This is where you'll find all the latest news from the qualifications industry, plus Ofqual's reports to Parliament, open letters, annual reports, speeches, publications, newsletters, consultations and events.
News and announcements
News
Our Corporate Plan
18 May 2012Our first corporate plan sets out a significant programme of work to ensure qualifications are of…
Comparison of A Levels with International Qualifications
10 May 2012We have published the key findings from our international comparability study of A levels and…
Summer Exams 2012
02 May 2012This page aims to gather together information that we think you will find useful during the summer…
A level reforms
02 May 2012We have published the recent correspondence between Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, the Secretary of State…
Exam errors - actions taken and principles (Summer 2012)
02 May 2012During the summer 2011 exam season, exam paper errors in a small number of GCSE, GCE AS and A2…
Response to Sunday Telegraph article
30 April 2012Our response about A level reforms.
Changes to seminars and review of controlled assessment
26 April 2012We have published our report on exam board seminars for teachers and announced an investigation…
Appointments to Ofqual’s Board
18 April 2012Education Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed a number of appointments to the Ofqual Board. Anne…
Exam Errors Undertakings
12 April 2012In December 2011, we published the findings of our investigations into the causes of a number of…
Exchange of letters on proposed A level reforms
03 April 2012Glenys Stacey, Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, comments on proposed changes to A levels
Standards Advisory Group
26 March 2012Ofqual has created a Standards Advisory Group to consider and advise it on qualification and…
Select Committee 21st March 2012 - Useful Information
21 March 2012Our Chair, Amanda Spielman, and our Chief Executive, Glenys Stacey, are giving evidence to the…
Qualification support material and services: call for evidence
27 February 2012We have launched a programme of work to gather evidence on how well qualifications markets are…
Announcement on 'tightening' of GCSEs in key subjects
24 February 2012We today (24th February 2012) announced moves to strengthen GCSEs in English literature,…
Ofqual statement on the Daily Telegraph story on Edexcel GCSE Geography
09 December 2011An Ofqual spokesperson said: “This specification has been taught since September 2009 and we…
Daily Telegraph Investigation
09 December 2011Our response to the Daily Telegraph Investigation Our correspondence with awarding organisations…
Ofqual response to Daily Telegraph investigation
07 December 2011A spokesperson for Ofqual said: "We have made it clear that this is an issue of significant…
GCSE subject criteria updated
02 December 2011The subject criteria for all GCSEs have been updated to ensure a consistent approach in their…
Our phones work again
07 November 2011All our inbound phone lines are working normally. Please accept our apologies if you were trying…
Independent Committee Members for Northern Ireland
18 October 2011We are seeking to appoint new members to our Regulation of Vocational Qualifications in Northern…
A New Look at Standards
13 October 2011On Thursday 13th October we hosted 'A New Look at Standards'. The purpose of the event was to…
Addendum to the Regulatory Framework for National Assessments
04 October 2011We have published an addendum to the Regulatory Framework for National Assessments to reflect…
Review of standards in GCE/GCSE
23 September 2011These research reports form part of Ofqual's rolling programme of reviews across GCSE and A level…
Technical issue affecting the Register of Regulated Qualifications
15 September 2011The Register of Regulated Qualifications is experiencing a technical problem today and the service…
Message to candidates, parents and centres ahead of results
09 August 2011On 18 August A level (AS and A2) results will be released and on 25 August the GCSE results will be…
Innovation stock-take
22 July 2011Ofqual, and its predecessor QCA, have had in place a programme of work on e-assessment for a number…
Update on Exam Errors - 13th July 2011
13 July 2011On July 1st the three regulators of qualifications and examinations in England, Northern Ireland…
Exam paper errors inquiry
08 July 2011We have announced our inquiry into this summers exam paper errors. You can read our statement…
Sandra Burslem signs Memorandum of Understanding with KICE
06 July 2011On 5th July 2011 Sandra Burslem, Deputy Chair of Ofqual, and the President of KICE (Korea Institute…
Announcement on exam paper errors inquiry
01 July 2011We are today (1st July 2011) announcing information about a regulatory inquiry into the exam paper…
List of summer 2011 examination errors
01 July 2011List of known errors in Summer 2011 examinations Awarding…
The Register - unavailable during the evening of 29th June
28 June 2011The Register of Regulated Qualifications will be unavailable due to a systems update for short…
High quality vocational qualifications can enhance life and work chances
22 June 2011Employers from around the country will help mark VQ Day today by getting together to discuss the…
Exam errors – statement by Glenys Stacey
22 June 2011Three further significant exam errors came to light on Tuesday, June 21.
What action has Ofqual taken as a result of errors in examinations this summer?
