OCR Level 1/Level 2 Cambridge National in Creative iMedia — R093 | R094 | R097

About the Course

Creative iMedia gives students a broad, practical introduction to the digital media/IT industry. Across a three programme, students learn to plan, design, create and evaluate real digital multimedia products such as a Kiosk— from brand digital graphics to interactive multimedia — while building a genuine understanding of how the media industry works.

Students respond to realistic client briefs, developing both technical skill and creative judgement alongside teamwork, organisation and communication. Every project asks them to think about audience, purpose and legal responsibility — the same considerations media professionals face every day. Students build genuine fluency in industry-standard IT specialist software, including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere and Website Authoring Software

Our Creative i-Media Curriculum map

Creative i-Media Curriculum Map

How the Course is Assessed

Students complete three units in total:

• One exam unit — R093, set and marked externally by OCR
• Two coursework units — set by OCR and completed over the course of Years 10 and 11

Most of the qualification is assessed through coursework, so students who enjoy creative project work, research, and developing practical skills with specialist IT software tend to get the most out of this course.

Our Curriculum Journey

The course is taught as a spiral curriculum: core ideas — purpose and audience, media codes, visual identity, planning, legal frameworks and technical skill — are introduced simply in Year 9 and revisited with increasing depth every year. Theory comes before technique, and technique comes before design.

Year 9 — Foundation
Students study the media industry (sectors, roles, purposes and audiences) and build an eight-week grounding in Adobe Photoshop, before moving on to the principles of visual identity through real brand case studies such as Apple, Nike and McDonald's.

Year 9

• Year 9 Creative i-Media Subject Page
• Year 9 Tier 2 & 3 Vocabulary

Year 10 — Production
Students complete their first formal coursework unit (R094), producing a client-brief graphics project from mood board to final digital graphic. They also study pre-production planning, legal and ethical frameworks (including copyright and GDPR), and file properties and distribution.

Year 10

• Year 10 Creative i-Media Subject Page
• Year 10 Tier 2 & 3 Vocabulary

Year 11 — Examination and Completion
Students design and build an interactive digital media product for their second coursework unit (R097), alongside a structured revision programme for the R093 written examination, which is set and marked externally by OCR.

Year 11

• Year 11 Creative i-Media Subject Page
• Year 11 Tier 2 & 3 Vocabulary

Skills Students Develop

• Industry-standard skills in Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Premiere 
• Planning and pre-production for real client briefs
• Understanding of legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks in media
• Professional file management and version control
• Research, testing, evaluation and independent project production
• Confidence analysing and justifying design decisions
• Communicating creative concepts effectively and working with others

Where This Course Leads

Creative iMedia is effective preparation for a range of Level 3 pathways, including:

• Cambridge Technicals Level 3 in IT or Digital Media
• A Level Media and Film Studies
• BTEC or Cambridge Technical Creative Media
• T Level Digital Production
• AS or A Level Computer Science

Career prospects include: Games/Graphics Designer, Website Designer/Programmer, Web Analytics Specialist, Social Media Marketing, Digital Media Developer, Video Editor, App Developer, and many more within the creative and digital industries.