Passing the 'Stranger Test'

The 'Stranger Test’ is a simple element of the Quality Assurance process in which we check that the information you are submitting for your badge is easily understood by someone that is unfamiliar with your organisation or activities.

When badges are a little too vague, don't explain what an individual has done to earn the badge, or are difficult to understand, they might not pass The Stranger Test and we will be in touch to gather additional information.

The best place to capture the detail of what earners have undertaken is within the earning criteria. For more information about writing earning criteria, please see How to write earning criteria.

Below are some top tips and dos and don’ts for helping your badge pass The Stranger Test.

Top Tips

✅ Write a minimum of two earning criteria per badge.

✅ Be clear about the actions an earner has undertaken and how this relates to the earner enhancing their knowledge, skills, attitudes or values.

✅ Don’t be afraid of detail - the more you can add, the more likely it is that your badge will pass the Stranger Test.

❌ Avoid discussing knowledge or skills without explaining how an earner has learnt about or demonstrated them.

Examples – Dos and Don’ts

❌Earner has participated in a gardening course.

This gives little detail around the purpose of the course or what skills or knowledge earners gain by taking part.

✅Earner has participated in a 2-day course to increase their knowledge of horticulture and develop skills in gardening.

❌ Earner has completed all sessions in the course.

This gives little detail around what sessions earners are engaging with, what skills they are developing, or how they are interacting with the course content.

✅ Earner has developed skills in active learning by engaging with all required sessions of the course, including both in-person workshops and online self-study.

❌Earner has completed a quiz about gardening.

This gives little detail about the quiz content or what learning outcomes the earner is completing by taking part.

✅Earner has demonstrated their understanding of gardening by successfully passing a quiz to identify common garden plants.

❌ Earner has learnt about researching plant care.

This gives little detail about the context for the skill they are learning about, or how they would use this skill.

✅ Earner has developed an awareness of trusted websites they can use to research the care requirements of their garden plants, such as the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

❌Earner has demonstrated adaptability.

This does not include information on what the earner has done to demonstrate this skill.

✅Earner has demonstrated adaptability by identifying and learning a new way to complete [task].

❌Earner has demonstrated an understanding of Photoshop.

This does not include context for how the earner has demonstrated their understanding.

✅Earner has demonstrated their understanding of Photoshop by using the software to create a new [insert visual asset e.g. leaflet / art / logo etc.]