Replacement of GCSE Design and Technology, GCSE Home Economics: Food and Nutrition

Following on from the successful accreditation of GCSE (9–1) Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309) in February, both GCSE Food Technology (J302) and GCSE Food and Nutrition (J431) can no longer be taught from September 2016, when the new qualification replaces them. Therefore, the final assessment of both these qualifications will be next summer, June 2017, and there will be no resit opportunities. 

Other than moving over to the new qualification there are no implications for ‘Food’ qualifications. Information about our new qualification, GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309) can be found on the OCR website. 

For the other existing Design and Technology qualifications from within the Innovator Suite, we will update the specification to remove references to Food Technology but there will be no other changes:

• GCSE Electronics and control systems (J301)
  
• GCSE Graphics (J303)
  
• GCSE Industrial Technology (J304)
• GCSE Resistant Materials (J306)
• GCSE Textiles Technology (J307)
  

There will not be any changes to specification or unit codes, therefore entry codes will not change. The only change Exams Officers need to be aware of is to the QN number, we will update you with this revised number once it is available after the June 2016 series. 

The GCSE Product Design (J305) and the Product Design Short Course (J045) sit outside of our Innovator Suite, and consequently there are no changes to specifications, entries or the QN number for these qualifications. 

The changes outlined in this notice affect only the cohort of students starting teaching in September 2016 and being assessed in June 2018. All subsequent candidates will follow the reformed GCSE (9–1) in Design & Technology (J310), first teaching from September 2017. The details of this proposed qualification can be viewed on the qualification pages of the OCR website. 

Centres in wales (maintained sector) will need to take the new WJEC specifications for GCSE Food and Nutrition from September 2016 and the GCSE Design and Technology from September 2017. Contact WJEC for more details. 

Centres in Northern Ireland should contact CCEA for more information new GCSE specifications in Northern Ireland.

If you have any queries about this notice, please call our Customer Contact Centre on 01223 553998 or email general.qualifications@ocr.org.uk.