Workplace Based Assessment (WBPA) For GP Trainees – What You Need To Know
If you’re a GP trainee and want to understand how you are assessed through WBPA (workplace based assessment) then this blog is for you!
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Introduction
In August 2025 the RCGP updated its GP Curriculum, introducing minor wording changes to the capabilities and updating the progression point descriptors. Importantly, the structure and format of WPBA assessments, and the required numbers for each training year, did not change. If you have evidence already recorded in your portfolio, it remains fully valid.
This blog sets out what WPBA is, what you need to complete in ST1, ST2 and ST3, and how each assessment type works – so you can plan ahead and avoid the common pitfalls.
What is WPBA?
The RCGP defines WPBA as a way to evaluate a trainee’s progress in areas of professional practice that are best tested in the workplace. It is not a pass/fail exam. It is a developmental process, built around evidence collected in your day-to-day work and recorded in the Trainee Portfolio (ePortfolio).
WPBA serves several purposes. It provides a structured way to gather evidence of your clinical performance and professional behaviour. It enables your supervisors to give constructive feedback and identify trainees who may need additional support. And it assesses areas of practice that written exams like the AKT and SCA cannot easily test – including professional conduct, consultation skills in real clinical settings, and your readiness for independent practice.
Evidence from WPBA is reviewed at six-monthly intervals by your Educational Supervisor, and at least annually through the ARCP (Annual Review of Competency Progression). The evidence you collect maps to 13 areas of professional capability, which run across the full curriculum.
Required numbers by training year
The numbers below reflect the current RCGP mandatory evidence requirements. Assessments should be spread across the training year, with roughly half completed in each six-month review period.
ST1 and ST2 – minimum requirements for satisfactory ARCP progress:
- 4 Mini-CEX/COTs (all types, including at least 1 audio COT and 1 face-to-face COT)
- 4 CBDs (Case Based Discussions)
- 1 MSF (minimum 10 respondents, normally at least 5 clinical and 5 non-clinical)
- 1 CSR per post
- 36 Clinical Case Reviews (CCRs)
- CEPS – ongoing, with some relevant to each post
- 1 QIP if in a GP post (if not done in ST1, required in ST2 – and counts as the QIA for that year)
- QIA (Quality Improvement Activity) – involvement in quality improvement must be demonstrated every training year
- 1 Learning Event Analysis (LEA)
- 1 Placement Planning Meeting per post
- Minimum of 2 PDPs per year, with progress demonstrated in at least one
ST3 – minimum requirements for satisfactory ARCP progress:
- 7 COTs (all types, including at least 1 audio COT and 1 face-to-face COT)
- 5 CATs (Care Assessment Tools)
- 2 MSFs – 1 standard MSF (completed in the first 6 months) and 1 Leadership MSF (completed after the Leadership Activity, in the second 6 months)
- 1 PSQ (Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire – minimum 34 responses)
- CEPS – ongoing; by end of ST3 all intimate examinations must be evidenced, plus a range of other CEPS relevant to GP including the 7 GP-focused system CEPS
- 36 CCRs
- 1 Leadership Activity
- 1 Prescribing Assessment
- 1 QIP if not completed in ST1 or ST2; QIA required in every year
- 1 LEA
- 1 Placement Planning Meeting
- Minimum of 2 PDPs, with progress demonstrated in at least one
Note on the ESR: An Educational Supervisor Review is required annually. An interim ESR at six months is only required where there are concerns about progress, or where a previous ARCP gave a developmental outcome. If you are progressing satisfactorily, the interim ESR may not be formally required, though it can still be completed.
Mandatory annual training requirements (all years):
- Child safeguarding – Level 3, with a knowledge update every 12 months and a reflective CCR entry each year
- Adult safeguarding – Level 3, with a knowledge update every 12 months and a reflective CCR entry each year
- Annual hands-on CPR and AED competency (adults and children) – must be face-to-face with active participation
- Form R (or SOAR in Scotland) – required for ARCP at least annually
Overview of each assessment type
Mini-CEX (Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise) – completed in secondary care placements only. A supervisor observes and assesses a real consultation between you and a patient, then gives structured feedback.
COT (Consultation Observation Tool) – completed in primary care (GP) placements. It works similarly to the Mini-CEX but is designed for a GP setting. The Audio COT is a separate format that covers telephone consultation skills, reflecting the increasing role of remote consulting in general practice. At least one Audio COT and one face-to-face COT must be completed.
CBD (Case Based Discussion) – used in ST1 and ST2. A post-consultation discussion with your supervisor, based on a case you have seen, exploring your clinical reasoning and how it maps to the capabilities.
CAT (Care Assessment Tool) – used in ST3 primary care placements only. More wide-ranging than a CBD, it can include discussion of a prescribing review follow-up, a random case review, a referral review or a significant event. Always done after the clinical event.
CEPS (Clinical Examination and Procedural Skills) – assessed against the six mandatory intimate examinations required for GP and a range of other clinical examinations and procedures. These are completed throughout training in a range of posts. By the end of ST3 you must have evidence for all intimate examinations, plus competence across the 7 GP-focused system CEPS.
MSF (Multi-Source Feedback) – colleagues are invited to give structured feedback on your clinical performance and professional behaviour. A minimum of 10 respondents is required, normally at least 5 clinical and 5 non-clinical. In ST3, the standard MSF should be completed in the first six months. The Leadership MSF is separate and must be completed after your Leadership Activity.
PSQ (Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire) – patients are asked to rate your consultation skills across 9 questions. A minimum of 34 responses is needed. Required in ST3 only.
