The IRATA Level 1 assessment is a practical demonstration of the entire Level 1 syllabus in front of an independent IRATA Assessor: every rope manoeuvre except passing wide re-anchors, every climbing technique except vertical aid climbing, two set rescues, pre-use checks and a buddy check of your equipment, plus questions about your training. You pass or fail as a whole; one Major Discrepancy or three Minor Discrepancies ends the assessment in a fail. Train through an IRATA member company, practise rope work only under supervision, and use paper exercises to sharpen the decisions behind each task.
What the Level 1 assessment actually is
It is an observed practical demonstration of the whole Level 1 syllabus, run by an independent IRATA Assessor after your training course. There is no formal theory exam at Level 1; the assessor asks you questions about your training instead.
IRATA groups rope access technicians into three grades. A Level 1 technician performs a defined range of tasks under the supervision of a Level 3 Rope Access Safety Supervisor, carries out pre-use checks of their own equipment, assists in rigging under a higher grade's guidance, and can undertake a simple rescue in descent and assist in rescue operations.
The assessment exists so that every candidate demonstrates the required tasks safely, in line with the scheme. Assessors are independent of you, your employer and your training organisation, and they brief you before and during the assessment. The assessor may also explore your knowledge further by discussion.
A separate formal examination only applies to Level 3 candidates. At Levels 1 and 2, the assessor asks questions about the training you received to check your awareness of rope access theory, so listening and explaining clearly on the day is part of the task.
Sources: IRATA Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS), TC-101ENG, Issue 006 — Sections 3, 4, 6 and 9; Technician Exam General Information, IRATA International
Eligibility and registration before you train
You must be at least 18 at the start of the course, declare that you have no condition preventing safe work, and register with IRATA's TechConnect system before training with a member company.
Check the training provider's current suitability and health-declaration requirements before enrolling. Candidates must be at least 18 at the start of training and need the physical capability to complete the tasks safely. Discuss any condition that could affect safe participation with the provider before starting.
Registration runs through IRATA's TechConnect portal: you create an account, verify your email, complete an identity check with a photo document and a selfie through the ID-Pal app, then add your address and a recent photo. Once approved, you receive your IRATA number.
To train and be assessed, book with an IRATA Trainer Member Company; non-member companies are not permitted to provide IRATA training. IRATA publishes a map of training companies by region so you can find one near you.
Sources: Step By Step Guide, IRATA International; IRATA Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS), TC-101ENG, Issue 006 — Sections 3, 4, 6 and 9
Course structure and the 60-day window
Level 1 training takes at least 30 hours over a minimum of four days, followed by a separate assessment day. The assessment must be completed within 60 days of your first training day.
Training courses run a minimum of 30 hours across four days, followed by a one-day assessment, although exact arrangements vary between training centres. During the course you are taught all Level 1 topics in preparation for the assessment.
The scheme sets a hard boundary: the minimum four days of training and the assessment must be completed within 60 days of the first date of training. If that window passes, you are required to attend a further minimum four-day training course.
Training must be led by an IRATA Level 3 technician. The TACS permits a maximum six-to-one candidate ratio only with a Level 3 Instructor; the provider must apply the relevant staffing rules. Course materials include hand-outs, equipment instructions, the Code of Practice, TACS and safety bulletins.
Sources: Step By Step Guide, IRATA International; IRATA Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS), TC-101ENG, Issue 006 — Sections 3, 4, 6 and 9
The Level 1 tasks you must demonstrate
Level 1 candidates are assessed on all elements of the Level 1 syllabus: every rope manoeuvre except passing wide re-anchors, every climbing technique except vertical aid climbing, two specified rescues, plus equipment pre-use checks and a buddy check.
At Level 2 and Level 3, assessors select a representative sample of practical elements. At Level 1 that simplification does not apply: you are assessed on all elements of the Level 1 syllabus, which makes complete, consistent practice across every taught task the core preparation goal.
The two rescues are fixed by the scheme: a rescue in descent from a separate set of ropes, and a rescue by lowering with a pre-rigged rig-for-rescue system. On the equipment side, every candidate demonstrates functional, visual and tactile pre-use checks of all personal equipment and performs a buddy check of another technician wearing similar gear.
