City And Guilds Evolve Portal Login: Direct Gateway Link & IT Helpline
Quick Summary
- Official Gateway URL: Access the administrative SecureAssess portal directly at https://evolve.cityandguilds.com.
- Dual-Platform Architecture: Centre staff log into the web-based SecureAssess portal to manage exams, while candidates use the locked-down desktop SecureClient app with an 8-character Keycode and 4-digit PIN.
- Prerequisite Registration: Learners must first be registered and booked via the Walled Garden (www.walled-garden.com) before assessments appear in e-volve.
- Verified Technical Support: Reach the dedicated UK e-volve Help Desk at 01924 930 800 or email [email protected] (Monday–Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time).
To access the City & Guilds e-volve administrative portal, navigate directly to https://evolve.cityandguilds.com and sign in using your assigned SecureAssess Username and case-sensitive Password. Powered by the Surpass assessment engine, e-volve serves as the primary digital examination and invigilation infrastructure for approved City & Guilds training centres, colleges, and apprenticeship providers. The ecosystem splits into two distinct environments: exams officers and invigilators use the browser-based SecureAssess Central gateway to generate test PINs, print invigilation packs, and review provisional score reports, while learners launch the locally installed SecureClient lockdown software on designated testing workstations. Because candidate test bookings originate inside the Walled Garden administration system, understanding how your credentials bridge across SecureAssess, Centre Analytics, and offline test delivery is critical for keeping exam sessions running smoothly without technical delays.
- 📋 What You Need Before Signing In
- 📍 How to Sign In to City & Guilds e-volve Online
- ⭐ Exam Invigilation, Keycode Management & Provisional Results
- ⚠️ Fixing Common SecureClient & Assessment Login Errors
- 🔒 Testing Environment Security & Network Whitelisting
- 🎧 Official Help Desk & Customer Support Contacts
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What You Need Before Signing In
- Approved SecureAssess Username and Password (issued via email within seven working days of submitting an official e-volve Centre Application Form).
- An active Walled Garden account (www.walled-garden.com) with a valid 6-digit City & Guilds Centre Number to register learners and schedule exam windows prior to test administration.
- For Learners/Candidates: The latest authorized e-volve SecureClient MSI application installed on a Windows workstation, plus a unique test Keycode and 4-digit alphanumeric PIN generated by the invigilator.
- System & Network Prerequisites: Full Read/Write directory permissions granted to the Everyone group on C:\Users\Public\Surpass, plus firewall whitelisting for Surpass and City & Guilds delivery domains.
How to Sign In to City & Guilds e-volve Online
- Step 1: Open a modern web browser on an administrative workstation and navigate directly to the verified gateway at https://evolve.cityandguilds.com.
- Step 2: Enter your centre-assigned User Name in the top credential field and type your case-sensitive Password below it.
- Step 3: First-time exams officers must activate their profile by clicking the unique setup link inside their welcome email from [email protected] to configure their initial password and memorable security question before attempting direct portal sign-in.
- Step 4: Click the Log In button to enter SecureAssess Central (if accessing Walled Garden to book tests first, be prepared to complete the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) verification prompt tied to your registered centre email).
- Step 5: Verify arrival on the main SecureAssess dashboard, where you can navigate to the Invigilation tab to set candidate PINs, download exams for offline use, or open Centre Analytics using the exact same login credentials.
Exam Invigilation, Keycode Management & Provisional Results
- Invigilation & PIN Generation: Once a test is booked in Walled Garden (available up to 30 minutes before start time for standard on-demand tests), invigilators access the Invigilation screen to assign a mandatory 4-digit alphanumeric PIN, print the Invigilation Pack, and unlock candidate keycodes.
- Offline Exam Delivery via SecureClient Admin: For testing locations with unstable internet, staff can launch the desktop SecureClient, click Surpass, Powering Assessment (or Show Admin) in the bottom right corner, sign in with their SecureAssess credentials, and select Download Exams to cache assessments locally and Upload Exams once completed.
- Instant Provisional Results & Score Reports: Machine-marked multiple-choice assessments generate provisional results in the Results tab within minutes of exam submission, allowing staff to click Result Slip to print candidate score breakdowns before final confirmation transfers to Walled Garden 48 hours later.
- Centre Analytics & Global Benchmarking: Using their standard SecureAssess login, teaching staff and quality leads can access the companion Centre Analytics platform to inspect historical candidate performance, audit scheduled exam calendars, and benchmark local pass rates against the global City & Guilds average.
Fixing Common SecureClient & Assessment Login Errors
⚠️ SecureClient Refuses to Launch (Blocked by Background AI or Assistive Software)
Cause: Starting from SecureClient version 24.2 onwards, the lockdown browser actively scans for background AI tools and text-prediction services—most notably Grammarly and Windows Text Suggestions—and aborts launch to protect exam integrity.