22 June 2011There has been a series of unacceptable errors in this summer’s GCSE and GCE AS and A2…
Exam errors – message to candidates
22 June 2011We know that exams are a very stressful time for students and that the recent series of errors on…
Exam errors - statement by Glenys Stacey, Chief Executive of Ofqual
16 June 2011I can confirm that following our letter of June 7, Ofqual has received assurances from awarding…
Statement on 'Ofsted's Economics, business and enterprise education' report
08 June 2011An Ofqual spokesperson said: "Vocational qualifications are a vital part of the economy. We will…
Announcement regarding Ofqual's Chair by Department for Education
07 June 2011The Department for Education have announced that their recommended candidate to become the next…
Notice of meeting open to the public
18 May 2011Notice of meeting open to the public A public meeting of the Ofqual Board is to be held at 13:00…
Ofqual statement on today's coverage
13 May 2011Commenting on the coverage in today's press regarding standards, Ofqual Chief Executive, Glenys…
Ofqual Statement on Government’s Response to Wolf
12 May 2011Commenting on the Government’s response to the Wolf Report, Ofqual chief executive, Glenys Stacey…
Review of the 2010 Key Stage 2 Tests
12 April 2011We have today published the findings of our review of the marking and standards-setting processes…
Ofqual publishes consultation findings
08 April 2011We have published an independent report on the responses from our consultations about our approach…
Ofqual publishes annual survey of public attitudes to GCSEs and A levels
31 March 2011Perceptions of A levels and GCSEs remain largely positive among teachers, parents, students and the…
Open letter to secondary schools and colleges about the summer 2011 awards of new unitised GCSEs
29 March 2011We have published the open letter to secondary schools and colleges about the summer 2011 awards of…
Diploma Qualifications Monitoring: Findings from the scrutiny of level 2 and level 3 Diploma constituent qualifications in 2010
28 March 2011In 2010, Ofqual monitored three new specifications in principal learning: Edexcel level 3 in…
Ofqual response to AQA Chief Executive's comments on A level resits
15 March 2011Andrew Hall, Chief Executive of the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), spoke about the…
Ofqual rebuttal on TES article
11 March 2011Ofqual would like to state that we fully support DfE's focus on international comparability and are…
Ofqual Statement in Response to Wolf Report
03 March 2011Ofqual welcomes the publication of Professor Alison Wolf's review of vocational education. Ofqual…
GCSE Science accreditation
03 March 2011Ofqual can confirm that, to date, 35 new GCSE science specifications have been accredited for…
Ofqual speaks at Association of Colleges Conference
17 February 2011Julie Swan, head of regulatory policy for Ofqual, spoke recently at the Association of Colleges…
CCEA Report Published
02 February 2011The Department of Education in Northern Ireland commissioned Ofqual to undertake an investigation…
The EAB Web & Email Issues
02 February 2011The Examinations Appeals Board (EAB) is experiencing problems with its website and email at the…
Equality and inclusion in qualifications and assessments
24 January 2011Ofqual regulates qualifications (other than degrees) in England. We regulate vocational…
Report on home language assessment
22 December 2010We have published a report on curriculum and assessment models for home language assessment. This…
QCF Regulatory Arrangements Survey - Response deadline extended
16 December 2010Following successful workshops in London and Birmingham as part of the evaluation of the QCF…
Correspondence between Sandra Burslem, Nick Gibb MP and John Hayes MP
15 December 2010December 2010 correspondence between Sandra Burslem, Deputy Chair of Ofqual, Nick Gibb MP and…
One week to go until the launch of our third Chief Regulator’s Report
09 December 2010
15 December sees the launch of our third Chief Regulator’s Report at the British Library in…
Recruitment for a Member of our Audit and Risk Committee
08 December 2010We're looking to recruit an independent member, with specific accountancy expertise, to sit on our…