Theory awareness is checked conversationally. The assessor asks questions about your training, so be ready to explain what each item in your system does, why a step is taken, and what you would do if something looked wrong.
| Assessment area | What Level 1 must demonstrate |
|---|---|
| Rope manoeuvres | All Level 1 rope manoeuvres, except passing wide re-anchors |
| Climbing techniques | All Level 1 climbing techniques, except vertical aid climbing |
| Rescue | Two rescues: in descent from a separate set of ropes, and by lowering with a pre-rigged rig-for-rescue system |
| Basic rigging and rope handling | Coiling and bagging ropes; specified knots; a basic anchor system; a small Y hang; and fitting wrap-around rope protectors. |
| Equipment | Functional, visual and tactile pre-use checks of all personal equipment, plus a buddy check of another technician |
| Theory | Questions from the assessor about your training, demonstrating awareness of rope access theory |
Sources: IRATA Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS), TC-101ENG, Issue 006 — Sections 3, 4, 6 and 9; Technician Exam General Information, IRATA International
Basic rigging belongs at Level 1; advanced rigging has limits
Level 1 includes demonstrated basic rigging and knot skills. It excludes passing wide re-anchors and vertical aid climbing, while more complex rigging belongs to the higher levels.
TACS requires all candidates to demonstrate coiling and bagging ropes, the specified knots, a basic anchor system, a small Y hang between anchors less than one metre apart, and attaching wrap-around rope protectors. These are supervised training and assessment tasks; describing Level 1 as only assisting with rigging would leave out required skills.
The Level 1 knot list includes figure-of-eight on a bight, double figure-of-eight on a bight, figure-of-nine on a bight, alpine butterfly, scaffold or barrel knot, and a stopper knot. Learn their applications and limitations with your trainer as well as tying, dressing and setting them. This list identifies assessed competencies, not a tying procedure.
Separate rigging a system from passing a feature on an already rigged system. Level 1 includes the applicable rope manoeuvres and small re-anchors, while passing wide re-anchors and vertical aid climbing are excluded. The more complex rigging capabilities described for Level 2 do not remove the basic rigging requirements at Level 1.
How marking works and what causes a fail
Each section of the assessment form is marked pass, pass with discrepancy, or fail. One Major Discrepancy or three Minor Discrepancies during the assessment means a fail, and the assessment ends.
The assessor explains the marking system before you begin and marks each relevant section of the 'Technician Assessment Form' as a pass, a pass with a Minor Discrepancy, or a fail. There are only two overall results: pass or fail. To pass, you must complete all required syllabus elements at the relevant level.
A Minor Discrepancy means you have not committed a Major Discrepancy but have still compromised your own safety or the safety of others; three of them constitute a fail. A Major Discrepancy is a critical safety issue where you have put yourself or others at risk, and a single one fails the assessment immediately. The assessor tells you about discrepancies and explains the safety issue when it occurs and when it is safe to do so.
You are not left guessing. You must be fully briefed before and during the assessment, you can ask the assessor for clarification of any requirement at any time, and the assessor debriefs you and tells you the outcome at the end.
Practice exercise
Paper exercise on the marking rules. Assumptions: during a Level 1 assessment, a candidate receives one Minor Discrepancy on an early task. Later in the same assessment, the assessor judges that a task the candidate performed put the candidate at risk and records it as a Major Discrepancy. Question: what is the overall result, and what would have happened had no Major Discrepancy occurred?
Show answer
The assessment fails and ends immediately. One Major Discrepancy alone is enough to fail, regardless of how many Minor Discrepancies were recorded before it. If no Major Discrepancy had occurred, the candidate would have needed two further Minor Discrepancies, three in total, to fail on Minors alone.
The scheme states that a Major Discrepancy is a critical safety issue in which the candidate has put themselves or others at risk, that one Major Discrepancy constitutes a fail and ends the assessment, and that three Minor Discrepancies also constitute a fail. Because both routes lead to the same result, a single early Minor Discrepancy does not decide the outcome; keeping the rest of the assessment clean still leaves a pass available.
Equipment decisions: a paper case on pre-use checks
A recent detailed inspection record does not clear damage you can see today. A failed pre-use check means the item comes out of service and follows your training company's quarantine or retirement process.
