Entries - Vocational Qualifications

This page provides a short summary of the different types of entries and entry routes, and how to make entries. For further guidance and advice, and for entry deadlines, please see the individual Admin Guides. For entry fees, see the fees list.

Types of entry

There are two main types of entry for vocational qualifications:

• Full award entry – Candidates can be entered for the full award when they are intending to complete the whole qualification rather than just individual units. This is often a more cost-effective way to make entries.
• Unit entry – It is possible for candidates to build up their qualification unit by unit. This may be useful if a candidate is not intending to complete the full qualification.

Entry routes

There are two main routes for making entries, though for some qualifications only one is available:

• Named entry – You provide specific candidate information (e.g. name and date of birth) for each qualification. The advantage of named entry is that materials we supply are personalised, requiring less manual work later. In general, this is OCR's preferred entry route.
• Unnamed entry – This allows you to order a number of units or qualifications in bulk, without specifying who will be taking them. Although this increases the flexibility of the administration, it may increase the administrative burden later in the process.

How to make entries

There are two main methods of making entries, though for some qualifications only one is available:

• OCR Interchange - OCR's secure extranet. If your centre is new to Interchange and does not currently have an Interchange account, please complete and return the OCR Interchange Agreement (PDF, 706 KB) to receive your login details. If your centre has an account but you are a new user, or your existing account needs to be updated, please contact your Centre Administrator (usually the Exams Officer). If you are unsure whether your centre is registered or you cannot locate your Centre Administrator, please email the Customer Admin Support Team at cast@ocr.org.uk.
• EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) – An electronic method of transmitting entry and results data to and from OCR using a third party carrier. Details of carriers can be found in the relevant Admin Guides.

See the Admin Guide: Vocational Qualifications for information about making test entries.

For the majority of qualifications it is possible to make full award/unit entries via named or unnamed routes; however, for some qualifications not all entry types and routes are available. The following table summarises these exceptions:

For details of what entry information is required, please see the individual Admin Guides.

Entry amendments and withdrawals

If you need to update candidates' personal details, e.g. name or date or birth, you can make the changes via Interchange. If you wish to change a candidate's whole name (rather than correct a spelling mistake), you will also need to send proof of the candidate's name change to OCR Operations in Coventry.

It is not possible to withdraw an entry, even if it has been made in error.

However, for OCR Nationals only, if you have not claimed against the entry, you can make some changes (for example, if you have made the entry for the wrong unit or you wish to change the qualification entered for). Any entry amendments may affect the fees charged and you may incur additional costs as a result.

To transfer candidates for OCR Nationals, you should submit a request in writing to OCR Operations in Coventry. Please remember to include the candidate's name and candidate number, along with the details of the qualification they are entered for and the qualification they want to transfer to.