Ofqual consultation events – Have your say
02 December 2010Following consideration of the current weather conditions and the forecast for tomorrow, we can…
Correspondence regarding the government's White Paper
25 November 2010Our recent correspondence regarding the government's White Paper, 'The Importance of Teaching', can…
Fake qualification certificates
22 November 2010On 29th October 2010, following an investigation by Birmingham Trading Standards, Mr David Fox, the…
The Register and Regulatory IT System Outage
08 November 2010The Regulatory Information Technology System (RITS) and The Register of Regulated Qualifications…
The Register of Regulated Qualifications is now available
05 November 2010Regulatory Information Technology System (RITS) is currently unavailable due to technical issues…
Details of the inquiry into incomplete marking by AQA
20 October 2010We have now published details about the nature and scope of our inquiry into incomplete marking…
Ofqual seeks views on its approach to regulating qualifications, examinations and assessments
20 October 2010Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications qualifications, examinations and assessments in England and…
New Director of Strategic Management
14 September 2010Ofqual has appointed Jeremy Benson to the new post of Director of Strategic Management. Jeremy has…
Recruitment of a Chief Executive for Ofqual
25 August 2010Could you guarantee the rigour of examinations and qualifications, so that the achievements of…
Praise to GCSE and Diploma students
24 August 2010Isabel Nisbet, Chief Executive of Ofqual, has praised all those receiving their GCSE or Diploma…
A* award was fair and accurate, says Ofqual
20 August 2010The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) has placed a comment in today's (20…
A* award was fair and accurate, says Ofqual
20 August 2010The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) has placed a comment in today's (20 August)…
Congratulations on results day
19 August 2010Isabel Nisbet, Chief Executive of Ofqual, has congratulated all those receiving their A and AS…
Transcript of Isabel Nisbet on the Today Programme
16 August 2010The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4. 7.50am, Monday, 16th August 2010. Listen to this interview…
External Advisory Group on promoting equality & inclusion
09 August 2010Ofqual regulates qualifications (other than degrees) in England. We regulate vocational…
Recruitment of a new Chair for Ofqual
06 August 2010Could you help secure the rigour of the examinations and qualifications system, so that the…
Changes to A levels in Summer 2010
29 July 2010
Summer 2010 sees significant changes to A levels, which are taken each year by approximately…
Ofqual hosts briefing for MPs
27 July 2010On 27 July 2010 we briefed MPs on the summer examinations season and the work being done to…
Ofqual publishes interim report on Reliability research
26 July 2010Ofqual today (Monday, July 26) publishes an interim report on its programme of research looking at…
Support for Qualifications within Lifelong Learning UK's footprint (update)
21 July 2010The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) have recommended to Ofqual that Lifelong…
Updated guidance on qualification titles
16 July 2010The regulators have issued updated Guidance on Qualification Titles within the Qualifications and…
Ofqual reports on vocational qualifications monitoring
09 July 2010Ofqual has today published a report looking at the standards of a vocational qualification in…
Ofqual ensures the successful delivery of national examinations
21 May 2010Ofqual has today published a report on how the regulators and awarding organisations deal with any…
Ofqual hosts A level briefing
20 May 2010This year sees some significant changes to A levels. Ofqual hosted a briefing to talk about these…
Air Travel Disruption
20 April 2010
An Ofqual spokesperson said: "We are monitoring the situation to see if there is likely to be any…
Efutures evaluation
01 April 2010Efutures, www.e-assessment.org.uk, is a dedicated website on e-assessment incorporating an online…
Support for Qualifications within Lifelong Learning UK's footprint
