Competency-based assessment and training remains at the core of Australia’s VET system. It defines how learners are trained and assessed, focusing on the skills and knowledge needed to perform effectively in the workplace. With updated Standards for RTOs taking effect in 2025, getting RTO assessment compliance right is more critical than ever.
Competency-based assessment (CBA) can be complex to develop. This is especially true when balancing compliance, industry relevance, learner needs, and scalability. So what does it look like to design competency-based assessment that’s genuinely high-quality (i.e. credible for industry, supportive for learners, and compliant by design)?
Whether you're a seasoned RTO or just starting out, here’s your up-to-date guide to building effective, compliant, and scalable assessments.
Assessment mapping is an extremely valuable tool for developing and reviewing assessments that match learning outcomes. It ensures every assessment task or item is aligned to the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills, and assessment requirements of the unit. This provides solid evidence that you’re meeting Australian Skills Quality Authority assessment requirements.
Industry consultations with relevant representatives are highly beneficial in the development stage. By engaging subject matter experts, you ensure competency-based assessments are developed in line with current industry standards. This will help ensure learners are equipped with the most up-to-date and relevant knowledge for the workplace.
It can be helpful to consult with a variety of stakeholders, as this will increase the quality and relevancy of assessments. Gaining input from diverse perspectives aligns content with current methods, technologies, products and performance expectations. As well as providing better learning outcomes, showing that industry representatives have contributed plays an important role in compliance.
In competency-based assessment, the goal isn’t just a clear task. It’s credible evidence that the learner can perform to the required standard in real-world conditions. Well-designed tools make expectations explicit, support consistent judgements, and ensure you’re assessing the skill; not just the learner’s ability to produce a good answer (or AI prompt).
To strengthen skill outcomes, ensure your assessment tools include:
✅ In aXcelerate: Use digital observation checklists that assessors can complete in the field or during online sessions, capturing photos/videos and adding assessor commentary in real time. Learn more about aXcelerate's assessment item types on the support centre page.
Your tools should be easy to use while meeting the 2025 Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and making graduates workforce ready. For more information, read Designing assessment tools for quality outcomes in VET (4th edition). Written by the Department of Training and Workforce Development, this guide outlines the four steps to designing quality assessment tools.
Assessment tools must define what “competent” looks like—through clear benchmarks, model answers, and decision-making rules. These criteria guide assessors to make fair, consistent decisions and are essential for audit compliance.
✅ In aXcelerate: Assessors can mark, reference criteria, and provide feedback within the LMS. Use auto-marking for multiple-choice questions, or AI-assisted marking can help assessors for short answer responses. Review learner answers more efficiently by comparing responses against your marking guidance and surfacing suggested outcomes; while keeping the assessor in control of the final decision. Learn more about assessment marking in aXcelerate.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, connecting your systems is key to streamlining processes, improving the student journey, and increasing data accuracy. When your Student Management System and Learning Management System are integrated, you gain a complete view of the learner journey and can manage assessments from one place.
For example, as an all-in-one SMS and LMS, aXcelerate allows:
✅ In aXcelerate: Leverage the Online Assessment engine and supporting tools to strengthen quality and consistency, including:
Under the Revised Standards for RTOs 2025, RTOs must review assessment tools prior to use to ensure assessment can be conducted in a way that is consistent with the principles of assessment and rules of evidence. The outcomes of those reviews should inform any necessary improvements.
RTOs must also have processes for regular, structured and impartial validation of assessment practices. The purpose of this is to confirm assessment judgements are consistent and the assessment system remains fit-for-purpose.
Creating strong competency-based assessments is both an art and a science. By grounding your tools in regulatory requirements, industry input, and learner experience, while leveraging the right tech, you set your RTO up for success.
With aXcelerate, training organisations across Australia are delivering smarter, more compliant assessments that scale.
👉 Ready to build and deliver better assessments? Book a demo to see how aXcelerate helps RTOs deliver compliant, competency-based training with confidence.
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ASQA’s second paper on their strategic review into online learning examines the opportunities and challenges of online learning, and how training providers can support students undertaking online learning.
