For general qualifications (GCSE, AS/A Levels) and Cambridge Nationals, when you make entries, you need to provide the following information.
Candidate personal details
Provide candidate names, date of birth and gender:
- Enter candidates under names that can be verified against suitable identification, such as a birth certificate, passport or driver’s licence.
- You may need to check the name they are using within the centre is their legal name rather than a ‘known as’ name.
- This helps prevent issues at a later date, when they need to verify they are the person named on the certificate.
- Please ensure candidates know the name they are entered under and use that on their exam script.
- Be careful not to transpose the date of birth information! We often receive requests to swap the day and month.
The candidate’s name and date of birth appear on the certificate exactly as you make the entry so, if you don’t get it right, making changes after the certificate has been issued will mean you have to pay for replacement certificates.
Candidate number
This is a four-digit number, usually allocated by the centre at the time of entry, which candidates will need to write on their question papers.
- Ensure the four-figure candidate numbers are unique for the series and that a GCSE candidate does not have the same number as a AS/A Level candidate.
- Candidate numbers cannot be changed during a series.
- If you can, it’s best to use the same candidate number throughout the candidate’s exam career.
Unique candidate identifier (UCI)
This is a 13-character code. It is mandatory and is used mainly to link a candidate’s unit results across series (and across different centres) for all their entries so they can be certificated.
- Any entries submitted without a UCI will be rejected.
- Exam administration software packages can usually generate UCIs but we have a check character calculator you can use to help you.
- It is essential candidates only have one UCI. If a candidate has more than one UCI, we cannot link their unit results and they risk not receiving a final subject grade. If you find a candidate has more than one UCI, please email our Entries Team at OCRGQ.entryprocessing@ocr.org.uk from your centre’s registered email address with details of the UCIs in use and the candidate’s name. We will then merge the candidate details.
- If a candidate comes from another centre, use the original UCI they bring with them.
The following diagram shows the components of a UCI:
Unique learner number (ULN)
This is a personal ten-digit number, which is used to ensure learner achievement information can be provided to their Personal Learning Record (PLR). ULNs are provided and administered by the Learning Records Service (LRS).
If a candidate does not have a ULN, the ULN field should be left blank; you must not add a piece of placeholder text, such as ‘9999999999’ or ‘TBC’.
Where a ULN is included with an entry, we will check the ULN and candidate details with the LRS. Candidate details submitted to us need to match exactly with those held on their PLR. If there are any differences, we will not be able to validate the ULN. This will not prevent your entries from being processed, but we will not be able to send results data to their PLR until the ULN and candidate details held by us have been validated correctly. If you need to make a change to a learner’s details, you must update them in a number of places:
- Within their PLR
- Within your management information system
- You then need to send updated candidate details to OCR.
For more information, and to generate a ULN, please refer to the Learning Records Service.
Qualification details
Entries are made using a four-digit entry code and option codes (where needed). These details are provided in the Entry Codes booklet with more information in the final entry rules section.
- Candidates must be entered for the correct entry option, which can represent any of the following:
- A legitimate or ‘true’ choice between papers – For example, in the current GCSE History, each option determines which paper a candidate will take.
- A choice between tiers – For example, Foundation and Higher.
- A choice between methods of moderation – For many moderated units/components or externally marked speaking tests, the option specifies whether the work is uploaded electronically to the OCR Repository, submitted via post or, in some cases, moderated by a visiting moderator. For each of these units, all candidates’ work must be submitted using the same entry option.
- A choice to carry forward a candidate’s result for an internal assessment – The carry forward option must only be used if a candidate has previously been entered for that unit and certification code.
- A choice between languages – For GCSE Latin (J281, J081) and Cambridge Nationals ICT (Unit R001) only. These are offered in Welsh as well as English, and the option determines the language in which the candidate will take the assessment. See Welsh medium papers.
- A candidate must not be entered for more than one option for a single assessment in the same series.
- Duplicate entries must not be made for the same candidate – It's not possible to enter a candidate for the same entry code twice using different option codes. You will need to make an entry amendment if you decide the option entered is incorrect.
- For unitised qualifications, don’t forget to make your certification entries.
- If there are legacy and new qualifications running side by side, be extra vigilant about using the correct entry code.
- Carry forward – If a candidate completed all units in a previous series and was not certificated, as long as the terminal requirement is met, a late certification can be made. Without a certification entry, a carry forward entry cannot be made. Carry forward will only work if the UCI used by the candidate is the same for all relevant series.