23 March 2010The qualifications regulators in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have received advice from…
Regulatory arrangements for CABs and DABs
03 March 2010Ofqual is seeking views from stakeholders on proposed updates to the Regulatory arrangements for…
Ofqual reports on the summer 2009 exams
20 November 2009As the regulator of qualifications and exams in England, Ofqual produces this report as part of its…
The Sutherland Inquiry 2008
11 July 2008On 4th July 2008 the National Assessment Agency (NAA) announced that the 2008 key stage 2 and key…
First Chair of Ofqual Appointed
08 April 2008Kathleen Tattersall will be the first Chair of Ofqual, Ed Balls has announced. The Secretary of…
Ofqual: our role and what we do
08 April 2008We've made a short video to explain Ofqual's aims and set the tone for our work in the coming…
Market reports published
08 April 2008Prior to Ofqual being launched, QCA published its final set of reports as regulator. These reports…
Speeches
Making a Reality of Functional Skills
28 March 2012Our Director of Regulation, Fiona Pethick, spoke at the LSIS convention ‘Making a Reality of…
What 'Standards' mean to me
20 October 2011A video of comments made by stakeholders can be viewed below:
Standard Bearing: A new look at Standards
14 October 2011Presentation entitled 'Standard Bearing: A new look at standards' delivered by Glenys Stacey, CEO…
A new look at standards: Presentations from the panel discussion focusing on grading
13 October 2011Presentations delivered during the panel discussion focusing on grading, at the standards debate…
A new look at standards: Presentations from the panel discussion focusing on the content of qualifications
13 October 2011Presentations delivered during the panel discussion focusing on the content of qualifications, at…
A New Look at Standards: Keynote speech delivered by Michael Gove MP
13 October 2011Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education delivers the keynote speech at Ofqual's standards…
Welcome: Standards - The role of the regulator
13 October 2011Amanda Spielman, Chair of Ofqual talks about the role of the regulator at Ofqual's standards event,…
What should we want from GCSEs & A levels?
13 October 2011Slides and video from a presentation entitled 'What should we want from GCSEs & A levels?'.…
Can we compete? Do A levels match the world's best?
13 October 2011Presentation entitled 'Can we compete? Do A levels match the world's best?'. Delivered by Dennis…
Inside Government forum, testing and Assessment: Reforming Qualifications Examinations
08 July 2011Glenys Stacey, our CEO spoke at the Inside Government forum and you can access the PDF verison of…
Regulating for effective and efficient qualifications
22 June 2011Glenys Stacey spoke at the Grammar School Heads Association National Conference on 22nd June 2011…
Glenys Stacey at the ALP Annual Conference
21 June 2011Glenys Stacey delivered a speech at the ALP Annual Conference on 21st June 2011.
Raising standards VTCT Conference
09 May 2011The speech given by Francis Thomas, Ofqual's Director of Internal and External affairs, at the VTCT…
The impact of innovation on regulation, and of regulation on innovation
11 April 2011The presentation entitled 'The impact of innovation on regulation, and of regulation on…
National Curriculum Assessments - The view from the regulator
21 February 2011Presentation entitled ’National Curriculum Assessments - The view from the regulator’,…
Regulating qualifications to secure standards and value
18 November 2010Presentation entitled 'Regulating qualifications to secure standards and value' delivered by Fiona…
Regulating qualifications in a time of change
10 November 2010Presentation entitled 'Regulating qualifications in a time of change' delivered by Isabel Nisbet at…
Regulating for quality in assessment speech at the AAIA conference
16 September 2010'Regulating for quality in assessment' speech delivered by Isabel Nisbet at the AAIA (Association…
Ofqual presents to the Glass Industry
05 August 2010Clare Gilligan, Ofqual’s Head of Awarding Organisation Performance, spoke at the inaugural Glass…
VQ day speeches delivered by Kathleen Tattersall and Fiona Pethick
23 June 2010Both Kathleen Tattersall and Fiona Pethick delivered speeches on VQ day, celebrating the vocational…
