OCR GCSE
OCR stands for Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations. It was established in 1998 by the Cambridge assessment. It is one of the five major examination boards offering GCSE. It is based on the guidelines prescribed by the UK government. There are 3 papers each in foundation and higher tier. The questions asked are of varying difficulty levels.
The best way to familiarize yourself with the question paper is to solve past papers. These are available on the board website. The board also offers explanations for each question. Do students wonder why solving past papers is recommended? The board examiners prepare questions based on past papers.
They evaluate if the level of question asked allowed students to answer it and were helpful in assessing their understanding. So if the examiners are doing it for preparing questions, you too should do for scoring high!
About the board
OCR or oxford, Cambridge and RSA examination is managed by Cambridge assessment since 1998. It has headquarters in Cambridge. It offers GCSE in 40 subjects. Along with the UK, it is followed in over 160 countries. It is one of the largest examination boards in the world. The board offers final grades as a score. 9 is the highest score while 1 is the lowest score.
Study time
Just like other GCSEs, OCR also needs to be completed in two years, covering both foundation and higher tier. Since the coursework is straight and according to the mental level of the students, it requires lesser guided hours. The questions asked tally with the prescribed syllabus. In short, there are fewer twisted questions.
Types of assessment
OCR GCSE is assessed in two papers. Each paper is of 1hour and 15 minutes. Each paper carries 50% weightage. Marks’ distribution and question patterns are different for each paper. Some papers like science require practical assessment while it is absent for language subjects. Likewise, music and physical education need different types of assessment. Students can get a detailed look at both on the board website. It is important to prepare according to the type of assessment. It is the trick to scoring high grades.
Is the exam hard?
Not at all! OCR GCSE is regarded as an easy board. Students must remember here that the difficulty of each board is regulated by a central body. So, they should not think that they can score big without any preparation. OCR GCSE is considered easy because it asks questions well within the prescribed syllabus. There are no questions that need deep thinking. This saves both time and effort of the students.
Moreover, solving past papers helps students in familiarizing themselves with the pattern. They should solve them regularly. With about three months remaining, students should start solving papers while clocking the time. It will help them in time management. Also, they should not panic. Keeping a calm composure always helps.
All they need to do is write answers based on their understanding. Regular solving of past papers prepares students mentally for the actual question papers.
