Who is the NEBOSH IGC for?
The International General Certificate suits managers, supervisors, workers with safety responsibilities and people starting a health and safety career. It develops a broad understanding of everyday risks, practical controls and the management arrangements behind safer work.
The current route uses the June 2025 specification, introduced for teaching and assessment in 2026, with units GIC1 and GIC2. It provides a foundation for more advanced study, including the International Diploma, rather than assuming previous professional-level knowledge.
What do SCQF Level 6 and RQF Level 3 mean?
The IGC is credit rated at SCQF Level 6 with 11 SCQF credit points: five for GIC1 and six for GIC2. NEBOSH describes that level as comparable to RQF Level 3.
SCQF and RQF use different numbering systems. The IGC’s SCQF Level 6 is therefore not the same level as the current International Diploma’s RQF Level 6. Credits indicate qualification size; they are not the number of classroom hours.
What will you study in GIC1 and GIC2?
The syllabus contains 11 elements. Elements 1–4 build the management foundation; Elements 5–11 cover workplace hazards. The practical risk assessment draws on the whole course, so the management and hazard topics need to be understood together.
- GIC1 — managing safety: moral, financial and legal reasons for improvement; management systems, roles and contractor responsibilities; culture, human factors, risk assessment and change; monitoring, incident investigation and review.
- GIC2 — applying risk assessment: physical and psychological health, musculoskeletal risks, chemical and biological agents, workplace conditions, work equipment, fire and electricity.
- Learning includes selecting proportionate controls, explaining why an improvement matters and deciding how actions will be communicated and reviewed.
What practical skills can you develop?
You learn to make a reasoned case for safety improvements, take part in incident investigation and help review a management system. You also develop the ability to assess a workplace and connect hazards with realistic control priorities.
For example, identifying a vehicle movement hazard is only a start. A useful assessment also explains who could be harmed, how exposure occurs, which controls already exist and what further action would make sense.
How are GIC1 and GIC2 assessed?
GIC1 is a scenario-based open-book assessment with a closing interview. NEBOSH gives a 24-hour access and submission window; the learner guide indicates about five hours of assessment work. The longer window is not a requirement to write continuously for 24 hours.
GIC2 is a workplace risk assessment with four parts: background and method, risk assessment, prioritisation, and communication/checking/review. It should use realistic workplace information and hazards across at least five different categories. The current learner and practical guides recommend around four hours, with no fixed assessment time limit.
Use your own workplace where suitable. If you do not have access, the Learning Partner can help arrange suitable premises. Both assessments are marked through NEBOSH, and the registered submission instructions govern the applicable deadline.
Pass requirements and qualification grades
Both units must be passed. GIC1 has a provisional pass standard of 45%; final awarding follows NEBOSH’s standard-setting process. GIC2 is marked out of 100, with a Pass at 60 marks or above and Refer below 60.
The qualification grade is based on GIC1 after GIC2 has been passed. A strong GIC1 result does not replace the need to achieve GIC2.
- Pass: GIC1 result 45–64.
- Credit: GIC1 result 65–74.
- Distinction: GIC1 result 75 or above.
- Referred units can be retaken, subject to registration and fees. Both units must be passed within a five-year period.
Entry, course language and learning mode
NEBOSH does not require a formal entry qualification. For English-language study, it recommends English equivalent to IELTS 6.0 or above. Learners need enough language ability to understand the syllabus and explain their reasoning in assessment.
HSE Promo accepts enquiries for English or Arabic IGC training, with In Person or Online routes. Language availability and assessment sittings vary; the course language is selected separately from the website language. Registration and the relevant learning are through a NEBOSH Learning Partner.
Study commitment and your next step
The qualification involves at least 63 taught hours and around 40 hours of private study and reading, in addition to assessment preparation and work. Calendar length depends on how teaching and support are arranged.
Plan regular reading, time to apply the concepts and access to a suitable workplace for GIC2. When enquiring, share your country, city, course language and training needs so we can check available course arrangements.
IGC can support a first safety role or the responsibilities of an existing supervisor. The International Diploma builds on this foundation with more demanding technical, strategic and written-assessment work.
Official qualification resources
- NEBOSH: qualification, entry, study hours and assessment information
- NEBOSH: IGC learner guide, August 2026 (PDF)
- NEBOSH: GIC2 practical assessment guidance (PDF)
- NEBOSH: how provisional pass marks are set
- NEBOSH: digital assessment instructions and current dates
Reviewed 25 October 2026. The current specification and registered assessment instructions apply.