The scheme distinguishes three types of inspection: pre-use checks, detailed inspections and interim inspections. As a minimum, a pre-use check is a brief inspection carried out before use. Equipment should also sit in a formal inspection procedure with a detailed inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding six months, plus interim inspections after arduous conditions or exceptional events.
That structure creates a decision you should be able to make on the spot: the record and the check answer different questions. The following exercise rehearses it on paper before you face it in practice.
Practice exercise
Paper case. Assumptions: your harness carries a detailed inspection record completed five months ago by a competent person, so it is within the six-month interval. During today's pre-use check you notice a fresh, clearly visible patch of abrasion damage on one leg loop. Your instructor asks two questions: does the recent record make the harness acceptable to use, and what should happen to the harness now?
Show answer
The record does not make the harness acceptable, because it describes the harness's condition at the earlier inspection date, not today's visible damage. Take the harness out of service and follow your training company's process for quarantining or retiring the item, referring it to a competent person. Continue only with equipment that passes your pre-use check.
The scheme requires all candidates to demonstrate functional, visual and tactile pre-use checks of all personal equipment, and expects candidates to know the process followed when items are quarantined or retired. Detailed inspections at intervals not exceeding six months run inside a formal procedure, and they supplement rather than replace the check made before each use. Note also that a Level 1 certificate is not an appointment to perform detailed inspections; those belong to competent persons under the formal procedure, so escalating is the correct Level 1 action.
Preparing in a way that matches the assessment
The assessment covers knowledge, skills and attitudes, so combine the scheme's study materials, supervised physical practice of every taught task, and the assessor's own candidate guidance document.
The scheme builds competence from three elements: knowledge, taught in the classroom and through self-directed study; skills, learned by watching demonstrations and practising under your trainer's direction; and attitudes, developed by understanding your personal responsibility for a safe system of work. The assessor assesses all three, including observation of your respect for safe practice.
Physical rope work, including rescue drills, belongs only in a supervised training environment. Paper preparation supports it but cannot replace it, and nothing in home rehearsal establishes practical competence on the ropes.
One optional study exercise is to choose a taught task and explain the purpose of each item and the relevant rule using a paper diagram. Compare your explanation with the course notes and ask your trainer about gaps. Practical rehearsal remains part of supervised training.
- Read the 'Candidate's Guide to IRATA Assessments' [GU-381] so you know what to expect across the whole assessment day
- Study the materials your training company must supply: hand-outs, equipment instructions, the IRATA Code of Practice, the TACS document and IRATA safety bulletins
- Drill each taught task under supervision until the full Level 1 list, not just your strongest areas, feels consistent
- Practise answering 'why' questions about your equipment and procedures, since the assessor may explore your knowledge by discussion
- Ask your instructor early about anything unclear; you can also request clarification from the assessor at any point during the assessment
Sources: IRATA Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS), TC-101ENG, Issue 006 — Sections 3, 4, 6 and 9; Step By Step Guide, IRATA International
Results, retakes and moving up to Level 2
Passing the assessment is one part of certification. If you fail, you have 60 days to retake before retraining in full. Level 1 certification lasts three years, and upgrading needs one year of experience plus 1,000 logged working hours.
Certification is granted by IRATA only after all prerequisites and parts of the certification process are fulfilled, so passing the assessment alone does not guarantee certification. Successful technicians receive a certificate of competence, a photo ID card and a logbook, stating the level awarded and the expiry date.
If you fail, the assessor explains and records the reasons and may specify further training to complete before reassessment. You have 60 days from the date of the failed assessment to retake it before you must retake the training course in full.
Level 1 certification normally runs for three years. Revalidation training and assessment are required to maintain it, and 180 days or more without rope access work triggers refresher training. The certificate does not remove the employer's responsibility to ensure competence for the actual task and equipment.
To progress to Level 2, you need one year of experience and 1,000 working hours recorded and signed off in your logbook, your current certification must still be valid on the assessment day, and you must be competent in all Level 1 requirements before starting the upgrade course. Hand your logbook to the training company before the course begins; the earliest upgrade assessment falls one year and one day after your previous assessment.
Sources: Step By Step Guide, IRATA International; IRATA Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS), TC-101ENG, Issue 006 — Sections 3, 4, 6 and 9
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