How to Conduct LLND Assessments Effectively for RTOs

Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital (LLND) assessment is one of the most important compliance requirements for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in Australia. It is also one of the most commonly mishandled.

When done properly, LLND assessment helps protect your students, improve completion rates, and show ASQA that your RTO takes learner support seriously. When done poorly, it can lead to compliance issues, weaker student outcomes, and challenging audit discussions.

Under the 2025 Standards for RTOs, which took effect on 1 July 2025, LLND requirements have become stricter. Assessments must now be completed before enrolment is finalised, rather than after a student has started their course. Digital literacy is also now a formal part of LLND, alongside language, literacy, and numeracy.

This guide explains what LLND assessment is, why it matters, how to manage it correctly, and how the right training management software can simplify the entire process.

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What is an LLND Assessment?

LLND stands for Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital literacy. These are the core foundation skills that affect a student’s ability to engage with training, follow workplace instructions, communicate effectively, and use technology in everyday tasks.

In the VET sector, an LLND assessment is a pre-enrolment diagnostic process. It helps your RTO determine whether a prospective student has the skills required to succeed in a particular course or qualification. It is not a measure of intelligence. Instead, it is a structured way to identify a student’s current skill levels and determine whether any support or reasonable adjustments may be needed before or during training.

• Language: The ability to communicate verbally, including listening, speaking, and interacting in English within a workplace or training environment.
• Literacy: Reading and writing skills, including the ability to understand workplace documents, forms, reports, and written instructions.
• Numeracy: The ability to apply basic mathematical skills in practical situations, such as measurements, calculations, scheduling, and interpreting information.

Digital literacy: The ability to use digital tools and technology to access information, complete tasks, communicate, and participate in online training.

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Why LLND Assessment Is a Compliance Obligation

LLND assessment is not optional. Under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Outcome Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2025), RTOs must consider a student’s existing skills and competencies, including their LLND capabilities. This is necessary to properly advise students on course suitability before enrolment is finalised.

What the 2025 Standards Require

The most significant change in the 2025 Standards relates to timing. LLND assessment must now be completed before enrolment. It cannot be left until induction or after training has started. The goal is to identify student needs early so that appropriate support and adjustments can be arranged from the beginning.

Under the updated Standards, your RTO must be able to demonstrate that it:

• Assesses each student’s LLND skills before enrolment is finalised
• Uses an assessment tool mapped to the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF)
• Identifies whether any LLND gaps are minor or significant
• Does not enrol students where a significant gap cannot be supported
• Provides reasonable adjustments and support where gaps are minor or manageable
• Documents the entire process in an audit-ready manner

ASQA’s guidance requires LLND assessments to use ACSF levels, not AQF levels. Using a qualification level to judge LLND skills is a common compliance mistake.

Consequences of Getting LLND Wrong

A poorly managed LLND assessment is more than just a compliance risk. Students who enrol without the right foundation skills are more likely to struggle, disengage, or withdraw. This can harm student outcomes, increase the workload for trainers, and lower your RTO’s completion rates, which ASQA increasingly uses to measure training quality.

Step-by-Step: How to Conduct an Effective LLND Assessment

Step 1: Map the LLND Requirements of Your Course

Before assessing a student, you need to understand the LLND levels your course requires. Start by reviewing the units of competency in your training product. Most modern units include a Foundation Skills section that outlines the reading, writing, oral communication, numeracy, and learning skills needed, often referencing ACSF levels.

Go through each unit and note the highest ACSF level required in each skill area. This sets your benchmark — the minimum level a student must have to engage with the training without needing significant extra support.

Step 2: Select an Appropriate Assessment Tool

Choose an LLND assessment tool that is validated and mapped to the ACSF. It should cover all four domains: Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital Literacy. ASQA accepts both in-house and commercial tools, but whichever you use, it must clearly align with the ACSF levels required for your course.

Some commonly used options in the Australian VET market include:

• BKSB (Basic Key Skills Builder): A digital platform offering ACSF-aligned literacy and numeracy assessments, with automated marking and reporting.
• Core Skills Profile for Adults (CSPA): Published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), validated and widely used in government-funded programs.
• Industry-specific LLND Kits: Qualification-specific resources from commercial RTO providers, often including assessor guides and mapping documents.
• In-house tools: RTOs can develop their own tools, as long as they are mapped to the relevant ACSF levels and validated for reliability and accuracy.

Tip: If your RTO offers government-funded training or VET Student Loans (VSL) courses, check whether the program requires an approved assessment tool. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations provides a list of tools approved for VSL.

Step 3: Administer the Assessment Before Enrolment

Make it a required step in your pre-enrolment workflow so students cannot progress to the enrolment form until it is done. Keep the assessment simple and low-stress. Explain to students that it helps tailor their learning experience and ensure the conditions are fair. 

