NEA/Coursework in summer 2021

We want to enable students to progress with results that are as fair as possible. We’re committed to working collaboratively with schools and colleges and providing the detailed support and guidance you need so the process of determining student grades is clear and is manageable alongside your teaching.

General qualifications

Students should continue to work on their non-examination assessment (NEA), including for Project qualifications. NEA will be marked by teachers and will contribute to the overall grade, whether or not it has been completed.

Exam boards are not required to moderate NEA, this means you will not need to submit marks or samples to OCR.

Practical endorsements

You should submit your centre’s A Level Sciences and GCSE English spoken language practical endorsement grades in the usual way using Interchange or EDI. Please submit these by 18 June 2021.

Practical endorsement grades can be shared with students, as usual, as they are not part of the teacher assessed grade process.

Working from home

For centres with candidates completing GCSE, AS and A Level qualifications with NEA components this summer, the JCQ has now provided information on how these candidates may complete work at home.

Sharing NEA marks and NEA internal reviews

Where NEA has been completed to inform teacher assessed grades, there is no requirement either to provide the student with the mark for their NEA, or to have an internal review process about that mark as there is in a normal year.

Can we choose to share the NEA mark?

If the NEA mark is part of a basket of evidence, it is fine to share the mark with the student, making it clear the NEA mark does not equal the teacher assessed grade you will be submitting.

For subjects where a completed NEA is the only evidence that is being used, Extended Project (EPQ) or Art and Design for example, and the NEA mark would effectively reveal the teacher assessed grade being submitted, it should not be shared.

Cambridge Nationals

Internal assessment should continue where possible as it is important in supporting continued learning, as well as providing evidence to inform results awarded through alternative arrangements.

You will not need to submit any coursework to us for moderation for the June 2021 series, this means you will not need to submit marks or samples to OCR.

Working from home

Students can produce work from home for moderated units. Please see our guidance for candidates producing work from home.

We have submitted units for moderation in the January 2021 series, will they still be moderated?

Yes, if you have submitted units for the January 2021 series, moderation will be completed as normal and results issued on 24/25 March.

Cambridge Technicals

Internal assessment should continue where possible as it is important in supporting continued learning, as well as providing evidence to inform results awarded through alternative arrangements.

If your learners continue to produce coursework to provide evidence of their learning, you do not need to submit this for moderation by OCR, unless you wish to do so.

If you have a Cambridge Technicals virtual moderation visit planned for March or April, it can still go ahead. If you would prefer the visit not to take place you may cancel it. You will need to submit all moderation claims to us by 29 March 2021 and complete all virtual moderation visits by the end of April.

We will be in touch with centres once the outcome of the Ofqual consultation 'VTQ Contingency Regulatory Framework' is confirmed to provide further details for Cambridge Technicals.

Working from home

Students can produce work from home for moderated units. Please see our guidance for candidates producing work from home.