Vocational qualifications arrangements for 2020/21 - excluding Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals

This update has now been superseded by our subject information update published on 7 April 2021.

In line with the recent Government advice that teaching and assessment should continue this year, we have prepared guidance to support centres during 2020/21 in the delivery and assessment of our vocational qualifications (excluding Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals – this guidance will be made available separately).

Recognising that the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic means some students taking vocational qualifications have already experienced lost teaching and learning time, Ofqual has enabled awarding organisations to put in place adaptations to qualifications in 2020/21. This is to mitigate the impact of the disruption and respond to any ongoing or future public health measures, so that learners are able to complete their qualification and progress to further study or work.

The guidance is to support you and your students to complete assessment, while following public health guidance.

Adapted assessments

Guidance on permitted adaptations for 2020/21 can be found in the vocational qualifications area of the OCR Support Centre.

For moderated qualifications, they may be submitted in the usual way with the exception of the submission cover sheet. A 2020/21 version of the cover sheet for each qualification is available from the vocational qualifications area of the OCR Support Centre. This must be submitted with your evidence.

Changes from the summer 2020 guidance on adaptations

The guidance for 2020/21 is updated guidance based on the adaptations in place for summer 2020 with the following exceptions:

• Life and Living Skills qualifications were in the ‘calculated results’ category for summer 2020 and now move into the ‘adapt’ category.
• Using ICT (Entry 3) was in the ‘calculated results’ category for summer 2020 and now moves into the ‘adapt’ category.
• ITQ summer 2020 adaptations on the use of remote assessment using CLAiT have been removed, the other adaptations still apply for 2020/21. As mentioned in our summer 2020 guidance, the CLAiT 2005/6 sets of assignments (where the security arrangements were relaxed) have now been retired. Any students due to take a CLAiT assignment from now should use one of the other available sets.

If you have any queries, please call our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998 or email us at vocational.qualifications@ocr.org.uk.