Consider:

• Offering the assessment online via your LMS or student portal
• Providing clear written instructions in plain English, and in other languages if needed
• Allowing enough time so students are not rushed
• Providing adjustments for students with disabilities or learning difficulties before the assessment

Step 4: Interpret Results Against Your Course Benchmark

After the assessment, compare the student’s ACSF levels with the benchmark from Step 1. The key question is: does the student have the foundation skills needed to succeed in this training?

ASQA guidance identifies two types of gaps:‍

• Minor gap: The student’s LLND skills are slightly below the required level. The gap can be addressed with support, adjustments, or targeted development during the course. Enrolment can proceed with a support plan.
• Significant gap: The student’s LLND skills are well below the required level. They should not be enrolled in this course. Advise the student and guide them to a more suitable pathway, such as a lower-level qualification, a foundation skills program, or LLND-specific training.

Step 5: Identify Reasonable Adjustments and Support

If a minor gap is identified, or a student may need extra help, create a clear support plan. This could include:

• Adding extra LLND practice activities to the course
• Providing written materials in plain language or with visuals
• Allowing extra time for assessments
• Offering one-on-one trainer support or mentoring
• Referring students to a specialist LLN practitioner
• Using audio or video resources instead of text-heavy materials

Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005, students with a disability are entitled to reasonable adjustments. Make sure your RTO understands its obligations and documents any adjustments provided.

Step 6: Document Everything

Many RTOs struggle with documentation. You may have completed the assessment, identified gaps, and put a support plan in place, but was it all recorded so an ASQA auditor could verify it?

Your records should include:

• The completed LLND assessment for each student
• The ACSF benchmark used for the course
• The student's assessed ACSF levels across each domain
• A record of the enrolment decision (proceed, proceed with support, or not enrol)
• Details of any support plan or reasonable adjustments agreed
• Evidence the assessment was completed before enrolment

Keep records secure and easy to access for audits. Under the 2025 Standards, student records must be retained for at least two years after course completion.

RTOPilot’s Student Management System lets you attach LLND assessment records directly to each enrolment file, keeping everything in one place and audit-ready. You can see how it works with a free demo.

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Common Mistakes RTOs Make With LLND Assessment

Even well-run RTOs can run into trouble with LLND. Here are the most common pitfalls to watch for:

• Assessing after enrolment: Under the 2025 Standards, LLND must be assessed before any enrolment decision.
• Using AQF level as a proxy for LLND readiness: Holding a Certificate III in another field does not guarantee the student has the LLND skills needed. Always use ACSF levels.
• Using an unmapped or unvalidated tool: Informal quizzes or conversations are not enough. Tools must be mapped to the ACSF and validated.
• Failing to address digital literacy: Many RTOs update LLN processes but overlook digital skills. The 2025 Standards make LLND, including digital literacy, mandatory.
• No documented support plan: Identifying a gap without providing or recording support leaves your RTO exposed.
• One-size-fits-all assessments: Using the same tool and benchmark for all courses, regardless of ACSF requirements, is insufficient.
• Enrolling students despite a significant gap: If a student has a significant LLND gap, they should not be enrolled in that training product.

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LLND Assessment for Diverse Learner Cohorts

RTOs serve a wide range of learners, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, mature-aged workers returning to the workforce, students with learning disabilities, and international students under CRICOS registration. Effective LLND assessment should be fair, inclusive, and free from unnecessary barriers.

Learners From CALD Backgrounds

For learners whose first language is not English, LLND assessment can feel high-stakes. Clearly explain the process and ensure the assessment measures foundation skills, not English language ability alone, unless English is an inherent requirement of the course. Where needed, connect students with programs such as the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) or Skills for Education and Employment (SEE).

Learners With Disability

Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005, students with a disability are entitled to reasonable adjustments to participate on the same basis as others. Check that your assessment materials and conditions do not disadvantage these students. Adjustments might include accessible materials, extra time, or alternative assessment methods.

International Students (CRICOS)

RTOs with CRICOS registration must consider English language requirements under the ESOS Act 2000. LLND assessment and English proficiency testing are related but separate. Your pre-enrolment process should address both, with clear policies and relevant benchmarks for each course.

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How Technology Can Streamline Your LLND Process

For many RTOs, the biggest challenge with LLND is not knowing what to do — it’s doing it consistently for every enrolment, course, and intake. Manual processes, spreadsheets, and paper records make it easy for tasks to be missed.

The right training management software can streamline your LLND process:

•  Automatically trigger LLND assessments as part of pre-enrolment, so no student can enrol without completing it
• Integrate with or link to your preferred digital LLND assessment tool
• Store assessment results, support plans, and adjustment records in each student’s profile
• Generate audit-ready reports showing when assessments were completed and decisions made
• Alert trainers and coordinators when a support plan needs follow-up

RTOPilot’s is designed for these compliance workflows. From pre-enrolment to certificate issuance, every step of the student journey is tracked, documented, and easily accessible — keeping you audit-ready.