HC Deb 24 October 2002 vol 391 c458W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representation she has received following the publication of the inquiry into the marking of some A level subjects this summer. [75285]

Mr. Miliband

The Secretary of State has received a range of representations on A levels. These included questions on how the inquiry may affect individual grades, how the inquiry regrading process would work, requests for the department to intervene in individual appeals and general comments about the grading system.

Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether higher education institutions will charge tuition fees to students who transfer to another institution in the current or next academic year as a result of regrading of this year's "A" levels. [76414]

Margaret Hodge

I understand that no more than 168 higher education students are eligible to transfer to another higher education institution as a result of the A level regrading following Mike Tomlinson's enquiry. Where a student transfers to another institution in the current academic year, they will pay no more in total than their assessed contribution to the personal tuition fee, which depends on their income and that of their parents. Guidance from Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals advises the institution they are leaving to refund the unused portion of any tuition fee which has been paid and the receiving institution cannot levy a higher tuition fee than the balance of the student's personal contribution.

In cases where students transfer to another institution next year and do not receive a full refund of any personal tuition fee already paid, they may apply to the A Level Claims Fund for the balance of their personal tuition fee contribution.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when her Department first received correspondence from the A-level examination boards alerting them to the potential problems in the new A-level system. [75895]

Mr. Miliband

The Department for Education and Skills did not receive any correspondence from the awarding bodies about potential problems in the new A level system. Issues of implementation of public examinations are dealt with by the statutory regulatory body, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.