Resilience arrangements confirmed

This update was first published on 6 November 2023. We can confirm we're updating our specifications to include a reminder on collecting evidence of student performance and a link to our resilience guidance. You'll be able to view the updated specifications on the qualification pages of our website and Teach Cambridge.

Ofqual has published guidance for GCSEs, AS and A Levels and Project qualifications as part of long-term contingency arrangements to improve the resilience of the qualifications system if exams are unable to go ahead at a national level. We can also confirm the arrangements for our other general qualifications and vocational qualifications.

GCSE, AS, A Level and Project arrangements

The Ofqual guidance covers:

• GCSEs, AS and A Levels made up of exams only
• GCSEs, AS and A Levels made up of exams and non-exam assessment
• GCSEs, AS and A Levels in subjects such as art and design and Project qualifications where students do not take any exams.

GCSEs, AS and A Levels which include exams

For GCSEs, AS and A Levels made up of exams only or made up of exams and non-exam assessment:

• Student evidence from one set of mocks in exam conditions should be sufficient to enable alternative methods of awarding grades, such as teacher assessed grades (TAGs).
• Schools and colleges should plan assessment opportunities in line with their usual assessment approaches – where possible, these should be in the first half of the academic year.
• Students should be assessed under exam-like conditions and, wherever possible, at the same time or using different materials at different times. 
• Assessment materials should be as useful as possible for students preparing to take summer exams – similar to full or parts of exam papers. 
• Students should be assessed on a wide range of content. 
• Total time spent assessing students should not normally exceed the total time students would spend taking exams for the relevant qualification, plus any time spent on non-exam assessment.
• Students must be told before each assessment their performance would be used as part of evidence to determine a teacher assessed grade. 
• Reasonable adjustments: the same adjustments made for disabled students taking exams in the summer should be applied, where possible, to assessments. 
• Special consideration: if a student’s performance was affected by an event such as illness or family bereavement, the teacher should mark the assessment as normal but record the issues so they can be taken into account later. 
• Teachers should mark in line with published exam board mark schemes and guidance but be aware that the grade boundaries from Autumn 2020, 2021 and Summer 2022 reflect the grading arrangements in place during the pandemic, which were more lenient.
• Students should not resit assessments for the purpose of evidence collection.
• Teachers may tell the student the grade at which their performance in the assessment indicates they have performed. 
• Student work must be retained by the centre – digitally or physically. 
• Students may be given a copy or the original of their work.
• Students should be supported to complete their non-exam assessment (NEA) wherever possible.

GCSEs, AS, A Levels and Projects which do not have any exams

• Teachers do not need to carry out any additional assessment. 
• Students should be supported to complete their non-exam assessment (NEA) wherever possible. 

See the Ofqual guidance for the full arrangements.

Core Maths and FSMQ arrangements

For Core Maths and FSMQ, which are linear exam-only qualifications, schools and colleges should gather evidence using the principles in the Ofqual guidance for qualifications with exams.

Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals (2016 suite) arrangements

For Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals (2016 suite) qualifications, which are unitised and have a high proportion of centre assessment, assessment is normally completed, with unit results being issued during the students’ course of study. Therefore, further evidence may not be required.

However, if teachers plan to carry out all the assessment at the end of the course, for example, within the June series or final term in the students’ last year, schools and colleges should gather assessment evidence.

Evidence should enable alternative methods of awarding grades, such as teacher assessed grades (TAGs). For example, as for GCSEs and A Levels, evidence from one set of mocks in exam conditions should be sufficient. Students should be supported to complete their non-exam assessment (NEA) wherever possible.

Please see the Ofqual guidance.

Entry Level and Cambridge Technicals (2012 suite) and all other OCR vocational qualifications

For all other OCR qualifications which do not have exams, the principles in the Ofqual guidance for subjects that do not have exams apply:

• Teachers do not need to carry out any additional assessment. 
• Students should be supported to complete their non-exam assessment (NEA) wherever possible. 

If an OCR vocational qualification is being used to confirm occupational competence, all assessment would still need to be completed for the qualification to be awarded.

If you have any queries, please call our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998 or email us at support@ocr.org.uk.