Q&A: CAMBRIDGE OCR
Reflections on the Curriculum and Assessment Review
for everyone, wherever they live in the country, whatever their background, and whatever learning challenges they face.
To what extent do you feel the final CAR outcomes reflect the priorities and evidence highlighted in Cambridge OCR’s 2024 Striking the Balance report? Has it gone far enough?
We were pleased to see the review team reflect many of the concerns that we had raised on behalf of teachers and students, particularly around the volume of exams at GCSE, the need for reforms to English and Maths, and the need for a more up to date and relevant curriculum.
The ambition to reduce exam volume by 10% at GCSE is a positive first step – but we are sure that with further reductions in curriculum size, a more significant reduction could be possible in future.
F
ollowing the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report in November last year, we spoke with Managing Director at Cambridge OCR, Miles McGinley, to hear his initial thoughts on the outcomes of the review – and what to expect next.
What is Cambridge OCR’s overall response to the final outcomes of the Curriculum and Assessment Review?
The final report came at a crucial time for education in this country. The education system allows some students to thrive while leaving far too many behind. Education should work
Two core observations in Cambridge OCR’s Striking the Balance are that GCSEs include too much content and too many exams. How far do the CAR outcomes align with Cambridge OCR’s call for a more manageable, less overloaded curriculum for teachers and pupils?
Teachers and students are held back by an overfull curriculum and an examination burden far in excess of other countries. More content does not necessarily equal more rigour. The sheer volume of content at GCSE is preventing mastery of topics and in-depth study.
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When Cambridge OCR warned of over- assessment at GCSE in our Striking the Balance report, it touched a nerve. We were heartened to see a constructive response from the Review and the Government and we hope we’ll see improvements delivered in this area.
The English language is constantly evolving. Will the significant reforms proposed for English within the CAR Final Report help to make the subject more relevant to pupils’ everyday lives?
The English GCSE is widely regarded as not being fit for purpose. It was one of the areas that we highlighted as an absolute priority for reform. What is frustrating about the subject currently is there is so much missed potential: English is the perfect place to give students more confidence in oracy. That’s not just about public speaking – important though that is – it’s also about considering rhetoric and misinformation, which couldn’t be more relevant in the age of social media.
Additions like that not only help to make English a better preparation for the world that young people are entering, they will also make it more engaging and interesting.
As an English graduate myself, I know how fascinating a subject it is, so I’m really pleased to see proposals that could make it more interesting for students, and hopefully arrest the declining popularity of the subject at A Level.
January 2026
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