The 2026 Syllabus NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (NGC) provides a broad understanding of health & safety issues and is ideal for anyone who needs to be able to manage day-to-day risks effectively. The skills and knowledge covered are relevant to all organisations anywhere in the world.
For those interested in a career in health & safety in the UK, this is an essential qualification and is highly respected by employers worldwide. It offers a valuable overview of health & safety principles and practice, and is a strong basis for further professional study. Roles which often require candidates to have completed the NGC or similar include Health & Safety Officer, EHS Officer, Health & Safety Advisor and Health & Safety Coordinator.
NEBOSH IGC - International General Certificate Click Here
112 hours of study + Assessment | RQF Level 3 | Available Worldwide
RRC have taken their highly-respected Online course to the next level, starting with the new General Certificate syllabus. The new eLearning course is designed to be highly interactive, with a focus on active learning and real-world examples to support not only your studies, but your wider practice as a successful H&S professional.
Education Level: Level 3 | Hours of Study: 112 + Assessment | RRC Tuition Period: 18 months | NEBOSH Completion Period: 5 years from first assessment
The NEBOSH National General Certificate is based on UK law. It is made up of two units that must be successfully completed within five years to achieve the NEBOSH Certificate:
There are no entry requirements for this qualification, however it is important that learners have a suitable standard of English language in order to understand and articulate the concepts contained in the syllabus.
NEBOSH recommends that learners undertaking this qualification should reach a minimum standard of English equivalent to an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.0 or higher in IELTS tests.
For further information please see the IELTS website.
A chart mapping IELTS scores to the Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) can be found on the British Council and IELTS websites:
Learners wishing to assess their own language expertise may consult the IELTS website for information on taking the test. Your chosen Learning Partner may also be able to recommend a method of pre-learning assessment of language.
Unit GNC1
Unit GNC1 is assessed by a scenario based assessment completed at home. You have 24 hours to complete this.
Unit GNC2
Unit GNC2 is assessed by a risk assessment carried out in your workplace (or another suitable workplace). You must get at least 60 marks out of a possible 100 to pass.
Assessment Dates
Assessments are held every month throughout the year for English Language. For any other languages, exams are held in March, June, September and December. First assessment for the New NEBOSH General Certificate is 4 March 2026
View all upcoming NEBOSH Assessment Dates here.
Course fees can be paid in up to a maximum of four monthly instalments. For UK customers instalments can be paid over 10 months. Click here for more information.
There are two assessments, one per unit and both must be passed within 5 years of your first assessment date.
Unit GNC1 is assessed by a scenario based assessment completed at home. You have 24 hours to complete this.
Unit GNC2 is assessed by a risk assessment carried out in your workplace (or another suitable workplace). You must get at least 60 marks out of a possible 100 to pass.
Pass Standards
While you must pass both units to complete your NEBOSH NGC, your final grade will be based on your GNC1 score only, as follows:
You can choose to resit your GNC1 exam even if you passed to attempt to improve your overall grade.
The NG1 exam is completed at home. The NG2 practical assessment is undertaken at your workplace. There is no need to attend an assessment centre.
GNC1 should be studied before the GNC2 practical assessment is undertaken.
Whilst the GNC2 assessment primarily assesses elements 5 – 11, the knowledge from elements 1.1, 1.2 and 3.4 is required to complete the assessment.
This will depend on how you choose to study. The Classroom and Live Online courses are taught over 2 weeks (10 days) plus assessments. For Online study on average, learners complete this course in around 3-6 months.
Yes, you can sign up for a free online course trial here. This will give you access to a restricted section of the Learning Centre so that you can get a feel of how the Online course is structured and the range of resources and activities available.
Live Online is delivered in real time through Zoom and is very similar to a classroom course. The tutor will deliver the course with breaks to allow time for group work, exercises, and private study.
Enhanced Online (or simply Online) & elearning are just different words for the same thing, and mean a flexible, self study course delivery with tutor support that can be accessed via email. Distance Learning, means learning at a distance but is commonly used to describe the more traditional paper based study.
If you would like additional resources to supplement your learning, RRC offers a range of publications such as course textbooks and law guides.
Please visit our Professional Recognition page for the full list of recognitions you are eligible for with the NEBOSH National General Certificate.
The National Certificate is based on UK legislation and is recognised worldwide. If you are planning to work in the UK at any point, we would recommend you complete the National General Certificate.
The International Certificate is based on International Standards of Best Practice and is recognised by employers outside of the UK, however is generally not the preferred qualification for working in the UK.
Yes, the Certificate is the exact same. You cannot tell the method of study from the Certificate.
RRC are delighted to have been evaluated as a NEBOSH Gold Learning Partner, the highest level in the NEBOSH Learning Partner programme.
In September 2019 NEBOSH introduced a Learning Partner Programme which recognises those Learning Partners that provide learners with the best possible learning experience. The programme categorises Learning partners based on the level at which they meet or exceed their Learning Excellence Principles.
By holding Gold Learning Partner status, RRC has demonstrated that we greatly exceed the principles in our development and delivery of our courses, as well as our customer service.
You can find our more about principles and scheme here.
If you are looking to study a higher level H&S qualification, the NEBOSH Diploma will be the most suitable course to study.
Alternatively, you can broaden your knowledge by studying one or more of the more specialist NEBOSH Certificate courses.
No. The Certificate can be studied by students with no prior health and safety experience.
The General Certificate is a level 3 qualification (EQF) which is the equivalent to A-levels in the UK.
If you are referred on an assessment, you can book a resit with our exams team. When you receive your results, you will also be sent a mark breakdown of your paper from NEBOSH directly.
For GNC2 (the practical assessment) you will receive feedback from the NEBOSH examiner which will help to improve your work. You can then resubmit at the next exam date.
Please note you will need to pay the NEBOSH assessment fee again along with a small RRC administration fee.
You can find more advice on what to do if you're referred and the options available here, including accessing support, booking your resit and challenging your result.
NEBOSH does not release past papers for any of their assessments. However, you can find examiner reports and a sample question paper on the NEBOSH website.
Yes, when you study the NEBOSH National General Certificate with RRC you are eligible to sign up for TOTUM Pro. This is a discount scheme that gives you access to exclusive discounts, offers and vouchers from hundreds of retailers. You can find out more about the scheme here.
No. The Certificate can be studied by students with no prior health and safety experience.
After completing your National General Certificate, there are a number of options available to further develop your skills and career. If you are interested in progressing into a senior H&S role, a Level 6 qualification will provide the appropriate level of depth.
You can also improve your knowledge in more specialised areas such as Fire Safety, Construction or ISO 45001 management systems, or add environmental sustainability to your portfolio.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your options with our Customer Advisory Team.
As soon as I registered to undertake my NEBOSH Fire Safety Certificate with RRC they provided me with clear and detailed information on all aspects of the course. Any queries were answered quickly by the dedicated Customer Services team.
The tutor, Steve, was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and the practical application and examples he used and explained really helped me through the exam.
The Live Online course was well structured and the RRC platform is really user-friendly and easy to use.
I would recommend RRC as a learning partner to anyone looking to undertake professional health and safety qualifications. I was so impressed by the service I received from RRC, I have decided to stay with them to continue my professional development and start my NEBOSH National Diploma
I found RRC during a tough time as many people have been through in recent times. This subject is something I've always had an interest in and gave me something to focus on. I just want to thank you and your team.