Flexible assessment

The assessment for the new OCR GCSEs is organised into units which can either all be taken at the end of the course in a linear fashion, or used to complement a more unitised approach to teaching and learning. This gives you the flexibility to choose the assessment approach best suited to your centre and your students.

A unitised structure gives you the flexibility to co-teach short and full courses.

We already offer assessments which are organised into units at A Level and for some existing GCSEs. For many subjects, assessments will be available twice a year. Flexible assessment means:

• You will have a choice of learning approaches – linear or unitised
• The assessment can be timed to match the point of learning within the course, making it easier for candidates to show what they know, understand and can do
• Students can re-sit a unit rather than repeat the entire assessment
• Some students are motivated by ongoing feedback and this helps them identify their learning needs
• A unitised approach makes it easier for students to stay on track with their studies and manage their time effectively
• The pressure of an 'all or nothing' assessment is removed
• Examination stress is reduced by permitting assessment over a longer period so that not all assessments are concentrated in a narrow window at the end of two years
• With a similar format to A Levels and Diplomas, GCSEs will help prepare students for the next phase of their education.

To ensure that the assessment supports the coherence of the GCSEs and there is no over-assessment, QCA has put two rules in place: 40% of the assessment must happen at the end of the course and only one re-sit of each assessment unit is allowed.

You may know 'unitised' as 'modular'.