Cambridge Advanced Nationals: Moderation

Non-examined assessment (NEA) units are assessed using an OCR-set assignment, marked by the teacher and moderated via a face-to-face or virtual visit.

There are two moderation windows each academic year. After the first year, each window will be open for about three months.

For 2025/26, moderation window 1 will be open for one month and moderation window 2 three months. In subsequent years, window 1 will open earlier:

2025/26

• Moderation window 1 (Spring): 30 January to 27 February 2026
• Moderation window 2 (Summer): 9 March to 5 June 2026

2026/27 (Provisional)

• Moderation window 1 (Winter): 30 November 2026 to 26 February 2027
• Moderation window 2 (Summer): 8 March to 4 June 2027

• When students are ready for assessment, your exams officer will need to make NEA unit entries for the relevant series – before making NEA unit entries, students must have a registration entry for the relevant subject.
• You choose the method of moderation for each series by submitting a visit arrangement form
• The total number of criteria achieved for each unit is the mark, which must be submitted 10 working days before your visit
• You will then receive a sample request. The sample must be uploaded to our Submit for Assessment service 3 working days before your visit
• Verbal feedback will be given on the day of the visit and written feedback will be sent to you shortly after the visit
• Grades will be confirmed and converted to a UMS mark on the set results day for the window

Number of moderation visits

The registration fee entitles you to two visits each academic year for a subject.

Each moderation visit can be for multiple units. If moderation cannot be completed in a single day due to the number of units claimed, your moderator will extend the visit to a second day. This will still be classed as a single visit.

If you wish to have additional moderation visits, these can be requested for a fee. When requesting additional visits for a window, if you have already had a moderation visit in that window, it must be for different units. For example, you cannot submit some students for moderation for a unit early in window 2 and then a different group of candidates for moderation for that same unit later in that same window. Additional moderation visits must take place within the two moderation windows - it is not possible to have additional visits once moderation window 2 (Summer) has closed.

If we have have some students completing the Certificate size qualification and others on the Extended Certificate, how many free visits are included in the registration fee?

The number of visits are per Cambridge Advanced National subject, eg Applied Science. In this example, you can request two free visits each academic year, one in each moderation window.

If we also have students completing a Cambridge Technical for the subject, does this impact the number of free visits we can have for Cambridge Advanced Nationals?

No. The number of moderation visits are not shared between Cambridge Technicals and Cambridge Advanced Nationals - moderation for the two qualification types will be separate.

Make NEA entries

When students are ready for assessment, your exams officer must make NEA unit entries for the relevant series by the entry deadline. Before making NEA unit entries, students must have a registration entry for the relevant subject.

More information for exams officers can be found at Cambridge Advanced Nationals: Registrations and Entries.

Submit your visit arrangement form

Teachers must request the date and the format of moderation (visit or virtual visit) via My Cambridge by the deadline for the window. For the first year, the deadline for moderation window 1 is in January, in subsequent years, the deadline will be the NEA unit entry deadline in November:

2025/26

From 2026/27

Submit marks and receive sample request

For Cambridge Advanced Nationals, the mark is the number of criteria achieved by the student for the unit. 

Details of which criteria have been achieved by each student must be added to the OCR Moderation Service at least 10 working days before your moderation visit or virtual visit. This is accessed through 'My Cambridge'.

Once your marks (criteria achieved) have been submitted, you will receive a sample request for six students per unit or all students if you have fewer than six entered for the moderation window for the unit. This will usually be the following day. 

Upload the requested sample to Submit for Assessment

Work for the students selected in the sample must be uploaded to our Submit for Assessment service at least 3 working days before your face-to-face or virtual visit. 

The sample must be uploaded for all visits to ensure we can carry out the same quality assurance for all visits.

Submit for Assessment is accessed via our single sign-on service, My Cambridge. This is the same service we use for GCSE, A Level and Level 1/Level 2 Cambridge Nationals uploads.

Moderation takes place

If you have requested a virtual visit, this will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.

During the moderation visit, the moderator will review the submitted samples of work and provide verbal feedback.

Feedback and quality assurance

In addition to the provisional verbal feedback provided on the day of the visit, a written feedback report will be sent to you approximately ten days after your visit following completion of our internal quality assurance checks. This will include the confirmed marks (total number of criteria achieved).

If there are issues identified with the marking of any criteria, this will be highlighted during your visit.

If there are several issues identified, there will be an opportunity for you to revisit your marking of these criteria before final results are issued for this moderation – but not to improve student work. Some additional moderator checks will be carried out and your moderator will support you with this process.

Results, grades and UMS

Centres will already know the outcome of moderation following their visit and any adjustments made during the quality assurance process.

Grades are released to centres on a set results day for the moderation window the day before they can be given to candidates. This is known as 'restricted results day'.

To calculate the grade, marks (total number of criteria achieved) are converted to a mark on a 'uniform mark scale' (UMS).

Details of the number of criteria and UMS marks available for each unit can be found in section 6.4 (Grading and awarding grades) of the specification for your subject.

Certificates

For Cambridge Advanced Nationals, unit certificates can be provided on request. These are not issued automatically.

In order to receive a qualification certificate, a certification entry (also known as 'cashing-in') must be made in the students' final series. Certificates are issued about eight weeks after results are issued for the series.