§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is yet in a position further to clarify his proposals to replace the O-level and CSE examinations by a single examination system.
§ Dr. BoysonIn consultation with the examining boards and others progress is being made toward defining the details of the single system that we wish to see introduced. A fuller account will be made available when the main lines of development have been settled.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he proposes that all syllabuses, examinations and grades concerning the proposed new 548W examination system to replace the O-level and CSE examinations should be the joint responsibility of the GCE and CSE boards.
§ Dr. BoysonThe single system of examining at 16+ will be administered by groups of examining boards, each including at least one GCE board and one CSE board. There are likely to be three or four groups in England and one in Wales. The GCE and CSE boards within each group will be jointly involved in the preparation of syllabuses and papers over the full range of subjects, and in decisions on the full range of grades and their award. It will be for the boards within each group to devise appropriate joint working arrangements understood by and acceptable to all the boards concerned.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the Schools Council will be responsible for securing agreement on the national criteria for syllabuses and examinations in relation to the proposed new examination system to replace the O-level and CSE examinations.
§ Dr. BoysonNo. The GCE boards and the CSE boards have been invited jointly to undertake the preparation of draft national criteria for the new single system of examining at 16+, and to submit them for approval by the Secretaries of State. At that stage the advice of the Schools Council will be sought. The examining boards have been encouraged to establish working links with the council.