An auditor undertaking their first third-party audit is normally treated as an auditor under supervision. They may participate in audit activities, but should be monitored and supported by the audit team leader.
They should therefore review their auditing performance with the audit team leader and conduct interviews only with the audit team leader present.
They should not lead the closing meeting, independently interview auditees, or decide nonconformity grading alone. ISO 9001:2015 requires audits to be conducted objectively and by competent auditors, and ISO 9001 refers to ISO 19011 for audit guidance.

Explanation:
ISO 9001 Clause Number:
8.5.2
Nature of problem:
Tyre batch numbers have not been recorded in the Work Schedule.
ISO 9001 requirement that has not been fulfilled:
ISO 9001 - "The organization shall retain the documented information necessary to enable traceability." This is a traceability issue. The organisation requires tyre batch numbers to be recorded in the Work Schedule, but sampled records showed that batch numbers were missing for multiple completed jobs.
ISO 9001 clause 8.5.2 Identification and traceability requires the organisation to control unique identification when traceability is required and retain the documented information necessary to enable traceability.
Clause 7.2 competence and clause 7.3 awareness are not the best fit because the evidence shows the Workshop Supervisor and Tyre Fitter were aware of the missing records. The issue is the failure to retain required traceability information.

ISO 9001:2015 does not define detailed audit role terminology itself, but it explicitly refers to ISO 19011 for audit guidance. This makes ISO 19011 authoritative for defining audit roles and responsibilities within ISO
9001 audits.
ISO 9001:2015, Clause 9.2.2 - NOTE:
"See ISO 19011 for guidance."
Therefore, the correctness of the statements is determined using ISO 19011 (Auditing management systems) principles, which are fully applicable to second-party audits .
# B. An auditor is a person who conducts an audit
# Correct
* ISO 19011 defines an auditor simply and clearly as "a person who conducts an audit."
* This definition applies equally to first-, second-, and third-party audits.
This statement is universally correct and fully aligned with ISO auditing terminology.
# F. When needed, a translator appointed by the auditee
# Correct
* ISO 19011 allows the use of translators/interpreters to support communication during audits.
* Translators are typically appointed by the auditee , not the audit team.
* Translators are not members of the audit team and do not influence audit conclusions.
This is a valid and correct statement for second-party audits.
# Why the other options are incorrect
# A. Guide appointed by the audit team leader
* In ISO 19011, a guide is appointed by the auditee , not by the audit team leader.
* The guide assists with logistics and access, not audit execution.
# Incorrect appointment authority.
# C. The audit team cannot include auditors-in-training
* ISO 19011 explicitly allows auditors-in-training to be part of the audit team under supervision .
# Incorrect restriction.
# D. Observer provides information about the organisation
* An observer does not provide information or participate in the audit.
* Observers may attend (e.g. regulators, accreditation bodies) but remain passive.
# Incorrect role description.
# E. A technical expert is part of the audit team
* A technical expert supports the audit team , but is not considered an auditor .
* They provide subject-matter expertise under the direction of auditors.
# The statement is misleading and therefore incorrect.

According to ISO 9001:2015, clause 8.4, an organization is required to control the processes, products and services provided by external providers, including those that affect the quality of the organization's own products and services. This includes determining the controls to be applied to the external provision of processes, products and services, as well as the information to be communicated to the external providers. The organization is also required to monitor, measure, and evaluate the performance of the external providers and retain documented information of these activities.
Therefore, in the scenario given, ABC Ltd is responsible for controlling the processes, products and services provided by Teak Ltd, as they affect the quality of ABC Ltd's own products and services. This means that ABC Ltd should have established criteria and methods for evaluating the performance of Teak Ltd, as well as documented information of the results of such evaluation. ABC Ltd should also have defined the supply arrangements with Teak Ltd, including the specifications, requirements, and verification activities related to the products and services provided by Teak Ltd.
Hence, the best options to describe how to plan the audit of the interrelationship with Teak Ltd during the Stage 2 audit at ABC Ltd are A and D, as they are aligned with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, clause
8.4. The other options are either irrelevant or beyond the scope of the audit, as they do not pertain to the control of external provision by ABC Ltd.
References:
ISO 9001:2015(en), Quality management systems - Requirements, clause 8.4 ISO 19011:2018(en), Guidelines for auditing management systems, clause 6.3.1 and 6.4.2 ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Training Course | IRCA Certified | BSI, section "Learning objectives" ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Course Material | 3FOLD Education Centre, module 5 and 6

Responsibilities of the Audit Team Leader:
ISO 19011:2018 (guidelines for auditing management systems), which supports the principles in ISO 9001:
2015, specifies the responsibilities of an audit team leader. These responsibilities include:
Planning the audit and establishing effective communication between the audit team and auditee.
Ensuring that formal communication channels are agreed upon and followed.
Reporting the audit progress, significant findings, and any concerns to the auditee or audit client as necessary.
Managing the audit team and ensuring adherence to the defined objectives and scope.
Analysis of Options:
A). Reporting unattainable audit objectives to the accreditation body:Incorrect. This is not the responsibility of the audit team leader. The accreditation body oversees the certification body and is not directly involved in specific audits. If objectives are unattainable, the audit team leader would report them to the audit client (the certification body), not the accreditation body.
B). Planning formal communication arrangements:Correct. This is one of the responsibilities of the audit team leader. They ensure auditees can communicate with auditors as needed during the audit process.
C). Confirming communication channels during the opening meeting:Correct. During the opening meeting, the audit team leader must establish clear communication protocols to ensure effective information exchange between the audit team and auditee.
D). Communicating progress, findings, and concerns:Correct. Keeping the auditee and audit client informed about progress and significant findings is a critical responsibility of the audit team leader to maintain transparency and ensure the audit objectives are met.
Why Option A is Correct:
The audit team leader does not have any obligation to report unattainable objectives to the accreditation body.
Instead, they are responsible for communicating issues to the audit client (typically the certification body).
The accreditation body operates at a higher level and is concerned with overseeing certification bodies, not individual audits.
Relevant References:
ISO 19011:2018, Clause 6.4 (Conducting the Audit): Emphasizes the responsibilities of the audit team leader, including communication with the auditee and client.
ISO 9001:2015, Clause 9.2 (Internal Audit): Highlights the importance of planning and communication during audits, which is reflected in third-party audits as well.