“e-portfolios are not just a repository of information, they are a whole environment that people work in. Candidates’ learning takes place in a very engaging environment, and so should their assessment.”

He says that OCR hopes to make the e-portfolio option available to all schools next year. “Our moderators are working in the Maps system, so schools which want to submit e-portfolios online will have to be using Maps.

“We realise that some schools are not geared up to give everyone access to the equipment to use e-portfolios, so paper will still be an option, and from September schools will also be able to submit evidence on CD-Rom.”

Patrick believes that those who stick to paper will not be at a disadvantage. “In last year’s pilot, candidates’ work was moderated both online and on paper, by two different sets of moderators, and there was no difference in the grades. That gave us a great deal of confidence that the assessment decisions were not changed by the medium.”