integrity, security and award verification; legal obligations apply where required. Optional public directory listings and portraits require separate consent. Sensitive adjustment information is requested only when necessary, with an identified lawful special-category condition and restricted access; it must not be included in routine assessor or public records. Consent to assessment terms is not blanket consent to all data processing.
Access is limited to the candidate, authorised administration and assigned independent participants as required for their duties. An appeal panel receives only relevant records. Hosting and storage providers support the private portal; Stripe processes checkout and payment information under its own privacy information; Certifier receives information needed to issue an approved credential. GCSB records payment references, not full card details. Third-party confidential evidence must not be copied into notification emails. Published verification does not expose contact details, private evidence, individual marks or deliberations.
Assessment and appeal records are retained for at least seven years under the governing qualification rules, with longer retention only where necessary for an active dispute or legal duty. Financial records follow applicable statutory requirements; approved credential verification records may be retained to verify historical awards. Retention and deletion must be documented, not inferred from archiving an application. Original private evidence remains protected; submitting it grants GCSB only the use necessary to assess, moderate, decide and handle appeals, not permission to publish it as teaching material or a book.
Processing may involve providers outside the UK. Applicable adequacy arrangements or approved contractual transfer safeguards must be in place. Candidates may request access, correction, restriction, objection, portability or deletion where applicable through info@gcsb.uk or the website's data-request service. Some records must be retained despite a deletion request; GCSB explains the reason. Candidates may complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office or their relevant supervisory authority. Read the current Privacy Policy at https://gcsb.uk/legal/privacy and data-request information at https://gcsb.uk/legal/data-requests with these terms.
Adjustments, malpractice and appeals
Equality and Diversity, Reasonable Adjustments, Malpractice and Quality Assurance policies apply. Adjustments remove avoidable disadvantage without removing competence requirements. Suspected malpractice receives fair investigation and a reasoned decision. Appeals follow GCSB-STD-005 and its published exceptional-circumstance provisions; complaints follow GCSB-STD-006. An appeal must be heard independently of the original decision.
An appeal is normally lodged within 30 calendar days of notification, stating the permitted grounds and supporting evidence. Academic Board review may be requested within 14 calendar days of the appeal panel outcome. Published exceptional-circumstance provisions remain applicable. The original assessor, moderator and decision-makers must not hear the appeal. Candidates receive a reasoned recorded outcome; an appeal does not itself confer an award or automatically reopen the original decision. Service complaints, assessment appeals and data complaints are distinct routes. Nothing here introduces an appeal fee or limits statutory rights.
Acceptance and changes
The candidate must receive these terms, the applicable issued policy versions and the complete individual offer before accepting or paying. GCSB records the terms version and acceptance against that offer. A checkout receipt alone is not acceptance of an incomplete offer. Material changes to the agreed service require notice and agreement or an applicable lawful cancellation/remedy; later terms do not silently replace those accepted. Questions about admission, fees, adjustments, cancellation or appeals may be sent to info@gcsb.uk.
Release requirements
The programme-specific examination format, duration, permitted resources, rubrics, pass criteria, prerequisites, reassessment limits, offer schedule and authorised independent capacity require approval before real assessment offers are accepted. A live Stripe link does not replace candidate acceptance or establish an assessment entitlement. QNUK accreditation or regulated recognition is not claimed.