# Will CDP mark us down if two of our answers disagree?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/cdp-response-consistency-principle-conflicting-answers

CDP does not say in its overview how a conflict is scored. It does say consistency means no conflicting information within a question or across the questionnaire, and exclusions must be disclosed and justified. Check every figure, year and boundary against each other before you submit.

## What CDP states

The 2026 SME overview lists five reporting principles borrowed from the GHG Protocol: relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency and accuracy. Under consistency it adds: no conflicting information in your responses, both within a question and across the questionnaire. Under completeness it asks you to disclose and justify any exclusion.

## Cross-checks that catch most conflicts

- Group split in 7.22 adds up to your Scope 1 in 7.6 and Scope 2 in 7.7.
- The percentages in 7.10.1 use last year's total and the same Scope 2 basis you picked in 7.10.2.
- The boundary behind energy spend in 7.29 matches the one behind operational spend.
- The Scope 2 options you picked in 7.3 match the columns you filled later.
- Anything you left out in 7.4 is not also counted elsewhere.
- Same reporting year in every answer.

## Blank versus zero

Zero says you measured and found zero. Blank says not disclosed. Mixing them up creates a conflict that looks like an error.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible gives every figure one source record with its year and site, so the same number cannot appear twice with two different values.

- [Fixing a CDP response after submitting](https://senseible.earth/answers/cdp-fix-response-after-submitting)
- [First-time CDP score](https://senseible.earth/answers/cdp-first-time-private-score)
- [Scope 3 supplier evidence](https://senseible.earth/scope-3-supplier-evidence)

Sources: [CDP, SME Questionnaire Overview 2026 (principles of true and fair reporting)](https://cdn.cdp.net/cdp-production/cms/guidance_docs/pdfs/000/005/684/original/CDP_SME_Questionnaire_Overview_2025.pdf), [CDP, Full Corporate Questionnaire, Module 7 reporting guidance (April 2025)](https://cdn.cdp.net/cdp-production/cms/guidance_docs/pdfs/000/005/688/original/Full_Corporate_Questionnaire_Module_7.pdf)

Last reviewed 2026-11-03. CDP updates its questionnaire and guidance every year; check the current version before answering.