Solution: Open Windows Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), locate any active Grammarly processes, and select End Task. Next, open Windows Settings > Time & Language > Typing (or Devices > Typing) and toggle Show text suggestions as I type to Off before relaunching SecureClient.
⚠️ SecureClient Stuck in Offline Mode / Cannot Validate Candidate Keycode
Cause: The local workstation is routing traffic through an unauthenticated LAN proxy server, or the local machine lacks Read/Write permissions on the Surpass root directory, blocking database validation.
Solution: First, grant Full Control permissions to the Everyone user group on the C:\Users\Public\Surpass directory. If your centre uses a proxy server, navigate to C:\Users\Public\Surpass\SecureClient_CANDG\configfiles, open proxy.xml, and input your network proxy credentials between the <user></user> and <password></password> tags, or disable proxy routing in Windows network settings.
⚠️ SecureClient Fails to Auto-Update or Freezes When Opening Exam PDFs
Cause: SecureClient is upgraded 3 to 4 times annually and cannot auto-patch if the installed build is more than two versions behind. Additionally, active endpoint antivirus scanners frequently lock PDF attachments inside live assessments.
Solution: Do not reuse old cached MSI installers. Log into https://evolve.cityandguilds.com, download the current authorized SecureClient MSI directly from the SecureAssess homepage, uninstall the outdated client using Windows administrator privileges, and perform a clean install. Add C:\Users\Public\Surpass to your antivirus exclusion list.
Testing Environment Security & Network Whitelisting
- 🔒 Verify the official SSL certificate on https://evolve.cityandguilds.com and https://www.walled-garden.com before entering administrative credentials, ensuring the connection is encrypted and issued to City & Guilds.
- 🔒 Configure your centre firewall to explicitly whitelist the official Surpass assessment endpoints (https://evolveassessmentdh.cityandguilds.com, https://evolvedeliverydh.cityandguilds.com, https://evolvecdndh.cityandguilds.com, and https://cms.surpass.com/) alongside allowing .asmx and .asp file execution.
- 🔒 Protect printed Invigilation Packs and 4-digit PINs under strict exam security rules; once a candidate completes a test, that Keycode is permanently burned and cannot be reused.
- 🔒 Never leave the SecureClient Admin Console unlocked on a candidate testing PC after downloading offline exams—always click Close Download Window and verify the terminal has returned to the locked keycode entry screen.
🎧 Official Help Desk & Customer Support Contacts
For immediate technical assistance with SecureAssess, SecureClient installations, or exam keycodes, contact the City & Guilds e-volve Support Desk at 01924 930 800 (International centres: +44 207 294 2885) or email [email protected]. Support lines operate Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 (UK time), excluding bank holidays. For general learner registrations or Walled Garden billing queries, email [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I reschedule or change the date of an existing City & Guilds e-volve exam?
Booked e-volve assessments cannot be directly edited or amended once scheduled. To change an exam date, time, or unit, log into SecureAssess to Void the original booking (there is no fee for voided or absent tests), and then submit a fresh booking order inside Walled Garden.
Q: Can learners take City & Guilds e-volve exams on a mobile phone or iPad?
No, there is no smartphone app for e-volve. Candidates must sit exams on a desktop PC or laptop running the official e-volve SecureClient lockdown software under invigilated centre conditions (or approved Remote Invigilation setups).
Q: How long does it take for e-volve test results to appear on Walled Garden?
For machine-marked exams, provisional score reports generate inside SecureAssess within a few minutes of finishing the test, and confirmed results automatically transfer to Walled Garden within 48 hours. Examiner-marked assessments (such as Functional Skills English free-text tests) take up to 20 working days to confirm.
Q: How far in advance must I book an End-Point Assessment (EPA) test vs a standard e-volve test?
Standard on-demand e-volve exams can be booked up to 6 months in advance or as little as 30 minutes before the scheduled start time, with a 10-day early and 30-day post-date testing window. However, End-Point Assessment (EPA) knowledge tests require an active gateway booking in Walled Garden at least 5 working days prior to the test date.
Wrap Up
Maintaining smooth examination delivery on the City & Guilds e-volve platform requires keeping your Walled Garden learner bookings synchronized with SecureAssess at https://evolve.cityandguilds.com and ensuring every testing workstation runs the latest SecureClient build. By whitelisting Surpass delivery URLs, disabling background AI typing assistants before exam sessions, and securing candidate keycodes, exams officers can eliminate test-day lockouts. If an unexpected technical disruption occurs during a live assessment, immediately file a Supervision Report and contact the dedicated help desk at 01924 930 800.