NEA arrangements for GCSE, AS and A Level students certificating in 2021

The Secretary of State, Gavin Williamson, recently confirmed that all GCSE, AS and A Level exams in summer 2021 are cancelled and students will instead receive grades based on a form of teacher assessment. Details are still to be agreed, with a 14-day Ofqual and DfE joint consultation, which began on 15 January 2021. 

Until we know the outcome of that consultation, and what evidence you will need to support your assessments, we would encourage you to continue, where possible, to deliver NEA based on the normal requirements set out in the specification. For subjects where there has been an adaptation made for 2021, please also refer to the ‘Your guide to the changes for 2021’ documents. 

The specifications and guides can be found on the subject pages of our website.

Students working from home

Given the current closure of schools, students may complete NEA remotely from home, if it is practical and safe for them to do so.

It is crucial that students produce their work themselves and that you can authenticate the work. Please consult the normal rules around authenticity, for example students not plagiarising, and teachers not giving students too much assistance through feedback and direction on what to write.

The JCQ has now provided guidance on how these students may complete work at home. Please also see the JCQ instructions for conducting NEA which can be found on the JCQ website.

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