Everything you need to know about results release - Helen O'Leary

What better subject to focus on in my first blog post than results! Results days arrive so quickly and 2015 has proved to be no different. Here at OCR all our teams have been working incredibly hard over the last few weeks and months to make sure the build-up to results days, and everything that happens during and afterwards, progresses smoothly for you.

I’ve included information to make sure you’re prepared for results release below – you can find information on results release dates, how to contact us, and the importance of making sure that your MIS and Interchange user roles are up to date. I’ve also included details about what reports will be available to you via Interchange, and our website, and when you can access these. So that you know how to access any post-results services you might need, we’ve also produced a brand new guide, watch out for full details of this, and all our post-results services, in my next blog post!

If you need help understanding results indicators then don’t forget our new Guide to Understanding Results Indicators is now available!

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very successful results day!

GCE and GCSE results days

• GCE: Provisional results are issued to you on Wednesday 12 August via Interchange and A2C and can be released to candidates after 6.00am on Thursday 13 August.
• GCSE: Provisional results are issued to you on Wednesday 19 August via Interchange and A2C and can be released to candidates after 6.00am on Thursday 20 August.

Our Customer Contact Centre will be opening earlier than usual on both restricted release and release to candidates’ results days. You can get in touch from 7am until 5.30pm on 01223 553998 or by email. I and my fellow Customer Support Managers (CSMs) will be available on results days to provide you with extra support. For details on how to get in touch visit our website.

During the exam series, it’s really important that all your MIS systems are kept up to date to ensure that everything is working correctly. If we discover any known data issues we will notify you wherever possible but you can help to ensure everything runs smoothly by checking for updates or patches with your MIS provider. It’s also a good idea to double check your Interchange user roles before results day to ensure the right people have access to the necessary information. The following three user roles have access to results information:

• Centre Administrator (GQ) – Allows full access to all results information from restricted results release onwards. The Centre Administrator can also allocate all other roles within Interchange.
• Results Full Access (GQ) – Allows full access to all results information, by assessment or candidate, and allows the user to generate results reports from the restricted results release date onwards (does not include Active Results.)
• Tutor/Teacher – Allows access to the ‘Results documents’ area from the candidate release date onwards and gives access to Active Results, our online detailed analysis tool for teachers.

If you need any help updating your user roles, take a look at our Getting started with Interchange guide, or get in touch with us.

Please don’t forget that Moderator reports for Entry Level Certificate, GCSE and GCE Art and Design, Physical Education and English (Speaking and Listening A632, A640 only) are despatched to centres by post to arrive on results day, rather than being issued via Interchange. Ask your exams officer to keep an eye out for these as they contain valuable feedback which may be useful to the relevant teaching staff in the forthcoming academic year. A full list of the subjects for which a hard copy report is sent can be found on Interchange.

A variety of reports will be available for you to download from restricted results days. To access the reports, log in to Interchange, hover over ‘Results’ and click on ‘Results documents’ in the left-hand menu. Reports include:

• Results and grade thresholds report
• Results broadsheet
• Moderation adjustments report
• Cumulative specification results report
• Statement of results
• Report to a centre on coursework moderation

We’ve produced a handy user guide to our electronic results documents which you may find useful.

We’ve produced a handy user guide to our electronic results documents which you may find useful.

We’ve updated the results pages on our website and a number of documents will be available for you to download and use. On restricted results days you can access the following:

• Unit level raw mark grade boundaries
• Specification level UMS grade boundaries
• A2 units showing 90 per cent conversion points

From the day of results release to candidates, we’ll also put the provisional examination statistics on our website.

Active Results: Compare your school’s performance

Active Results is our free results analysis service for A Level, GCSE and Cambridge National qualifications, which enables centres to review the performance of individual candidates, cohorts and whole schools. This year we have updated and improved our service so any changes to results which occur because of post-results enquiries will be taken into account and reflected in the statistics and analysis of Active Results.

You may find our user guide to Active Results useful, this lists the qualifications which are included and the levels of analysis that are available.

Post-results services

After the release of results, it will be time to start thinking about whether you need any of our post-results services. Keep an eye out for my next blog post which will be focusing on our post-results services – including what information we need from you and when you can expect to hear from us.

Key Dates

Here a few key post-results dates you may want to make a note of:

13 August 2015: Applications open for AS and A Level enquiries about results

20 August 2015: Applications open for GCSE enquiries about results

21 August 2015: deadline for receipt of priority service 2 requests for June 2015 series

20 September 2015: deadline for receipt of enquiries about results (except priority service 2)

About the author

Helen O'Leary - Senior Customer Support Manager

Since joining Cambridge Assessment in 2004, Helen has worked in many areas of the organisation, starting her career with Cambridge International Examinations, before taking up her current role in 2011 as Senior Customer Support Manager for OCR.

Helen's role is extremely varied and she considers herself really lucky to get to meet many of OCR's customers, across a wide variety of educational contexts. She is passionate about great customer service and loves to hear about what OCR get right, as well as what could be improved, so that OCR can provide an enhanced customer experience.

In this blog series, you’ll hear from a variety of experts across OCR and the wider organisation. Helen hopes you find the information useful and if there’s anything that you would like to see featured then please do get in touch.