A Level sciences practical endorsement monitoring visits
07 October 2022
We can confirm that from September 2022, we're returning to face-to-face visits for the A Level science practical endorsement monitoring. Remote monitoring visits are no longer taking place.
Resuming face-to-face monitoring means monitors can resume practical lesson observations and conversations with students as part of the monitoring process, which was not possible with remote monitoring.
Monitoring arrangements
The monitoring for the practical endorsement work runs in two-year cycles, with large centres (more than 140 students in any science subject) receiving visits for each science subject in each cycle. Other centres receive a visit for a single science subject in each monitoring cycle.
If you passed monitoring in one of the sciences last year, you will not receive a visit this year. However, you should expect to receive a visit if you were not monitored in any science subject last year.
You may have been contacted by one of our monitors already if you're due a monitoring visit. Please remember, our monitors are not full-time OCR employees so they do not have an OCR email address – they'll be contacting your centre using their personal email accounts.
You can read more on the arrangements for returning to face-to-face monitoring and the requirements for the practical endorsement this year on our website. In addition, our cross-board messaging on practical endorsement contains useful information on the monitoring process and our practical activities web page tells you what is required.
If you're not sure if you should be expecting a monitoring visit, or if you are making entries for one of our A Level science qualifications for the first time in June 2023, please let us know so we can support you.
If you have any other queries, please call our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998 or email science@ocr.org.uk.
Qualifications