How Lantra tree work awards are assessed and appealed: what the qualification specifications say

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It reads three Lantra Awards qualification specifications for tree work awards and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) page on training and certification, all on October 9, 2026. Lantra is one of the awarding bodies HSE lists for tree work, next to City & Guilds NPTC. The awards themselves are set out in the UK award lookup.

Two ways an award is assessed

The three specifications use two different models, and each one states its model in a table near the front.

Specification	Assessment model and grading
Level 3 Award in Access a Tree Using a Rope and Harness and Aerial Rescue (ARBQ01QS)	Internally assessed with external verification. The specification says the provider appoints assessors, an internal quality assurer checks the work, and an external quality assurer signs off. Grading is pass or fail. Guided learning hours are 42 and total qualification time is 49 hours. The learner must be 16 or over.
Level 3 Award in Use of a Chainsaw from a Mobile Elevating Work Platform - MEWP (ARBQ05QS)	The same internal model with external verification, and pass or fail grading. Guided learning hours are 15 and total qualification time is 17 hours.
Level 2 and Level 3 Awards in Ground Based Chainsaws (CSWQXQS)	Externally assessed with external quality assurance. The specification says assessment papers are marked by Lantra Awards and quality assurance processes validate the outcome. Evidence is practical observation and verbal questioning. Section 7.5.1 of the same specification says the qualifications are internally assessed and externally quality assured, with providers appointing the assessors. Grading is pass or fail.

What a pass or fail grade rests on

The Access a Tree specification says a learner must be assessed against all the learning outcomes and assessment criteria in the units, and that the qualification is awarded to learners who have shown they meet the requirements of the units. It says learners may train from a variety of sources, but to achieve the qualification they must be assessed against everything in it. It also says the award is a competency based qualification built on the National Occupational Standards for arboriculture.

Appeals and enquiries about results

The Access a Tree and Mobile Elevating Work Platform specifications say Lantra has an appeals policy for a learner or provider who believes there was an error in the administrative process leading to an incorrect award, or an issue in the assessment of the learner. They say fees paid for an appeal are refunded in full if the appeal is upheld or the results change. They say the provider must get the learner's consent first, and that learners must be told assessment outcomes can change both positively and negatively.

The Ground Based Chainsaws specification adds a step. It says there is a policy for enquiries about results and an appeals procedure, that appeals can follow the outcome of an enquiry, and that an appeal is not accepted unless a paid result enquiry was submitted first.

Special consideration, adjustments and prior learning

The glossary in the specifications defines special consideration as consideration that might be given to a learner who has temporarily had an illness or injury, or some other event outside the learner's control that materially affected the ability to take an assessment. Reasonable adjustments are defined as changes to an assessment so a learner with additional requirements can show attainment to the level required. For recognition of prior learning, the Access a Tree specification says it does not exempt a learner from assessment: the assessor decides if the evidence is valid, reliable, current and meets the criteria. The Ground Based Chainsaws specification says recognition of prior learning is not applicable to that suite of qualifications.

What the specifications leave to other documents

The text of these three specifications gives no rule on how soon or how often a learner may be assessed again after a fail. They point to the Lantra Awards Provider Guidance Handbook and the Appeals Policy for further detail, so those are the documents that would carry such a rule. The Ground Based Chainsaws specification does say that an assessor who stops an assessment may restart it with the learner's agreement, or state that it was not achieved and advise the learner to apply to be assessed at a later date following training. The Ground Based Chainsaws specification does say that an assessor who stops an assessment may restart it with the learner's agreement, or state that it was not achieved and advise the learner to apply to be assessed at a later date following training.

What HSE says about training

The HSE tree work page says all workers must be adequately trained and competent to carry out their job safely. It says the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 places general duties on employers and the self-employed to provide health and safety training and information, and that the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to provide training at induction, when risks are new or increased, when refresher training is needed, and when a supervisor finds specific weaknesses. It says employers must provide this training during working hours and employees must not have to pay for it. It says refresher training is recommended at specific intervals for certain high-risk activities such as operating chainsaws. The page lists City & Guilds NPTC and Lantra Awards as awarding body websites. This section adapts text from the Health and Safety Executive, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This section adapts text from the Health and Safety Executive, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.