Cambridge Technicals: Arrangements for Summer 2024 - Term-Time Checkpoint and the Estimated Completion Date (Teachers)

• Summer 2024 timeline
• Term-time checkpoint: Estimated completion date declaration
• Teacher: Checking estimated completion dates for your subject
• Teacher FAQs
• Exams Officer: Amending estimated completion dates and submitting the declaration

Summer 2024 Timeline

We’re committed to working with schools and colleges to make sure all students receive their Cambridge Technicals results as planned this summer. This timeline highlights the key dates and deadlines for both the 2012 and 2016 suites – this year, we are making it easier to identify and resolve issues for students. 

Download the Summer 2024 timeline

Term-time checkpoint: Estimated completion date declaration

To support you this year for Cambridge Technicals, we have introduced an estimated completion date based on the date you made your qualification entries (registrations).

Between 18 March 2024 and 30 April 2024 we need you to confirm you have checked the estimated completion dates using the Cambridge Technicals Progress Tracker and that all students expecting a result this year have an estimated completion date of 'Summer 2024'. Once the dates have been checked, your exams officer will need to submit a declaration to OCR. This is the term-time checkpoint.

What is the 'estimated completion date'?

This is when the student is expected to complete the qualification they are registered for by, eg Summer 2024 or Summer 2025. 

Who adds the estimated completion date?

OCR will assume an estimated completion date based on when you make your qualification entries (registrations) for the student:

• Level 2: Student is assumed to be doing the course over one year
  • If you made Level 2 qualification entries in the 2023/24 academic year, the estimated completion date will show as ‘Summer 2024’
  • If you made Level 2 qualification entries in the 2022/23 academic year, the estimated completion date will show as ‘Summer 2023’
• Level 3: student is assumed to be doing the course over two years
  • If you made qualification entries in the 2022/23 academic year, the estimated completion date will show as ‘Summer 2024’
  • If you made qualification entries in the 2023/24 academic year, the estimated completion date will show as ‘Summer 2025’

Who can check and amend the estimated completion dates?

• Users with the 'Teacher' role can view and check the estimated completion dates
• Users with the 'Exams Officer' role can view, check and amend the estimated completion dates

Who can submit the declaration to confirm the estimated completion dates have been checked?

• Users with the 'Teacher' role can confirm the estimated completion dates have been checked for their subject
• Users with the 'Exams Officer' role can submit the declaration to OCR when all subjects have been checked

Teacher: view

Exams Officer: view and amend

The exams officer is able to confirm the estimated completion dates have been checked for a subject.  However, the Progress Tracker has been designed to allow a teacher to complete the checks for their subject.

Teacher: Checking estimated completion dates for your subject

Log into the Cambridge Technicals Progress Tracker. See our dedicated page for more information on how to access the Progress Tracker.

Teacher FAQs

One of our subjects does not appear in the view checkpoint status area, what do we do?

This means there are currently no students with an estimated completion date of 'Summer 2024' for that subject.

If you do have students expecting a result this summer for the subject, ask your exams officer to amend the estimated completion date for these students to 'Summer 2024'. Your checkpoint status and the declaration will update to include the subject.

We don't have any students completing in Summer 2024, do we still need to complete the checkpoint and submit the declaration?

When no students have an estimated completion date of 'Summer 2024', your checkpoint status and declaration text will reflect this. Your exams officer will need to submit this to OCR to confirm no students are expecting a result this summer (a 'nil-return').

Our students finish their Cambridge Technical earlier in the year, eg at Easter or in May. What should their estimated completion date be?

The estimated completion date should be the summer of the year they are completing their qualification. For any students expecting their qualification result during this academic year, the estimated completion date must be 'Summer 2024'.

If a student's circumstances change after we complete the checkpoint, can we still amend the estimated completion date?

Yes, please keep your students’ estimated completion dates up to date. If, for example, a student that was expecting a result this summer is now completing next year, ask your exams officer to change the estimated completion date to next summer. You don't need to let us know if you make changes to students’ estimated completion dates after you have submitted the declaration.

Some of our Level 3 students have an estimated completion date of 'Summer 2023', why is this?

If you told us last year during the checkpoint process that a student was completing in Summer 2023, unless you have topped-up or moved down the student this year (see below) the estimated completion date will still show as 'Summer 2023'. If these students are now completing this year or beyond, you need to ask your exams officer to amend the estimated completion date. 

Completing a smaller qualification in the first year of a course ('1+1' programme)

Our students complete a smaller qualification in the first year of the course and move onto a larger qualification in the second, a '1+1' programme, what should their estimated completion date be? 

If your students are expecting a qualification result for the smaller qualification this summer, the estimated completion date must be 'Summer 2024'. For Level 3 students, if you entered (registered) them this year, they will have an estimated completion date of 'Summer 2025' so you will need to amend this for these students. Please note:

• If you make top-up entries at the end of an academic year (after results for the smaller qualification but before 1 September), you must amend the estimated completion date for these students to 'Summer 2025' after you have made the top-up entries. 
• If you make top-up entries at the start of the next academic year (after 1 September), the estimated completion date will automatically update to that year, 'Summer 2025'.

Can we leave the estimated completion date as the end of the second year?

Yes, however please be aware that you will not receive any warnings if the student is in danger of not achieving the smaller qualification at the end of the first year.  

Top-up and move-down

If we top-up a student to a larger qualification, will the estimated completion date automatically change?

If a student is entered for a smaller qualification and then a top-up entry is made for a larger qualification: 

• If the current estimated completion date is in this academic year or in a future academic year, when you make the top-up entry, the estimated completion date will not change.
• If the current estimated completion date is in a previous academic year, when you make the top-up entry, the estimated completion date will automatically update to the current academic year.

If you make your top-up entries at the end of an academic year (eg in July/August but before 1 September), you will need to amend the estimated completion date for these students. 

If we move a student down to a smaller qualification, will the estimated completion date automatically change?

If a student is entered for a larger qualification and then you make a move-down entry:

• If the current estimated completion date is in this academic year or a future academic year, when you make the move-down entry, the estimated completion date will not change. 
• If the current estimated completion date is in a previous academic year, when you make the move-down entry, the date will automatically update to the current academic year.

Exams Officer: Amending estimated completion dates and submitting the declaration

Users with the exams officer role can amend estimated completion dates and submit the declaration to OCR when all subjects have been checked. This must be completed by 30 April 2024. 

More information and guidance for exams officers is available in our Exams Officers area.