Press releases
Ofqual sets out its Corporate Plan for the next three years
17 May 2012Ofqual has today (Friday 18th May) set out a significant programme of work to ensure qualifications…
Ofqual Publishes International Comparability Findings
10 May 2012Ofqual today (Friday 11th May) publishes the key findings from its international comparability…
Ofqual publishes the Annual Qualifications Market Report 2012
09 May 2012Ofqual has today (9 May 2012) published the fifth Annual Qualifications Market Report. It presents…
Ofqual’s new regulatory powers come into effect
04 May 2012Ofqual’s new powers, including the power to fine exam boards, come into effect today (Friday, May…
Standards Reviews – A Summary
01 May 2012We have completed work on seven standards reviews. We compared the standards of qualifications…
Ofqual announces changes to teacher seminars and controlled assessment
26 April 2012Ofqual today (Friday 27th April) announces new rules for teacher seminars for GCSEs and A levels.…
Ofqual publishes 2011 Review of Functional Skills Standards in Mathematics
10 April 2012Ofqual has today (Tuesday 10 April 2012) published a review of Functional Skills Standards in…
Ofqual publishes two reports on GCSE qualifications
23 March 2012Ofqual today (Friday, March 23rd) publishes two reports on GCSE qualifications. The first is a…
Findings from the Review of Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Hairdressing Qualifications
22 March 2012Ofqual has today published its Findings from the Review of Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Hairdressing…
Ofqual publishes annual survey of public attitudes to GCSEs and A levels
15 March 2012Ofqual has today (Thursday, March 15) published the findings of its annual survey on public…
Extra Time in Exams for Students with Dyslexia or Other Specific Learning Difficulties
14 March 2012In January 2012 Ofqual held a meeting with organisations to gain a better understanding of the…
Ofqual mystery shopping results published
12 March 2012Ofqual has commissioned a team of mystery shoppers to test its own customer service standards and…
Ofqual publishes Statistical Bulletin on Appeals Against Results
07 March 2012Ofqual has today published a statistical bulletin on appeals against results for the GCSE/GCE…
Ofqual confirms changes to GCSEs
26 January 2012We have published an update on the changes to GCSEs.
Ofqual launches consultation into how it should use its new powers
09 January 2012Following the passing of the Education Act 2011, we are today (Monday 9th January 2012) launching…
Ofqual statement on January exams
06 January 2012Ofqual can today confirm that no further exam papers scheduled for January are to be withdrawn as a…
Ofqual publishes exam errors report and update on investigation into exam board seminars
21 December 2011Ofqual has today (Wednesday 21 December) published two documents on investigations into the exam…
Ofqual publishes report on National Assessment Arrangements
09 December 2011We have today (Friday 9 December 2011) published a report reviewing our activities during…
Ofqual publishes statistical bulletin into the Enquires About Results (EAR) service
07 December 2011We have today (Wednesday 7th December) published a statistical bulletin into the Enquires About…
Ofqual announces changes to regulation of the Diploma
04 November 2011Ofqual can today (Friday, November 4) confirm that it is to go ahead with changes to the way the…
Ofqual publishes interim report on the exam paper errors inquiry
31 October 2011Ofqual today (Monday, October 31) publishes an interim report on this summer’s exam paper errors.…
Ofqual publishes statistics on the summer exams series
26 October 2011Ofqual today (Wednesday, October 26) publishes three statistical bulletins on the summer 2011…
Ofqual's 'A New Look at Standards'
13 October 2011Exams regulator Ofqual, today (Thursday, October 13) gathered together education professionals and…
Ofqual publishes report into the introduction of controlled assessment
07 October 2011Ofqual, together with its regulatory partners in Wales (DfES) and Northern Ireland (CCEA), has…
Regulators publish research into the use of statistics in the awarding of A levels
