Reformed qualifications: Entries - Alison Leather
12 February 2016
With the reform of qualifications already in full swing, 2016 will be the first year when you may be running legacy and new qualifications at the same time. With this in mind, I’ve put together a checklist of hints, tips and reminders which you might like to consider when making your entries, or thinking about future series.
What do I need to know?
There’s a lot you need to become familiar with but don’t panic – there’s still time, and we’re here to help. Here are a few key points you may like to consider:
- If you’re making entries for our new qualifications, they’re now linear – so you only need to make a single ‘qualification entry’. You no longer need to make separate unit and certification entries. (AS and A Level History are the exception to this as they’re linear qualifications with a unitised entry structure.)
- Entries are made in a single exam series at the end of the course.
- AS Levels are now standalone qualifications – achievement doesn’t contribute to the A Level.
- When retaking a qualification, all externally assessed components must be resat.
Are there decisions which haven’t been finalised yet?
There are numerous decisions which are still under consultation for reformed qualifications (and not just to do with entries!). But there are a few questions which are commonly asked, and we can bring you the latest news:
- Has a decision been taken on resits for legacy qualifications? Ofqual launched a public consultation in December and this closed on 2 February and we’ll keep you updated with the latest news.
- What information is available about non exam assessment (NEA)? The JCQ Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments 2015/16 have just been published and are now available via the JCQ website. This contains all the information you’ll need to know about non exam assessment.
What are the risks I should consider?
Many potential risks are linked to internal factors which may occur within your centre. We’ve put together a list of points below which you may find useful:
- Don’t face the challenges alone – your senior leadership team (SLT) and other colleagues are also responsible. All centres must have in place a written exam contingency plan to cover all aspects of administration. (This is a new requirement in the JCQ General Regulations for Approved Centres 2015/16.)
- Consider your internal communication and make sure your teaching colleagues are providing the information you need about specifications and awarding bodies.
- Remember to set internal deadlines so you get the information you need in good time. JCQ entry deadlines are usually set on the same day each year and can clash with half term and/or fall on a weekend so take this into account when planning internal deadlines.
- Check and check again the accuracy of data you receive from your teaching colleagues. If an error is made at this stage, it can have a knock on effect on exam day and on results.
- Check the right cohorts of students are following the correct specification. During the transition period there are a mixture of new and legacy (or current) specifications running concurrently. Ofqual’s expectation is that students should be following new specifications where they are available, and where it’s appropriate for them to do so.
- Do you have any students who will be completing a course in one year instead of two? This could impact on which specification they should be following.
- Does your centre intend to enter candidates for the new standalone tranche 1 AS Level qualification? You need to know because first assessment for tranche 1 subjects is June 2016 – entries for this series need to be made by 21 February 2016.
There are also other risks which may arise from external factors. Changes are still being made to regulations and processes so think about how you’re going to keep up to date with any changes which affect your centre. There are lots of ways to keep up to date:
The reform of general qualifications means, for the first time, you may be making entries using codes for both the legacy and the new qualifications. Where you’re running a new qualification alongside an old qualification it’s worth double-checking that you’re using the right entry code – some of the codes are quite similar.
What support is OCR providing?
We want to support you so if you have questions you need to ask, or support you’d like us to provide, we want to hear from you. Just email us at cast@ocr.org.uk with your comments or suggestions.
To make our guidance as clear as possible, the Admin Guide and Entry Codes: 14–19 Qualifications booklet contains different sections for legacy and new qualifications. New qualifications are clearly indicated and the admin guide, and text in the entry codes, will be kept updated. (We’ll tell you about any updates via our monthly subject information update email – more details below.)
Watch out for our regular communications – remember things can change as new decisions are announced. Our monthly exams officer update and subject information updates are essential as they contain all the latest news and information. They also provide quick links to our website and our latest blog posts. Do encourage your teaching colleagues to sign up for the subject information updates – it enables them to receive important information direct and you’ll need to forward fewer emails to them.
Make sure you know who your local customer support manager (CSM) is. Are you and your teaching colleagues members of an exams officer or teacher network group? Networks allow you to keep up-to-date and interact not just with us but with other exams officers. You can find more information on the ‘training and networks’ page of our website.
About the author
Alison Leather - Customer Support Manager (South East)
Alison is Customer Support Manager for the South East region. The Customer Support Team provides support, training and guidance for centres administering OCR qualifications.
Alison has worked in education since 1995, as an Exams Manager in a college, a Centre Support Officer with the National Assessment Agency (NAA) and an Exams Officer in a secondary school – so she knows how challenging and rewarding it can be working in the exams office. Alison joined OCR as Customer Support Manager in 2007.