Once accredited, Lead Assessors do not need to submit work for moderation, and have centre coursework/controlled assessment marks accepted for up to three years.

What is a Lead Assessor?
The Lead Assessor is the individual with overall responsibility for the assessment of a paper or set of papers at a centre. It might not necessarily be the Head of Department; any member of the teaching staff could fulfil this role.

What is OSCA?
OSCA (Online Support for Centre Assessors) is the Edexcel system that facilitates accreditation and provides access to examples of marked candidate work.

How do I become accredited?
As of September 2011, accreditation can only be achieved through formal moderation.

Accreditation is awarded at paper level where the sample submitted during the formal moderation window has met specific requirements, provided that the Lead Assessor has registered for OSCA.

If coursework marks were not adjusted during an examination series, Lead Assessors will not necessarily attain accreditation. Accreditation takes into account mark coverage and the tolerance range.

You can seek accreditation before an exam series based on accurate assessment during the previous exam series, if the same Lead Assessor is responsible for conducting the internal standardisation for both series.

How long will my accreditation be valid for?
Accreditation is awarded within each academic year and will last for the remainder of that academic year and the following two academic years. Once this period has expired, you will need to become reaccredited.

When will I know if I am accredited? Who will inform me?
For formal moderation, we will email you notification of accreditation, based on the outcomes of the series, after the exam window. After this, we'll send you regular updates of changes to your accreditation status each school term.

Alternatively, you may log in to your OSCA account on Edexcel Online at any time to check your accreditation status.

What happens when I have been accredited through the OSCA system?
For the period of your accreditation, you will be able to award marks for a qualification without coursework/controlled assessment being subject to external moderation by Edexcel. However, you may be required to submit a control sample from time to time to support our quality assurance procedures.

What is a control sample?
Accredited Lead Assessors may be required to submit a control sample during formal moderation windows as part of our quality assurance checks. If selected, you will receive notification by email, or you can check yourself by logging on to your OSCA Account Summary page just before the formal moderation window. If selected, you'll be required to take part in formal moderation procedures. 

Failure to submit a sample when requested may result in the withdrawal of your accredited status and the withholding of results for the applicable moderation window.

Once I have been accredited, for how long do I retain this status?
Accreditation will last for the remainder of the academic year in which it was attained and for the following two academic years.

What happens if I move to another centre? Do I lose my accredited status?
No. Once granted, your accredited status stays with you wherever you fulfil the role of Lead Assessor for the related paper(s).