Cyber Essentials A1 questions: your organisation
The A1 questions capture the legal entity, organisation type, size, sector and contacts that appear on the certificate and decide which later questions you see.
Section A1 asks for your organisation's legal name, type, registration details, size, sector, reasons for applying and contact preferences. None of these questions is a technical control, but the legal entity name goes on the certificate, the size band sets the IASME fee, and A1.6 decides whether other entities are covered.
- Questions
- 23 (A1.1 to A1.16)
- Auto-fails
- None
- Control
- Not a technical control
- CE Plus test
- No dedicated test case in the CE Plus specification v3.2
What questions are in section A1?
Section A1 has 23 questions, A1.1 to A1.16, none of them automatic fails. Each page gives the exact wording, what a compliant answer looks like and a model answer.
- A1.1A1.1NotesWhat is your organisation's name?Notes
- A1.2A1.2Multiple choiceWhat type of organisation are you?Multiple choice
- A1.3A1.3NotesHow many employees are there in the organisation?Notes
- A1.4A1.4NotesWhat is your organisation's registration number?Notes
- A1.5A1.5NotesWhat is your organisation's registered address?Notes
- A1.5.1A1.5.1NotesPlease provide the operational addresses, if different to your registered address.Notes
- A1.6A1.6Yes/NoDo you have more than one legal entity, including subsidiaries, within the scope of this assessment?Conditional: shown after an earlier answerYes/No
- A1.6.1A1.6.1Multiple choice + notesPlease provide the name, company number and registered address of any additional legal entities that are included.Conditional: if ‘Yes’ to A1.6Multiple choice + notes
- A1.7A1.7Multiple choice + notesWhat is your main business?Multiple choice + notes
- A1.8A1.8NotesWhat is your website address?Notes
- A1.9A1.9Renewal or first timeIs this application a renewal of an existing certification or is it the first time you have applied for certification?Renewal or first time
- A1.10A1.10Multiple choice + notesWhat are the two main reasons for applying for certification?Conditional: shown after an earlier answerMultiple choice + notes
- A1.10.1A1.10.1NotesWho is the commercial contracting organisation?Notes
- A1.10.2A1.10.2NotesWho is the government contracting organisation and the contract number?Notes
- A1.10.3A1.10.3NotesWho is the grant authority?Notes
- A1.10.4A1.10.4NotesWho is the regulator?Notes
- A1.10.5A1.10.5NotesWhat are the reasons you have applied for the certification which you described as "other"?Notes
- A1.11A1.11Yes/NoHave you read the 'Cyber Essentials Requirements for IT Infrastructure' document?Yes/No
- A1.12A1.12Yes/NoHave you spoken to an assured NCSC Cyber Advisor to help with your application?Yes/No
- A1.13A1.13Yes/NoCan IASME and their expert partners contact you if you experience a cyber breach?Yes/No
- A1.14A1.14Multiple choiceWhere did you hear about Cyber Essentials?Multiple choice
- A1.15A1.15Yes/NoCan IASME contact you for research purposes?Yes/No
- A1.16A1.16Yes/NoHave you signed up to the NCSC’s free Early Warning service?Yes/No
How do assessors mark section A1?
Assessors read section A1 as a whole and against the scope inventory in A2: every answer must be true across the whole scope and consistent with the rest of the submission.
Related requirements
Frequently asked questions
23, from A1.1 to A1.16. 3 of them are conditional and only appear depending on an earlier answer.
No. None of the A1 questions is an auto-fail, but unclear or contradictory answers are returned by the assessor for more information.
6 Yes/No, 12 notes and 5 multiple choice questions.
Would you pass the 2026 question set?
Answer 24 yes or no questions, built by the assessors who mark Cyber Essentials, and get a readiness score in about five minutes, with any auto-fail questions you miss flagged first in your results.
- IASME Certification Body
- CREST accredited
- IASME fee included
- UK offices in Leeds, Newcastle, London and Edinburgh