Phase 3 · Complete your IPD
Career Appraisal — results and what happens next
The four possible outcomes, what each one means, and how a pass feeds into the Professional Review application.
Who this is for:Candidates at any stage
Career Appraisals are assessed monthly by experienced ICE members and ICE staff. There are four outcomes, and only one of them is a straightforward pass.
The four outcomes
Institution of Civil Engineers
- You can proceed. The assessors are satisfied you have demonstrated your experience against the attributes and have therefore completed your IPD. You receive confirmation that you can apply for a Professional Review or End Point Assessment.
- More information needed — resubmission. There are gaps. You revise the documentation to address the findings, clearly identifying where you have done so, and keeping to the original word count. Resubmission is assessed at no additional cost, with a result within six weeks.
- A verification meeting. Your submission demonstrates the majority of the requirements, but a meeting with the Membership Recruitment Team would complete the assessment. Your result letter tells you which areas to discuss.
- Unable to complete the assessment. There is insufficient evidence for any assessment to be made, or you do not appear to have understood what the process requires. The assessment ends, a meeting with the Membership Recruitment Team follows, and a new application and submission are needed.
- Career Appraisal assessment frequency
- monthlyMonthly deadlines are published on the key dates page.
- Career Appraisal resubmission result
- 6weeksResubmission is assessed at no additional cost.
- Career Appraisal resubmission window
- 6monthsMiss it and you must send everything from the original application again, plus details of how you addressed the feedback. A new application form is not required.
From Career Appraisal Guidance, Institution of Civil Engineers.
The extra document that comes with a pass
Where appropriate, a pass can come with a second document pointing out where your evidence of achieving the attributes was not particularly strong. It is genuinely useful: it tells you exactly where reviewers are likely to probe.
ICE is specific about how to use it. Discuss it with your mentor and sponsors — and do not submit it with your Professional Review or End Point Assessment application. What you do submit is the Career Appraisal result letter, which is how your reviewers see that your IPD is complete. The result letter is also the only part your lead sponsor needs to see as evidence of IPD completion.
What a pass does not mean
It does not mean you will pass a Professional Review. ICE says it plainly: passing means you have the required qualifications and demonstrated appropriate experience to apply for your chosen grade, but you will still need to show full competence at the required level on the day.
The gap between the two is mostly about defending your work out loud. A Career Appraisal is assessed from a document you had months to write. A Professional Review asks you to talk about the same experience for an hour with no notes and no warning of the questions.
What each outcome asks of you next
| Outcome | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You can proceed | The assessors are satisfied your experience meets the attributes, so your IPD is complete. | Keep the result letter — it goes with your Professional Review application. Act on any note about weaker evidence. |
| Resubmission | There are gaps. The assessors need more before they can decide. | Revise, clearly identifying where you have addressed the feedback, and keep to the original word count. Do it within six months. |
| Verification meeting | Most of the requirements are demonstrated; a conversation would complete the assessment. | Read the result letter for the areas to discuss, and prepare for those specifically. |
| Unable to complete the assessment | There is insufficient evidence to assess, or the process has been misunderstood. | Meet the Membership Recruitment Team for guidance, then make a new application when you are ready. |
If you are resubmitting
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Related pages and tools
- Career AppraisalHow experienced engineers complete IPD from work already done: what it is, what it asks for, and what the outcomes mean.
- The applicationWhat goes in, in what order, and the administrative details that hold applications up.
- SponsorsWho can sponsor you, what the lead sponsor's role actually involves, and how to approach both without leaving it late.
- InterviewHow reviewers question, how to answer without waffling, and what to do when you do not know.
- Mock reviewRun a practice sequence of questions and follow-ups, in coaching mode or under timed conditions.