Short version: NEBOSH renamed the IGC's two units — IG1 becomes GIC1, IG2 becomes GIC2 — as part of a syllabus review that took effect for teaching from 2 February 2026, with first assessments from 4 March 2026. The underlying content wasn't rewritten. Almost everything that actually changed sits inside GIC2: how it's submitted, how it's marked, and when results land.
The rename, in one line
If you trained on IG1/IG2 material any time before 2026, that's not a different qualification — it's the same one with new unit codes. NEBOSH renamed IG1 to GIC1 and IG2 to GIC2 for the International General Certificate. The National General Certificate went through the equivalent change, NG1/NG2 to GNC1/GNC2. "NEBOSH IGC" still refers to the overall qualification exactly as it always did; only the unit labels underneath it moved.
GIC1 — what changed (not much)
GIC1 kept its shape: a 24-hour open-book scenario exam, followed by a closing interview to confirm the submitted work is genuinely yours. If you were already comfortable with how IG1 worked — reading a scenario closely, working through tasks against it, defending your reasoning afterward — that preparation transfers directly. GIC1 is also still the unit that decides your overall qualification grade, same as before.
GIC2 — where the real changes are
Three things moved for GIC2, and all three are about process rather than content:
- Submission. Previously, IG2 was submitted through your learning partner. GIC2 now goes in directly through the NEBOSH Assessment Platform, on a deadline set 10 working days after your GIC1 assessment. Get familiar with the platform before exam week, not during it.
- Marking. The old Met / Not Met grading is gone. GIC2 is now marked on a points system — 60 points total, with 36 needed to pass, which is the same 60% threshold as before, just visible instead of binary. You get a mark breakdown showing where marks were gained and lost.
- Results. Both units are now released together, roughly 60 working days after your GIC1 exam date — no separate wait for your GIC2 outcome.
What this means if you're mid-prep
NEBOSH's own review found most of the existing syllabus was still fit for purpose — this was a light-touch update, not a content rewrite. So if you've got solid IG1/IG2-labelled notes from a good provider, the underlying health and safety management and risk assessment content is very likely still accurate. What's worth double-checking is whether your provider's course and any mock materials actually reflect the new GIC2 submission process and points-based marking, since practicing the old way won't prepare you for that part. If you're already partway through the previous format, your learning partner is the right place to confirm your specific transition arrangements — these vary depending on where you are in the process.
A short prep checklist
- Use materials explicitly labelled for GIC1/GIC2, or clearly updated for 2026 — not leftover IG1/IG2 content with a new date stamped on it.
- Walk through the NEBOSH Assessment Platform submission flow before exam week. GIC2's online submission is new enough that familiarity with it is worth marks on its own.
- Practice GIC2 with a points-based mindset — know roughly how marks split across hazard identification, risk evaluation and control measures, not just whether an answer is "right."
- Treat GIC1 closing-interview prep exactly as seriously as before. That part didn't get any easier.
If part of your prep right now is figuring out which practice material is actually safe to trust, that's the reason this tool exists. Every question bank and scenario inside IGC Ready is built against the current specification — not recycled from the old format with a new label stuck on it.