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 unit(s) where assessment are not being taken 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 reduce 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 September 2021)

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

Schools and colleges are best placed to decide if they need to use this adaptation. Where possible, it is best for your students to take all assessments to support their wider learning and progression. However, these adaptations are there if you need them and can apply to all students due to complete assessments during 2021/22.

You will not be permitted to use a reduction in assessment after 2021/22. It is expected all units planned for 2022/23 are completed as normal.  During the 2021/22 academic year, you will be required to tell us which unit assessment(s) will not be taken by your students in Year 12 (Year 13 in Northern Ireland). We will ask for this information during 2021/22, even if they are certificating in 2022/23 or beyond.

If you’re teaching a course with optional and mandatory units, we ask 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.

Students certificating in 2021/22 must take assessments this year. This is because we will determine the qualification-level result for students taking account of the reduction. You will not provide teacher assessed grades for these units. We recommend you aim to bank assessments (take/submit assessments) as soon as you can for all of your students, regardless of when they certificate.

We will ask you to confirm during 2021/22 if you need to use this adaptation. We will provide further details on this process as soon as they are available.

This adaptation is available if the impact of the disruption caused by the pandemic means you require it. However, we recommend you and the student consider which units the student may rely on for progression (into higher education for example) when deciding if this adaptation should be used and for which unit(s). All content for units due to be taken during 2021/22 must be taught

Can our new Year 12 students (Year 13 in Northern Ireland), starting the course in September 2021, use the reduction in the number of assessments of moderated units?

Yes, our adaptations, if they are needed, are available to all students regardless of which year they complete their qualification. However, the adaptations can only be used in the academic year 2021/22. It is expected that all units planned for 2022/23 are completed as normal, without any adaptations.

We will ask you to confirm during 2021/22 if you need to use this adaptation, even if your students are certificating in 2022/23 or beyond.

What is a considered a ‘last resort’ for a reduction of a mandatory moderated unit?

Reduction of a moderated mandatory unit should only be considered once all other options to complete them have been exhausted:

• If students are self-isolating but well enough to work on the assessment at home and have access to the software needed, work can be continued at home.
• If you are having difficulties in completing the assessment as normal, check our unit level adaptations to see if these can help.
• If the disruption faced so far (or in KS3) has been so great that not all content usually delivered by this point has been done, prioritise the delivery and assessment of mandatory moderated units over optional units

This adaptation is there if you need it, however if the assessment can be completed it should be to help your students to progress.

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:

• For students certificating in 2021/22 the reduction in the number of assessments taken can only include mandatory moderated assessment where a qualification only has mandatory units or the student does not have any optional moderated assessments left to take.
• For students certificating beyond 2021/22 the reduction in assessment of units due to be taken in 2021/22 can only include mandatory moderated assessment where a qualification only has mandatory units. Where the qualification has optional and mandatory units we expect this group of students will take all mandatory assessments.

 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:

• For students certificating in 2021/22 the reduction in the number of assessments taken can only include mandatory moderated assessment where a qualification only has mandatory units or the student does not have any optional moderated assessments left to take.
• For students certificating beyond 2021/22 the reduction in assessment of units due to be taken in 2021/22 can only include mandatory moderated assessment where a qualification only has mandatory units. Where the qualification has optional and mandatory units we expect this group of students will take all mandatory assessments.

 GLH = Guided Learning Hours