Requesting a reduction in assessment for Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals

With the approval of the DfE, we are allowing the number of assessments of Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals moderated units to be reduced in 2021/22 where disruption to teaching and learning has been so great that it is necessary. This reduction in only available for those units that were planned to be assessed in 2021/22.

Details of the reduction available for each qualification can be found in the teacher area:

• Cambridge Nationals
• Cambridge Technicals (2016)
• Cambridge Technicals (2012)

A new ‘reduction in assessment’ area of Interchange is now available for you to tell us which units you are using the reduction in assessment for and to upload a simple Head of Centre declaration to confirm the requirements have been followed. Please see our step-by-step guide and FAQs for using the new reduction in assessment area.

The window to submit this information to us is 22 April to 15 May 2022. We’ve outlined  the process below.

1. Check you have the right entries
2. Submit 'Absent' for Cambridge Nationals reduced units
3. Tell us by 15 May 2022 about the units where assessment is not being taken
4. Submit a reduction in assessment declaration
5. Frequently asked questions

1. Check you have the right entries

Before you are able to let us know which unit(s) are not being assessed, please make sure you have made all the entries you need:

2. Submit 'Absent' for Cambridge Nationals reduced units

This step applies only to Cambridge Nationals.

It's now possible to submit marks for the Cambridge Nationals centre-assessed units (see our website for details). 

For those units where you are reducing the assessment, please submit 'Absent' instead of a mark. Do not submit '0' for these units.

If you have an entire unit to submit as 'Absent', you don't need to wait, you can submit these units now. 

You will then confirm this is an absence due to reduction in assessment in the next step.  

3. Tell us the units where assessment is being reduced

When do we need to let you know?

From 22 April 2022, a new 'Reduction in assessment' area of Interchange became available for you to tell us which units you are using the reduction in assessment for. The deadline is 15 May 2022.

We've summarised the information you'll need to provide below. Please also see our step-by-step guide and FAQs for using the new reduction in assessment area.

What information do we need to provide?

4. Upload your declaration

Delivering the content is vital for your students’ progression and the content must be taught for the units due to be taken in 2021/22. As we said when we first announced this, we will seek assurances that qualification content has been taught as far as possible.

We will be asking all centres using a reduction in assessment to submit a declaration by your Head of Centre or senior leadership member. This will be at the same time you tell us about the units where assessment is being reduced, between 22 April and 15 May 2022.

The declaration will be available to download by the exams officer/centre administrator from Interchange and must be uploaded to Interchange once complete.

The declaration will ask you to confirm the requirements we have asked centres to observe have been followed. These are:

• Reduction in assessment is being used for assessments that were planned to be taken in this academic year (2021/22).
• All qualification content has been taught, as far as possible, to support learner progression.
• Where a qualification has mandatory and optional moderated units, centres have prioritised assessment of mandatory units over optional units.
• Where a qualification has mandatory and optional moderated units, students who are certificating after June 2022 cannot reduce the assessment of mandatory units.

5. Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

For the requirement that all qualification content has been taught, as far as possible, we are planning to teach it but it is not yet completed the teaching. Is this permitted?

Yes, we understand that at the time of signing and submitting your declaration, you may have plans to teach qualification content in the remainder of this academic year but have not yet done so.

We also understand that in some circumstances, where there has been a great deal of disruption, you will have moved the teaching of the content for units planned for this academic year, into next year.

Will you be asking for evidence to support our declaration? 

We will be asking a small sample of centres to provide evidence of their planning to teach all qualification content as far as possible over the course of the programme.

Evidence might include a curriculum plan or timetable. We will not be checking the amount of content that has been taught or asking to see any student work.

For Cambridge Technicals, do we need to claim the unit where assessment is being reduced as we would for moderation?

You should not make a claim for the unit being reduced when submitting your claims for a moderation visit.  The usual claims area should only be used for candidates that are having work moderated.

For Cambridge Nationals, what do we do when submitting marks for the unit that is not being assessed?

When submitting your marks through Interchange or A2C, please mark the students using a reduction in assessment for the unit as 'Absent'. See step 2 above.

Which candidates will I see in the reduction in assessment area on Interchange?

For Cambridge Nationals

You will see all students with a certification entry for June 2022 and a corresponding moderated unit entry.

This means the pre-populated spreadsheet will include students who are taking the assessment as normal. When submitting your spreadsheet, you must leave the cell blank for that student.

Students without a certification entry for June 2022 will not be in the spreadsheet. 

For Cambridge Technicals

You will see all students entered since August 2020 with an active qualification entry (registration).

This means the pre-populated spreadsheet will include students who are taking the assessment as normal and students who may have completed the course. When submitting your spreadsheet, you must leave the cells blank for these students.

Once the new reduction in assessment area opens on 22 April, if we discover candidates missing, what should we do?

For Cambridge Nationals

If your candidate is not included in your spreadsheet and they are certificating in 2021/22, this will be because:

• You have not made a certification entry for June 2022 and/or
• You have not made a unit entry for the unit in June 2022.

If the candidate is certificating in June 2022, you should make the unit and/or certification entry. The candidate will be added to the spreadsheet within 24 hours. You will need to download the spreadsheet again.

Please check your entries now. We have extended the period before late fees are applied until 11 March 2022 for you to do this.

For Cambridge Technicals

Please check the candidate has a qualification entry (registration) for the course. If the entry is not in place, please make it now. Entries made after 22 April, will take 24 hours to appear on the spreadsheet. You will need to download the spreadsheet again.

Do you have a quick reference guide for the reduction in assessment process?

Yes, you can download a guide to the process from the links below:

• Cambridge Nationals
• Cambridge Technicals