Field Identification Skills Certificate

All queries related to FISC should be sent to fisc@bsbi.org

A FISC is a one day assessment that determines your botanical skill level ranging from 1 (beginner) to 5 (professional), with Level 6 awarded in exceptional circumstances.

You can find out everything about how FISCs are run and FAQs in the FISC Information Booklet which is updated annually.

FISCs are delivered by partner FISC Providers.  All FISCs undergo a end of season Quality assurance check, undertaken by a panel of expert botanists and experienced FISC Assessors. This ensures that all FISCs are set at the appropriate standard.

Take a FISC in 2025

All 2025 FISCs have now been completed. Over 40 FISCs were run in 2025 across more geographical locations than ever before, including the first FISC in Scotland and a trial FISC in Ireland.

If you took a FISC in 2025, you should have received your provisional results within 8 weeks of the FISC from your Provider. These results will be moderated and ratified at the end of season quality assurance meeting by the FISC QA panel consisting of a number of experienced FISC Assessors. Final FISC levels will be communicated in your FISC certificate which is sent out at the start of December by BSBI.

Most dates for 2026 FISCs will be available here by 31 March 2026.

Please note that FISC Providers are free to set their own fees and many are choosing to pay their FISC Assessors and Gold Standard Surveyors, who are all Level 5 botanists, professional rates to reflect their expertise. There will be a range of prices across the Providers and some discounted places too for students and eligible volunteers.

Please use the button below to register your interest in hearing updates when available.

Mock FISCs

If you are new to FISCs and are interested in learning more about how a FISC works before you do the exam, you may want to consider attending a mock FISC. A number of Providers run mock FISCs and they will be listed separately here.  

Attending a mock FISC may help you become more familiar with the FISC format (assuming the FISC protocols are followed as laid out in the latest FISC Information Booklet found on the BSBI FISC webpage). A mock FISC may also help prepare you for an actual FISC to reduce exam anxiety and it could also support your botanical learning and development.

BSBI would however like to make it clear that mock FISCs are not recognised as official FISCs. FISCs are only run by BSBI approved FISC Assessors. FISCs undergo a rigorous, end of season quality assurance process. Mock FISC results do not undergo quality assurance and any scores awarded through a mock FISC, cannot be badged as a FISC result. This means that you CANNOT use your mock FISC result in a professional context to evidence your field plant identification skills.

Having attended a mock FISC, you may only attend a FISC run by the same Provider at the same FISC centre, if there is at least a one year gap between the mock and the actual FISC. For example if you attended a mock FISC at Preston Montford, you would not be able to attend a FISC at that same centre later that same year.  If it is found you have attended a mock FISC run by the same Provider at the same FISC centre location prior to attending the actual FISC in the same year, your FISC result may be disqualified.

Past FISC candidates

If you undertook a FISC in previous years, your data may have been transferred to BSBI by Providers and is now held in a secure database according to our Privacy Policy. If you would like to update your details you can do so using this form, or if you would like your details removed from our database, please get in contact by emailing FISC@bsbi.org.

Building capacity for delivery of FISC- can you help?

Capacity is limited by the number of BSBI approved FISC Assessors and Providers. If you have a FISC level 5 and are interested in becoming an Assessor or Gold Standard Surveyor, please get in touch via fisc@bsbi.org.

In addition to FISC Assessors, we would love to also hear from anyone willing to help with delivery of FISCs, whether that be as someone who grows a selection of native plants, parts of which you may be willing to share for FISC lab tests; as someone able to provide a venue from which a FISC can be run, or as an owner or manager of a suitable species rich field site which could be surveyed as part of a FISC. Please get in touch via fisc@bsbi.org.

Find out more...

What is a FISC?

The FISC is a test that assesses your botanical proficiency on a scale from 1 (beginner) to 5 (professional), with a level 6 awarded in exceptional cases. Originally developed by Sarah Whild and Sue Dancey, the BSBI's FISC Development Working Group (including a number of experienced FISC Assessors) now supports and oversees the running of FISCs.

The FISC assesses your real-life botanical skills and is not designed to be part of a training course. It's gaining popularity, with some consultancies sending their staff annually to encourage skill development.

Conducted over a day, the FISC is an enjoyable experience. It consists of two lab sessions where candidates identify 30 fresh specimens from across Britain and Ireland. Following this is a field survey where you spend a couple of hours building a species list on an interesting local site. Your identifications are then compared to a list generated by the Gold Standard Surveyor to determine your skill level.

Results are confidential, but you can choose to share them with potential employers and colleagues. With no pass or fail, the FISC is open to everyone, regardless of skill level. Upon completion, you receive an electronic certificate from the BSBI indicating your skill level, along with advice on activities you are competent to undertake and further studies for progression.

FISCs assess achievement of the field element of the Levels described in the Botanical Skills Ladder (also available in Welsh).

FISC data has been used to study the accuracy of recording by people of all skill levels, summarised in the poster below: