Cambridge OCR

Inspiring discovery. Building knowledge. Unlocking potential.

Cambridge OCR’s year has been marked by significant influence and innovation for its customers. As we enter a period of strategic positioning and preparation for upcoming curriculum reforms, we take pride in our achievements. We have been a proactive advocate for changes that benefit thousands of students and teachers through our Striking the balance review.

We have reported a relatively stable financial year despite declines in the market for GCSEs and A Levels, and a challenging environment for schools and colleges due to financial constraints and an ongoing teacher recruitment crisis.

Introducing a new name for our UK exam board: Cambridge OCR

Cambridge OCR is gearing up for a pivotal period of curriculum reform in the UK. Our efforts to inform and shape the future of curriculum and assessment were driven by the opportunities we identified to reform ten-year-old qualifications, which the new Labour Government has also decided to review.

Cambridge OCR, now rebranded with a focus on accessibility and fairness for learners, reflects this positioning in its promise, ‘Making assessment straightforward’.

After seven years of outstanding leadership, Jill Duffy stepped down as Group Managing Director, succeeded by Myles McGinley in September 2025. Myles brings over 20 years of leadership experience in education, assessment and publishing.

Launch of new Cambridge Advanced National vocational qualifications

To enhance our post-16 education offerings, we have introduced a major new suite of Cambridge Advanced Nationals. This government-recognised alternative academic qualification will be available for first teaching from September 2025, alongside our Cambridge Technicals qualifications at Level 3.

This includes a new enrichment qualification in Sustainability to meet the growing demand from students and employers for education and skills in the green economy. The Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability is designed for post-16 students to be taken alongside A Levels, demonstrating to employers and universities that a student has not only knowledge of sustainability fundamentals, but also practical experience in skills, such as data collection and project management.

The qualification has been developed with support from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-UK) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, as well as businesses including JLR and Siemens.

We have significantly improved the customer experience associated with Cambridge Nationals and have received positive feedback from our customers regarding the changes we have implemented.

“Natural History is for everyone. Cambridge OCR’s Natural History GCSE will give young people the skills to understand and protect the nature on their doorstep and beyond, whether they live in urban, suburban or rural environments.”

Jill Duffy, Cambridge OCR

Climate-focused qualifications

The UK Government has confirmed plans to move ahead with one of the first new GCSEs in more than a decade, the Cambridge OCR-led GCSE Natural History. The GCSE in Natural History is designed to provide all students, regardless of their location, with the time, skills and knowledge to appreciate nature, as well as develop critical and practical skills in data analysis and observation.

The campaign to create the new GCSE has been part of our broader mission to redefine education about nature and the climate, making it an integrated part of every young person’s curriculum.

First fully digital GCSE moves closer

We have made substantial progress in developing our readiness for a new digital GCSE Computer Science and digital onscreen assessments. Computer Science will be the first fully digital GCSE, with its digital programming element offering a more authentic assessment experience. We are working closely with the regulator, teachers and students on its development and we have received very positive feedback from customers and students so far.

Our progress builds upon the digital mocks service we have been running for two years, helping us learn how best to support the move to digital high-stakes exams.

Progress with digital assessment

Our digital initiatives aim to enhance the customer experience, improve the quality, accuracy and speed of assessment delivery. We are now piloting a strategic results analysis service and an AI lesson planner, as well as undertaking work to manage the risks to the integrity of our assessments that AI poses.

Modernisation initiatives

We are undergoing significant modernisation in both back-office operations and customer-facing experience, including:

Enhancing cybersecurity controls to ensure secure, on-time results delivery
Establishing teams in global locations to improve business continuity, resilience and resource efficiency
Advancing the Exams Processing Transformation (EPT) programme
We have continued to develop joint teams across Cambridge OCR and International Education in the areas of operations, assessor management and digital products and services, drawing on the additional capacity, resilience and investment this provides.