Cambridge OCR · RQF Level 3
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification Cambridge Advanced National in Applied Science (Extended Certificate)
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 3
- Total credits22
- Guided learning360 hours
- Units in this qualification7
Awarded by Cambridge OCR · on the Ofqual register
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See how this course maps onto your role
Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this qualification rather than a generic one.
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What you’ll learn
What each unit actually teaches you to do
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualifications Cambridge Advanced Nationals in Applied Science qualification information including specification, exam materials, teaching resources, learning resources
These are the units Cambridge OCR registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated, and every one you earn is yours to keep.
Analytical techniques in chemistryReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Describe techniques used to categorise and separate chemical substances.
- Apply quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques to quantify and identify substances.
- Explain the principles of spectroscopic techniques and interpret spectra for chemical substances.
Environmental studiesReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the key components of different ecosystems and their biodiversity
- Analyse the impact of human activity on the environment
- Analyse the impact of natural events on the environment
- Evaluate different waste management strategies and their effectiveness
- Assess environmental management and conservation strategies
- Conduct fieldwork to collect and analyse environmental data
Forensic biologyReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the different disciplines within forensic biology and the types of evidence they analyse
- Describe the structure and function of cells, tissues and organs relevant to forensic biology
- Explain the procedures involved in crime scene investigation and evidence collection
- Apply analytical techniques to interpret forensic evidence
Fundamentals of scienceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Describe cell structure and the principles of microscopy.
- Explain the principles of bioenergetics.
- Describe the structure and function of biological molecules.
- Explain biodiversity and the dynamics of ecosystems.
- Describe atomic structure and the organisation of the periodic table.
- Apply quantitative chemistry principles to solve problems.
- Explain different types of structure and bonding in chemical substances.
- Analyse rates of reactions and enthalpy changes.
- Explain the principles of electricity.
- Describe the principles of motion.
- Explain the principles of medical physics.
Investigating scienceReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Plan a scientific investigation, including defining objectives, selecting appropriate methods, and managing resources.
- Perform a scientific investigation, following established protocols and safety procedures.
- Analyse and communicate the results of a scientific investigation, using appropriate formats and techniques.
- Evaluate a scientific investigation, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
Medical physicsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the application of non-ionising diagnosis techniques in medical physics
- Describe the application of ionising diagnosis techniques in medical physics
- Describe the application of ionising therapy techniques in medical physics
- Describe the application of non-ionising therapy techniques in medical physics
- Develop plans for diagnosis and therapy using medical physics techniques
Science in societyReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the roles and responsibilities of scientists in different fields.
- Handle scientific data effectively, including collection, analysis, and interpretation.
- Evaluate the impact of scientific developments on society.
- Communicate scientific information clearly and effectively to different audiences.
The honest bit
You’ve started things before
Most courses were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.
There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.
And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.
Your passport
Every credit is a stamp you keep
Level 3 credits are regulated. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you’ve earned and what’s next.
Each stamp is a real unit registered against this qualification.
Who’d teach you this
The Evidence Evaluator
Assessor
Helps you show what you can actually do, gathering the evidence that proves it as you learn.
Meet all twelve tutorsWhere this connects
Where these credits take you
A qualification is never a dead end here. See the jobs its credits open, the national occupational standards its units map to, and the future skills they quietly build.
Where this can lead
Environmental Specialist
Your journey here as an Environmental Specialist is just the beginning. We're committed to helping you grow, whether that's becoming a technical expert, a team leader, or even exploring opportunities outside our organisation. We believe in investing in our people, because a strong team makes a strong business.
See the whole journey →Showing 6 roles, drawn from 18 job records mapped to this qualification.
Skills it covers
What the job actually needs. These are the standards the units are built against, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
How you’ll actually learn this
One-to-one, on your own real work
A qualification is usually something done to you: sit the class, sit the exam, hope it sticks. Here it’s the opposite. You learn it one-to-one with a companion, on your own real work, and you keep going until you can use it, not just recall it.
Applied to your work in any of these jobs
This unit covers analytical techniques in chemistry, including categorising and separating chemical substances using methods such as chromatography and distillation. Learners will understand quantitative and qualitative analysis and interpret spectroscopic data to identify chemical substances.
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for Cambridge OCR Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification Cambridge Advanced National in Applied Science (Extended Certificate)
7 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Cambridge OCR.
- Analytical techniques in chemistry
- Environmental studies
- Forensic biology
- Fundamentals of science
- Investigating science
- Medical physics
and 1 more in the full unit list below.
One to one, not one to many
No two people run this the same way
A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.
- Your actual work Every unit is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
- What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
- The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
- How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
- Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.
See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.
Why it sticks
Most courses stop at remembering
There’s a well-known ladder of how deeply you learn something, called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most courses get you up the first two rungs: you remember some facts, you pass a test, you forget it. Real skill lives at the top. Judging, deciding, creating. And this isn’t a generic ladder: every rung has a named Zavmo tutor who walks you up it.
- 6CreateThe Creative Catalyst
- 5EvaluateThe Evidence Evaluator
- 4AnalyseThe Analyst
- 3ApplyThe Coach
- 2UnderstandThe Connector
- 1RememberThe Builder
Where most courses leave you Where Zavmo takes you
The value
Why the companion is worth £70 a month
You’re not paying for the units. They’re regulated, and the same wherever you earn them. You’re paying for the one thing that decides whether you actually get there: a companion that makes them stick, on your real work.
That is one-to-one on this qualification, every day, on the work you already do, for £70 a month. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it. Billed monthly, cancel any time and billing stops.
Earned on your own work, taught to the top.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it.
Build my plan, freeNo card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.