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When making your entries (and any resit entries), it’s essential you plan carefully, taking the entry and certification rules into consideration.
You will need to check unit combinations are valid using the entry codes booklet and resit rules will not be broken.
All Level 1/Level 2 Cambridge National qualifications (from September 2022) require students to complete three units:
You must make an entry for each of these units in the series they are taken, in January or June. See making entries.
You must make a certification entry in the final series, sometimes referred to as ‘cashing-in’. The certification entry acts as a term-time checkpoint and lets us know the candidate needs an overall qualification result in that series to be able to progress.
If the certification entry is not made before results are issued, centres may use the post-results late certification process.
A terminal assessment rule or terminal rule applies to the examined unit for all Level 1/Level 2 Cambridge Nationals for first teaching September 2022.
Take a look at our terminal rule guide for examples of how the terminal rule works for Cambridge Nationals. If your scenario is not included and you would like some advice, please contact us.
The terminal rule impacts when you can withdraw unit entries for certificating students. More information can be found in Amendments and withdrawals.
If a candidate takes the exam before their final assessment series, this will not contribute to their final qualification grade and will be considered as a ‘practice’ attempt. The candidate must take the exam again in their final assessment series and that exam result will be used towards the final qualification grade.
We will still accept the entry and mark the exam. However, it’s important candidates understand it will only count as a ‘practice’ attempt.
The following resit rules apply:
The result achieved in the exam taken in the final series will be used towards the final grade, even if the result is lower than a previous attempt. The ‘best result of the last two attempts’ does not apply for these qualifications.
Students can take the NEA units multiple times. However, please note the following:
A candidate can have as many attempts at a qualification as they wish.
The first overall certification is used for performance tables – see Early entry and discounting below.
When retaking the qualification, the candidate must meet the terminal rule again by taking the exam. Candidates cannot retake a non-examined assessment (NEA) unit and certificate again without resitting the exam.
Candidates can retake a qualification by:
For examples, please see page 6 of our terminal rule guide.
The early entry rule is applied to qualifications that count towards key stage 4 performance tables. It helps define which qualification will count when two qualifications which discount each other are taken by a candidate or where the same qualification is taken more than once by a candidate. For Cambridge Nationals the early entry date is the date we award the full qualification. Cambridge Nationals full qualifications can be claimed in a January or June series. Awarding takes place shortly after the series:
For Cambridge Nationals, it is the grade from the examination taken in the final series and the best grade of all non-examined assessment (NEA) units taken (including any permitted resubmissions) that counts towards the final grade.
For all Cambridge Nationals, it is the date of the award of the first overall certification result that is reported to the DfE and used for the performance tables.
Full details of the discounting rules, the list of key stage 4 discount codes and the early entry guidance for schools can be found on the DfE website.