In reply to steve maher:
I did my assessment 3 weeks ago.
The Interim Handbook can be downloaded from the MTA website,
http://www.mountain-training.org/award-schemes/mountain-leader-
Basically the River Crossing and Ropework sections have changed. You won't be expected to use a rope for river crossings but you will still be expected to lower (or possibly bring someone up) someone down a scrambly section that they may be unhappy downclimbing. However this shouldn't be over a cliff where all of the persons weight is being held by you. So yes, body belaying will still be needed and you'll also have to demonstrate you can use an appropriate descent technique (classic or south african abseil or angel wings) to get you down the same terrain.
Based on my assessment when we needed to pace it was either dark (everyone is quiet and counting paces/timing during the night nav) or the person leading that leg made it clear they didn't want to be disturbed and that gives the ones following a clue to count paces too.
Some other hints/tips that may be helpful:
Get out and practice night nav beforehand, ideally following someone else so you have to work out where they have taken you.
Take a spare compass and make sure it's not buried at the bottom of your sack
Make sure you always know where you are even if you're not leading. A number of times we were chatting to each other and the assessor asked us to separate up and re-locate.
If you have a waterproof pen it might be worth marking off where you are on the map as you pass obvious features.
It's really hard following other people, some folks will walk religiously on bearings, others will handrail features, some will appear to go in circles or will indeed go in circles but you still have to follow them and be able to say where they've gone. Even if the current leader doesn't find the place the assessor has asked for you'll still need to be able to say where you've ended up.
For the night nav I really wish I'd had a pen to write down the bearings/distances folks had walked on as one person went a bit wonky and it was really confusing trying to work out where they'd gone after 5 changes of direction.
Good luck.