OCR GCSE
Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations
OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) is the third-largest GCSE awarding body in England, owned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. OCR's English Literature specification has notable thematic distinctiveness in its anthology options.
Overview
OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) is one of the major UK GCSE awarding bodies. It is owned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, an arm of the University of Cambridge.
OCR's GCSE Maths follows the same DfE content as the other boards and uses the same three-paper, two-tier structure. Question style is broadly comparable to AQA, with slightly more emphasis on contextualised reasoning questions in Higher tier.
OCR's English Literature specification is notable for its themed anthology, which groups poems around explicit themes such as 'Love and Relationships' or 'Conflict'. Set text options largely overlap with AQA and Edexcel.
Subjects on OCR
GCSE Maths
Subject guide| Paper | Duration | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (non-calculator) | 1h 30m | All topics. 100 marks. 33⅓%. |
| Paper 2 (calculator) | 1h 30m | All topics. 100 marks. 33⅓%. |
| Paper 3 (calculator) | 1h 30m | All topics. 100 marks. 33⅓%. |
Foundation (grades 1–5) and Higher (grades 4–9). OCR Maths papers are typically marked out of 100 (rather than 80 on AQA / Edexcel), but the weighting is the same.
GCSE English Language
Subject guide| Paper | Duration | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Component 01 — Communicating information and ideas | 2h | Non-fiction reading (two texts) and transactional writing. |
| Component 02 — Exploring effects and impact | 2h | Fiction and literary non-fiction reading and creative writing. |
Untiered. OCR splits papers thematically rather than fiction/non-fiction — both papers include reading and writing components.
GCSE English Literature
Subject guide| Paper | Duration | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Component 01 — Exploring modern and literary heritage texts | 2h | Modern prose/drama and the 19th-century novel. |
| Component 02 — Exploring poetry and Shakespeare | 2h | Poetry anthology, unseen poetry and Shakespeare. |
Closed-book on all texts. OCR pairs Shakespeare with poetry rather than with the 19th-century novel.
What's distinctive about OCR
- •OCR's paper allocation in English is structurally different from AQA's. Both papers test reading and writing in English Language, and Shakespeare sits with poetry rather than the 19th-century novel in Literature.
- •OCR's mark schemes use level descriptors similar to AQA's, with detailed indicative content for examiner training.
- •OCR's poetry anthology is organised by theme (e.g. 'Love and Relationships'), which makes comparative essay practice unusually structured. This is one of the most distinctive features of the OCR specification.
Other exam boards
FAQ
- How does OCR English Language differ from AQA?
- AQA splits its two papers into fiction (Paper 1) and non-fiction (Paper 2). OCR splits its papers thematically — 'Communicating information and ideas' versus 'Exploring effects and impact' — with each paper testing both reading and writing. The skills tested overlap but the structure differs.
- Is OCR Maths marked out of 80 or 100?
- OCR Maths papers are typically marked out of 100 each, compared to AQA / Edexcel which use 80 marks per paper. The weighting (33⅓% per paper) is identical, so the marking-out-of difference doesn't affect the overall grade structure.
- What's special about the OCR poetry anthology?
- OCR organises its anthology by theme (such as 'Love and Relationships' or 'Conflict'), which structures comparative essay practice more explicitly than AQA's chronological anthology. Students compare poems within a theme rather than across genres.
- Is OCR easier or harder than AQA?
- Ofqual aligns grade boundaries across boards, so no board is systematically easier at a given grade. OCR's question style is slightly different from AQA's — sometimes wordier in setup — but the overall difficulty is equivalent.
- Does Revisio support OCR specifically?
- Yes. Revisio's content library, mock papers and AI marking handle OCR's specific question structures and AO weightings. The diagnostic identifies your board automatically once your school or account is configured.