Centre assessment

Candidates generate evidence which will be assessed against the learning outcomes and assessment criteria specified in each unit provided on the qualification pages. 

• For Cambridge Technicals (2012), we supply one model assignment per subject and level. 
• For Cambridge Technicals (2016), we supply model assignments for every mandatory internally assessed unit. 

The assignments can be used or adapted to suit your learners. If you prefer to create your own assignment, they can be used in place of the OCR-supplied assignments. 

For units without a model assignment, guidance is available in the centre handbooks on designing your centre assignment. 

An optional assignment checking service is available via our CPD Hub.

Candidates’ evidence is then assessed by the centre’s assessor(s) against the learning outcomes and assessment criteria. An assessor may be a candidate’s tutor/teacher or another person accountable to the centre for the assessment of evidence. 

Centres should ensure candidates have regular planned contact with their tutor/teacher and/or assessor to enable cumulative assessment, feedback and review of progress. 

Accurate and effective records of assessment decisions must be kept by the centre.

Assessors must be confident that the work they assess is the candidate’s own. This does not mean that a candidate must be supervised throughout the completion of all work but the assessor must exercise sufficient supervision, or introduce sufficient checks, to be in a position to judge the authenticity of the candidate’s work. 

Each candidate must sign a declaration before submitting their work to the assessor, confirming the work is their own:

Keep the completed form within your centre - you only need to send it to the moderator or OCR if it is requested. 

Assessors are required to declare that the work submitted for internal assessment is the candidate’s own work. This must be done when the claim is made. 

Through this declaration, you confirm you hold signed candidate declarations for all candidates who are submitted on the claim. 

You must keep accurate and effective records of assessment decisions. Unit recording sheets (URS) can be downloaded from each qualification page or by using our handy forms finder. These should be completed to record and justify your assessment decisions. You must fill in a URS for each unit a learner completes and make this available with the work during visiting moderation.

Once a candidate’s work has been assessed, it must be internally standardised. 

It is essential appropriate mechanisms are in place to carry out internal standardisation of assessment across all assessors. 

The centre handbook for each qualification explains the requirements for assessment and moderation, and the roles and responsibilities of the staff involved. 

You will need to submit records of internal standardisation to the visiting moderator when they visit. 

Assessment records are required for internal standardisation and external moderation. They must be securely retained by the centre for a minimum of three years following candidate achievement of the qualification (i.e. from the date of certification).