Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals: Summary of changes for 2021/22

Further to our news story on 14 September, we can now confirm more details on the reduction of assessments and unit level adaptations for our Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals qualifications for 2021/22.

Adaptations are available to all students regardless of which year they complete their qualification. However, the adaptations can only be used in the academic year 2021/22. It is expected that all units planned for 2022/23 are completed as normal, without any adaptations.

Cambridge Nationals (excluding Information Technologies)

Adaptations for units due to be taken in 2021/22

• Reducing the number of assessments for Cambridge National Certificates in 2021/22
• Unit level adaptations for all students due to take assessments in 2021/22
• Allowing work for assessment to be done from home

You can see all these unit level adaptations for each qualification on the Changes for 2022 pages, which you can view from our current Cambridge Nationals qualification pages.

Cambridge Nationals in Information Technologies

We are carrying forward the unit level changes that allow alternative approaches to produce work for assessment and permission to produce work from home. We are also making changes to the controls for the moderated unit (R013) in 2020/21 to allow the submission of the January 2022 assignment in June 2022 and we will provide advance information for the examined unit (R012) for January 2022 and June 2022. See our subject update for further information.

Adaptations for units due to be taken in 2021/22

• Unit level adaptations for all students due to take assessments in 2021/22
• Allowing work for assessment to be done from home
• Set assignment for unit R013 for January 2022
• Advance information for unit R012

You can see all these unit level adaptations on the Changes for 2022 page, which you can view from the Information Technologies qualification page.

To support student revision, advance information will be provided about the focus of content for the examined unit R012: Understanding tools, techniques, methods and processes for technological solutions, to be assessed in January and June 2022.

Cambridge Technicals (2016 and 2012 suites)

We are carrying forward the unit level changes that allow alternative approaches to produce work for assessment and permission to produce work from home. If teachers need to free up time spent on assessment to help address students’ loss of learning, we will allow a reduction in the number of assessments of moderated units due to lost learning for Cambridge Technicals qualifications. (There will be no reduced assessment for some qualifications due to their size.)

Adaptations for units due to be taken in 2021/22

• Reducing the number of assessments for Cambridge Technicals (2016 and 2012) in 2021/22
• Unit level adaptations for all students due to take assessments in 2021/22
• Allowing work for assessment to be done from home

You can see all these unit level adaptations for each qualification on the Changes for 2022 pages, which you can view from our current Cambridge Technicals qualification pages.

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