Leadership Activity – an activity where you have taken a defined leadership role, such as a VTS teaching session, representing trainees at the LMC, or a quality improvement project with a leadership element. Further examples are on the RCGP website.
Leadership MSF – a separate MSF focused on leadership skills, completed after the Leadership Activity. Colleagues are asked to rate you against 5 key leadership areas.
Prescribing Assessment – completed in ST3. You review 50 of your own retrospective prescriptions and reflect on any prescribing errors or learning points. Your supervisor then reviews a sample and completes the assessment with you.
QIP (Quality Improvement Project) – a detailed quality improvement project, more rigorous than a standard audit. Must be completed in a GP post and assessed using the QIP form. Required in ST1 or ST2 (not ST3, unless not previously completed). Counts as the QIA for that year.
QIA (Quality Improvement Activity) – broader than a QIP. Involvement in quality improvement must be demonstrated in every training year. A QIP counts as a QIA for that year. An LEA, reflection on feedback or a leadership project does not count as the mandatory QIA.
CSR (Clinical Supervisor Report) – a short report from your clinical supervisor commenting on your performance during a specific post and linking it to the capabilities. Required in every post in ST1 and ST2. In ST3 it is required if: your clinical supervisor is a different person from your educational supervisor; the portfolio does not give a full enough picture of your progress; or either the registrar or supervisor feels it would be appropriate.
ESR (Educational Supervisor Review) – completed annually. Your educational supervisor reviews all evidence in your portfolio and provides a summary of your progress against the capabilities. This underpins your ARCP. An interim ESR at six months is only required where there are concerns, or following a developmental ARCP outcome.
LEA (Learning Event Analysis) – one per training year. A structured reflection on a significant learning event from clinical practice.
CCR (Clinical Case Review) – the main learning log format. Must be about real patients you have personally seen. The RCGP requires that a range of logs is completed across each six-month period – not only CCRs – in order to cover capabilities such as organisation, leadership, ethics and fitness to practise.
PDP (Personal Development Plan) – at least two per year, with evidence of progress in at least one.
The 9 Clinical Experience Groups and 13 Capabilities
Mapping your evidence: the curriculum framework
Every learning log and assessment in your portfolio links to clinical experience groups and professional capabilities. Getting this mapping right matters, because your educational supervisor will use it to check you have built a broad base of evidence across the curriculum.
The 9 Clinical Experience Groups are:
- Infants, children and young people (under 19 years)
- Gender, reproductive and sexual health (including women’s, men’s, LGBTQ+, gynaecology and breast)
- People with long-term conditions including cancer, multi-morbidity and disability
- Older adults including frailty and/or end of life
- Mental health (including addiction, alcohol and substance misuse)
- Urgent and unscheduled care (including out-of-hours)
- People with health disadvantages and vulnerabilities
- Population health and health promotion (including people with non-acute and/or non-chronic health problems)
- Clinical problems not linked to a specific clinical experience group
The 13 Capabilities are:
- Fitness to practise
- An ethical approach
- Communication and consulting
- Data gathering and interpretation
- Clinical examination and procedural skills
- Decision-making and diagnosis
- Clinical management
- Medical complexity
- Team working
- Performance, learning and teaching
- Organisation, management and leadership
- Holistic practice, health promotion and safeguarding
- Community health and environmental sustainability
The August 2025 curriculum update introduced minor wording changes to some capability titles and added updated descriptors to reflect changes in GP practice – including digital consultations, climate-aware care and the post-COVID landscape. All existing portfolio entries remain valid and the numbers required for each training year have not changed. The 13 capabilities themselves are unchanged in their underlying requirements.
Summary
It is very easy to feel overwhelmed by the volume of WPBA requirements, particularly while you are also adjusting to new rotations and preparing for the AKT and SCA. The key is to plan early and spread your evidence consistently across each six-month period, rather than rushing to complete assessments before your ARCP.
Done well, WPBA is genuinely useful. It creates structured opportunities for feedback, builds your portfolio in a way that reflects your real clinical development, and supports your readiness for independent practice. It is not just a box-ticking exercise – though with good planning, it does not have to be a source of stress either.
For the most up-to-date guidance on each assessment type, visit the RCGP WPBA pages directly.
If you are also preparing for the AKT or SCA, Arora’s AKT resources and SCA resources are built around how GP trainees actually learn – structured, practical and focused on what the exams really test. You can also join the free national AKT and SCA WhatsApp teaching groups for free daily teaching from Dr Arora.
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Also:
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Author Bio — Dr Aman Arora
Hi! I’m Dr. Aman Arora, a Portfolio GP with over a decade of clinical and teaching experience, dedicated to helping doctors achieve their goals with confidence. Having had the privilege of supporting more than 50,000 doctors worldwide across exams such as MRCGP AKT, SCA, MSRA, PLAB 2 and PLAB 1, I understand the challenges you face and the strategies needed to overcome them. Through personalised face-to-face sessions, engaging online courses, mocks, audio and a vibrant social media community, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Whether you’re looking to pass crucial exams or take the next big step in your medical career, we’re here to help you succeed. Feel free to get in touch with any thoughts, questions, or ideas — I look forward to working with you and being part of your journey.
Author Bio — Dr Pooja Arora
Dr Pooja Arora is a GP with a background in Medical Politics, where she passionately focuses on improving the opportunities and working conditions for junior doctors. She is proud to hold FRCGP (Fellow of Royal College of General Practitioners).
You can find out more about Pooja’s previous roles and qualifications here.
