Oxford Cambridge and RSA

What Oxford Cambridge and RSA does

Cambridge OCR is a UK-based awarding organisation that designs, delivers, and certifies academic and vocational qualifications, including AS and A Levels, GCSEs, Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals, Entry Level certificates, Core Maths, and the upcoming V Level qualification. It serves secondary schools, sixth-form colleges, further education colleges, and training providers operating as approved "Cambridge OCR centres," as well as the candidates (students) entered by those centres and the teachers, examiners, and exams officers who administer the qualifications. The organisation operates exclusively within England and the wider United Kingdom, with a single registered office in Cambridge.

The organisation's product surface is anchored by an integrated digital assessment ecosystem: Interchange handles exam entries, centre administration, post-results services, and access arrangements; My Cambridge provides single sign-on across the suite; Digital File Despatch delivers electronic question papers on exam day; Active Results offers free performance analytics; ExamBuilder enables paper creation; Submit for Assessment replaces the legacy Repository for candidate work moderation; and supporting tools (Teach Cambridge, Access to Scripts, Cambridge Technicals Progress Tracker) handle teacher resources, script retrieval, and unit tracking. Underlying logistics rely on DHL for confidential question paper despatches and Royal Mail Special Delivery for Braille materials.

Commercially, Cambridge OCR operates as a not-for-profit awarding body under Cambridge University Press & Assessment, with the University of Cambridge as its sole member. Revenue is generated through per-unit and per-candidate qualification fees, transaction-based post-results service fees (review of marking, clerical checks), and replacement certificate fees, with publicly disclosed annual fee schedules for general and vocational qualifications. Distribution is exclusively B2B via approved centres; there is no direct-to-consumer sales channel.

Name

Oxford Cambridge and RSA

Legal name

Cambridge OCR

Website

https://ocr.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cambridge OCR is a UK not-for-profit awarding body, part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, providing academic and vocational qualifications (A Levels, GCSEs, Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals) to schools, colleges, and training providers through an integrated digital exam administration platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Assessment and Qualifications

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transcript, Score Reporting & Verification/Credential Wallet Platforms (EDAFADAO)

Keywords

• Examination awarding body
• Educational qualifications
• Vocational certifications
• Academic assessment services
• UK regulated qualifications

Headquarters

HQ city

Coventry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Qualification fees: Fees charged for examination entries and certification across all qualification types including AS/A Level, GCSE, Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals, and vocational qualifications. Structured as per-unit and per-candidate fees.
2. Post-results services: Fees for review of marking, clerical checks, and other post-results services requested by centres or candidates
3. Replacement certificates: Fees for issuing replacement certificates for candidates who have lost or require duplicate documentation

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cambridge OCR is a UK awarding body that develops, delivers, and certifies regulated academic and vocational qualifications including AS/A Level, GCSE, V Level, Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals, Entry Level, and Core Maths. It operates an integrated digital ecosystem of administrative platforms (Interchange, My Cambridge, Digital File Despatch, ExamBuilder, Active Results, Submit for Assessment) that enable approved centres to manage exam entries, secure paper distribution, results analysis, moderation, and post-results services.

Product overview

Cambridge OCR is an awarding body providing UK educational qualifications, operating as part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The product portfolio consists of a comprehensive qualifications suite (AS/A Level, GCSE, V Level, Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals, Entry Level, Core Maths) supported by an integrated platform of administrative and educational tools. The core administrative platform includes Interchange for entries and assessment management, My Cambridge as the single sign-on hub, and Digital File Despatch for secure exam material delivery. Supporting products include ExamBuilder for exam creation, Active Results for performance analytics, Submit for Assessment for candidate work submission, Cambridge Technicals Progress Tracker for unit tracking, Teach Cambridge for teacher resources, and Access to Scripts for reviewing marked exams. Together, these products form an end-to-end assessment ecosystem covering qualification delivery, administration, marking, moderation, and results analysis for UK secondary and vocational education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AS and A Level Qualifications

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cambridge University Press & AssessmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCambridge OCR is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, which is the examining board that brings together Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Assessment, and Oxford Cambridge and RSA (OCR). The University of Cambridge is the sole member of Cambridge OCR. This organizational structure provides Cambridge OCR with access to academic resources, research capabilities, and the University of Cambridge's reputation.

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance): AQA is the largest UK awarding body offering GCSEs, AS/A Levels, and vocational qualifications under Ofqual regulation. It is the closest direct competitor to Cambridge OCR across the same qualification categories, serving the same schools, colleges, and students in England with near-identical assessment models and digital admin platforms.
• Pearson Edexcel: Pearson's Edexcel division provides GCSE, AS/A Level, BTEC vocational, and other UK qualifications under Ofqual recognition. It is one of the 'Big Three' awarding bodies competing with OCR for UK secondary and post-16 entry volumes, and a particularly strong direct rival in vocational pathways via BTEC.
• WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee): WJEC is the Ofqual-recognised awarding body for Wales offering GCSE, AS/A Level, and vocational qualifications. It competes with Cambridge OCR directly for centre entries and shares the same regulated exam framework, making it a direct peer in market structure, product mix, and regulatory exposure.
• CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment): CCEA is the awarding body for Northern Ireland, delivering GCSEs, AS/A Levels, and vocational qualifications under Ofqual-equivalent regulation. It is a direct functional peer of OCR across the same product categories and customer base, though operating in a separate home jurisdiction.
• City & Guilds: City & Guilds is a major UK awarding body specialising in vocational and technical qualifications across further education and work-based learning. It directly overlaps with Cambridge OCR's Cambridge Technicals and Cambridge Nationals portfolio for FE colleges and training providers delivering applied qualifications in England.
• NCFE: NCFE is an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation focused on vocational and technical qualifications for FE and training markets. It competes directly with OCR's Cambridge Technicals and Cambridge Nationals in the same sector, serving overlapping centres and student segments.

Regional players

• Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA): SQA is Scotland's national awarding body, providing National 5, Highers, Advanced Highers and vocational qualifications. While operating under the Scottish regulatory regime rather than Ofqual, SQA is comparable as a national-scale qualification provider competing for UK-wide learner credentials and post-18 pathways.

Broad incumbents

• Cambridge Assessment International Education: Cambridge Assessment International Education is the sister organisation to Cambridge OCR within Cambridge University Press & Assessment, providing international qualifications like IGCSE and Cambridge International A Level. It is comparable as a Cambridge-branded qualification provider with overlapping assessment technology and content, though focused on international schools rather than the UK domestic market.
• Pearson BTEC: Pearson BTEC is a comprehensive vocational qualification suite (BTEC Firsts, Nationals, Extended Diplomas) competing directly with Cambridge Technicals and Cambridge Nationals. As part of Pearson, a broader FTSE-listed incumbent in education services, it offers overlapping applied qualifications with strong market share in FE and post-16 vocational pathways.
• International Baccalaureate (IB): The International Baccalaureate Organisation offers a globally-recognised alternative to A Levels (IB Diploma) used by UK and international schools. While not an Ofqual-regulated domestic awarding body, IB competes with OCR in higher-achieving UK state and independent sixth-forms and represents a broader incumbent in the post-16 credentialing market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CambridgeOCR
• Facebookfacebook.com/ocrexams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ocr
• Instagraminstagram.com/cambridgeocr
• TikToktiktok.com/@cambridgeocr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Oxford Cambridge and RSA