HC Deb 16 February 1990 vol 167 cc444-5W
Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many courses in(a) environmental studies, (b) media/communication studies and (c) road safety were available (i) when the General Certificate of Secondary Education was first introduced and (ii) at the current moment.

Mrs. Rumbold

I understand from the School Examinations and Assessment Council (SEAC), the body with responsibility under section 5 of the Education Reform Act 1988 for the approval of syllabuses, that the number of syllabuses now offered by the five GCSE examining groups in England and Wales in these subjects is:

  1. (a) environmental studies: 23
  2. (b) media studies/communication studies: 29
  3. (c) road safety: 1

SEAC does not have information on the number of syllabuses that were available in addition to these when GCSE was first introduced.

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