Introduction
The OCR Level 2 Cambridge National Certificate in Creative iMedia is a new course to KSGS for 2026-27. This vocational qualification designed to develop practical, industry-relevant skills in the digital media sector. Equivalent in value to a GCSE, it focuses on the planning, designing, and creation of digital media products, such as graphics, websites, and games.
How is the course assessed?
The course requires the completion of 3 units. There are two mandatory units, one of which is a 90 minute exam. The other units are centre-assessed coursework and all involve digital assignments, which require research, planning, preproduction and creative production skills using a range of applications to produce digital graphics, audio or video and animation.
Students will receive a Level 2 Pass, Merit or Distinction grades for this qualification.
The course is appropriate to students who are competent users of ICT and have an interest in creative techniques and the world of media. The certificate can be expanded to a diploma with the addition of 4 further optional units and there is a significant choice of medium to suit different learners.
iMedia students should consider progression to Media Studies, IT or Computing, or the apprenticeship framework.
Course Content
The course commences with a study of media pre-production and project planning techniques, which provide the foundation for the exam and the other practical units. This is followed by a digital graphics assignment before combining the skills acquired in the optional units, which could involve game making, web sites, animation, audio or video.
Students build on their understanding of the pre-production process and documentation from Year 9 iMedia – learning about new pre-production documents, consolidation and applying their knowledge to new challenges. Students will not only use and apply their existing knowledge of pre-production, but will be asked to analyse and evaluate existing pre-production, which will draw on this knowledge and application. Students will draw on all those places over Key Stage 3 where they have been asked to evaluate an outcome. Students will then use and
apply all their knowledge of pre-production to a graphics context – planning and creating the necessary preproduction. Students then take, use, apply and build on all the graphics skills they have learned over Key Stage 3 and apply them to the context and scenario set to them.