How to answer NEBOSH Scenario

Based Assessments
Written by Phoenix Health & Safety
30th June 2023

Unsure how to tackle scenario-based NEBOSH assessments in your NEBOSH course? In this
post we’ll breakdown the new assessment guidance, so you know how to answer the exam
questions effectively.

What are Scenario Based Assessments?

The Open Book Examination (OBE) consists of questions delivered in the format of Scenario
Based Assessments (SBA’s). There is a guidance document, produced by NEBOSH,
regarding the SBA’s which can be found at this link.

SBAs (Scenario Based Assessments) are the format in which questions are delivered in
NEBOSH Open Book Exams. They are designed to emulate the work environment, requiring
you to use the knowledge you’ve acquired throughout the course and apply it to a situation,
meaning you’ll need a strong understanding of the course material to complete them
effectively.

Each SBA consists of two distinct parts; the first is a scenario which describes a situation or
event, the second is a set of questions which use the context of the scenario and ask you to
apply your health and safety knowledge. We’ll now breakdown each section of the SBA and
discuss how to answer the questions effectively. You can read the full published guidance
here.

The scenario is the first part of the SBA and is often based on a public health and safety
incident or the exam writer’s own experience, making it a situation that you could possibly
face in the workplace. These scenarios can take place in various settings; call centres,
warehouses and supermarkets have all been used in previous exams. Each scenario will
provide all the context you need, so don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with the setting. All
you’ll need to do is apply the knowledge you’ve learned throughout the course and infer
things from the scenario.
The second part of SBAs are the questions. Each question is worth a specific number of
marks and will need to be answered a certain way based upon the question wording. If the
question uses “comment on”, “justify” or “to what extent”, then you will need to use
evidence and information from the scenario to argue a specific point. If a question asks you
to “comment on how well” something is done in the scenario, the exam marker is expecting
you to discuss both arguments for and against, demonstrating a complete understanding of
the scenario and the course knowledge, then drawing conclusions about it.

How should you answer SBA questions?

NEBOSH recommends using the ‘P.E.E Principal,’ a structure you may already be familiar
with. This structure can be easily compared to the KUS technique (Knowledge,
Understanding and Scenario) often recommended by Phoenix’s Study Support team, as you
can see below.

P.E.E stands for ‘Point, Evidence, Explanation’:

 Point/Knowledge: A statement based on information presented in the scenario, or

information you’ve learned from the course that directly answers the question.
 Evidence/Scenario: A quote/section from the scenario which evidences your point.
 Explanation/Understanding: Why your evidence supports your point.

In the format of an actual question, a simple version of the structure could look like this:

Question:

“Task 1: Justifying health and safety improvements - What financial arguments could you
use to justify your proposed recommendations to segregate FLTs and the workers?”

Scenario:

“There have been many injuries recorded over the years. Most recently, a repeat of a more
serious collision occurred involving a young FLT driver. The brakes were applied too late, as
the driver was distracted by their mobile phone, the FLT skidded on an oil spillage and
knocked goods over onto a passing worker.”

Answer:

 Point/Knowledge: Compensation claims can be avoided by reducing accidents

through the segregation of FLTs and workers.
 Evidence/Scenario: When in the same area, FLTs can lead to accidents which can
injure workers, putting them at serious risk, as shown in the case study where goods
fell on to a passing worker.
 Explanation/Understanding: However, when segregated products would no longer put
workers at risk, even if accidents occurred, as they would not be in the same area.
This would result in no injury compensation needing to be provided.
Some questions may not require the full P.E.E structure, and you will be able to tell this
based on the amount of detail you need to answer the question effectively. For example, if it
doesn’t require you to explain your answer or draw any conclusions.

Another frequent question students ask is how much they need to write for each question.
This will depend on how many marks each question is worth. If a question is worth 6 marks,
the exam marker will look for 6 unique points in your answer, which can be any points you
make, evidence you pick out or evidence you provide. Keep in mind that repeating the same
information will not get you any marks, so don’t waste time doing so.

So, remember, when answering Scenario Based Assessments:

 Read the scenario and question carefully before writing any answers.
 Pay attention to the number of marks each question is worth. Write as much as you
need to for all the marks and don’t repeat the same information.
 Use the P.E.E structure to explain and evidence your points, helping you score marks
for questions which ask you to provide explanations or draw conclusions.

If you're feeling more confident in your exam skills and ready to take your NEBOSH exam,
you can book here.