HL Deb 08 September 2003 vol 652 cc52-3WA
Lord Lucas

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What benchmarks and systems the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority uses to ensure that the standards of public examinations in England are maintained from year to year. [HL4045]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland

It is for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, as regulator, to decide what benchmarks and systems are appropriate to fulfil its statutory remit to keep under review all aspects of national qualifications, including the monitoring of standards and of systems of delivery and assessment against the regulatory accreditation criteria.

The framework for this work is defined in the Arrangements for the Statutory Regulation of External Qualifications, which is supported by a statutory code of practice. The code stipulates procedures for ensuring consistency in the examination process across all awarding bodies, between syllabuses and from year to year.

Information on the purposes of the monitoring activities, as well as reports, are published by the authority.

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