How our standards are set, checked and corrected.
A business built on professional judgment has to show how that judgment is governed. This page explains who is accountable for our standards, how they are checked, and what happens when we get something wrong.

Who is accountable
| Role | Accountable for |
|---|---|
| Standards council | Approving case-writing rules, marking rules, severity criteria and the confidence method for every domain; meets quarterly |
| Domain lead (one per live or active domain) | Topic coverage, calibration standards, adjudication policy and the quality of every certified answer in the domain |
| Legal desk | Tying every answer to the law, tracking rule changes and approving re-certification |
| Quality team | Measuring agreement, reviewer corrections, control-case results and errors found after certification |
Domain leads and adjudicators are senior practising professionals, verified against their profession's register. Their credentials can be confirmed to a client under confidentiality for a specific engagement.
What the standard is written down in
- Case-writing guide — what a realistic, synthetic, well-framed case looks like.
- Marking rules — how each answer field is marked, including tolerances and severity.
- Adjudication guide — when a case is decided and when it is marked ambiguous.
- Evidence standard — which authorities can support a certified answer, and how they are dated.
- Method notes — published summaries of the above. First notes planned for January 2027. Our method in ten minutes · Research and method notes.
How we check ourselves
| Check | How often |
|---|---|
| Hidden control cases in every batch | Every batch |
| Re-review of a random sample of certified answers | Monthly |
| Agreement and correction rates by domain and topic | Monthly, reported to the standards council |
| Full review of each pack's legal basis | At least yearly |
| Review of this governance model | Yearly |
When we get an answer wrong
- We correct it — the record is re-certified and issued as a new version with a change note.
- We tell affected customers — if a report or dataset relied on the wrong answer, we notify them and re-mark affected results.
- We learn from it — the cause is recorded (case wording, calibration, missed authority) and the relevant guide is updated.
Challenge an answer
If you believe a certified answer is wrong, tell us. Send the case ID, your view and the authority you rely on. A senior professional who did not work on the original case reviews it and replies within 10 working days. If you are right, the answer is corrected as above. Challenges never affect your results or relationship with us.
Our standards — FAQ
How can I challenge a certified answer?+
Send the case ID, your view and your authority. A senior professional who didn't work on the case reviews it and replies within 10 working days.
What happens when you get an answer wrong?+
We correct it as a new version, notify affected customers and re-mark their results, and update the guide that caused the error.
Who approves the marking rules?+
The standards council, which approves case-writing, marking, severity and confidence rules for every domain.
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