Cambridge Technicals (2012): Reduction in assessment for 2020/21 and 2021/22

Reduction in assessment and Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs)

For students certificating in summer 2021: The ‘dropped’ unit assessment(s) are now covered by the arrangements for teacher assessed grades (TAGs) at qualification level. You should determine a grade for the whole qualification using the OCR guidance on teacher assessed grades.

For students certificating in summer 2022: Your students are eligible for a unit level teacher assessed grade for any assessments which they would have planned to take this year (doing the assessment by 31 August 2021). This includes those units where you had originally planned to take the assessment but then decided to drop the unit assessment as part of the adaptations below, published in December.

• More information about this can be found in our article Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals: What teacher assessed grades in summer 2021 mean for adaptations (reduction in assessment) 
• More information about arrangements for students not certificating in 2020/21 can be found in our article Arrangements for Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals students not certificating in summer 2021.

Reduction in assessment for 2021/22 (Updated July 2021)

Ofqual and the Department for Education have launched a joint consultation on the adaptations to be made for assessments in 2021/22 for our vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) such as Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals. We know you want clarity on next year so you can start to plan ahead.

We’d like to share the approach we propose to take for Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals, which will be subject to the final outcome of the consultation.

With the approval of the DfE, we are allowing assessments of moderated units to be reduced where disruption to teaching has been so great that it is necessary.

Schools and colleges are best placed to decide if they need to use this adaption. We recommend you plan to take all assessments intended for 2021/22, however also identify in your planning which assessment you will not take in 2021/22 if the impact of the disruption caused by the pandemic means you require it. All content must be taught as it is vital for your students’ wider learning and progression. We will ask schools and colleges to provide assurances of this.

It’s in the students interests to take and bank assessments where possible, however, these adaptations are there if you need them and can apply to all students due to complete assessments during 2021/22.

If you’re teaching a course with optional and mandatory units, we will require you to prioritise the assessment of mandatory units. Any reduction in the assessment of moderated mandatory units, including if you’re teaching a course with only mandatory units, should be as a last resort where all other options to complete them have been exhausted.

By reducing the amount of time you and your students spend on the assessments of moderated units, we hope this adaptation gives more time to focus on teaching and learning.

Students certificating in 2022 must take assessments in 2021/22 and we recommend you bank assessments as soon as you can.

For both Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals, we will determine the qualification-level result for students taking account of the reduction. You will not provide teacher assessed grades for these units.

When applying the reduction of assessment, it is important to consider the impact on student progression and any unit assessment they may rely on for future work or study.

Level 2 2012 suite (all subjects)

All 2012 Level 2 qualifications are credit based. Our adaptations allow you to reduce assessment for one or more units for the Extended Certificate and Diploma this year. Where mandatory units are left to complete, these must be prioritised:

 GLH = Guided Learning Hours

Level 3 2012 suite (all subjects)

All 2012 Level 3 qualifications are credit based. Our adaptations allow you to reduce assessment for one or more units this year. Where mandatory units are left to complete, these must be prioritised:

 GLH = Guided Learning Hours