30 September 2011The exams regulators for England (Ofqual), Wales (DfES) and Northern Ireland (CCEA) today publish…
GCSEs and A levels Summer 2011
25 August 2011Action taken on Exam Errors
04 August 2011Students awaiting their exam results are being reassured about the measures put in place to take…
Ofqual announces new Chair
14 July 2011Following Education Secretary Michael Gove's recommendation last month, the Privy Council has today…
Information on exam paper errors
08 July 2011More information about our response to the summer exam paper errors is available...
Ofqual clamps down on exam errors
09 June 2011Following a series of high profile errors in recent examination papers, Glenys Stacey, on behalf of…
Ofqual publishes Evaluation of the QCF Regulatory Arrangements
03 June 2011We today published the second report of a two-year project to evaluate the regulatory arrangements…
Ofqual publishes its Annual Qualifications Market Report
25 May 2011We have today published our Annual Qualifications Market Report, which provides an overview of…
Ofqual publishes monitoring report into new A level qualifications
07 April 2011New A levels in English Literature, geography, history, physics, Spanish and design and…
Experts discuss research into assessment reliability
22 March 2011Ofqual marked the end of its two-year study of assessment reliability with a seminar event today…
Ofqual publishes statistical bulletin on Appeals against results
09 March 2011Ofqual has today published a statistical bulletin on Appeals against results for the GCSE/GCE…
Marking error meant students missed out, says Ofqual report
22 February 2011Thirteen A level students missed out on their first choice of university or course last September…
Examinations regulator praises straight talking universities
04 February 2011The examinations and qualifications regulator, Ofqual, has praised the Russell Group of…
Ofqual calls for straight talking about the qualifications needed by employers, colleges and universities
25 January 2011Ofqual has called on employers and colleges to say what they really want from learners. The call…
A level results and university entrance
17 January 2011Ofqual, the examinations and qualifications regulator in England, has issued a statement following…
‘Mobile phone for Christmas? - Don’t take it into the exam hall’ warns regulator
07 January 2011Young people who received mobile phones for Christmas are being warned not to take their prized new…
Plans are in place to cope with winter weather, exam candidates assured
21 December 2010As the threat of another icy examination season looms, we are assuring learners that contingency…
Ofqual announces new Chief Executive
20 December 2010Glenys Stacey will join Ofqual as the independent regulator of examinations and qualifications' new…
Third Chief Regulator's Report and Ofqual’s University Challenge
15 December 2010Ofqual today (Wednesday, December 15) challenges the Higher Education sector to give applicants…
Ofqual publishes statistical bulletins on summer 2010 examinations
08 December 2010We have today published four statistical bulletins on the summer 2010 examination…
Ofqual publishes two reports on ICT qualifications at Level 2
06 December 2010Ofqual has today published two reports, one on OCR Level 2 Nationals in ICT and the other a…
Ofqual highlights Home Office changes involving English qualifications
03 December 2010Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments, is highlighting changes made…
Ofqual Chief Executive outlines challenges to universities at A level event
02 December 2010Ofqual Chief Executive Isabel Nisbet was among the key speakers at a Westminster Education Forum…
Ofqual publishes report on new childcare qualification
30 November 2010Ofqual is recommending that learners studying for a new childcare qualification should undertake…
Ofqual publishes statistical bulletins on vocational qualification achievements
26 November 2010Ofqual has today (Friday, November 26) published three statistical bulletins on vocational…
A report on the transparency of qualification fees
25 November 2010Today we published a report exploring the options for increasing the transparency of the fees…
Ofqual statement on the White Paper - 'The Importance of Teaching'
24 November 2010Statement by Isabel Nisbet, Chief Executive of Ofqual: "Ofqual regulates qualifications,…
Ofqual swaps regulation for transportation
17 November 2010
Senior staff from Ofqual, took a break from regulation recently and turned their hand to…
Northern Ireland Committee Members Appointed
11 November 2010A new committee set up to support the effective regulation of vocational qualifications in Northern…
Ofqual reports on the summer 2010 examinations
01 November 2010This summer’s examination season saw more than 16 million scripts and seven million pieces of…
Ofqual publishes report on public perceptions of reliability in exam results
22 October 2010Ofqual has today (Friday, October 22) published the latest report from its on-going research…
Ofqual to investigate examination marking problem
04 October 2010Ofqual, on behalf of the examination regulators for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, is to…
Ofqual's Chief Executive to move to overseas advisory post in 2011
22 September 2010Ofqual's chief executive, Isabel Nisbet, will leave the independent regulator of examinations and…
Ofqual Announces New Comparability Studies
27 August 2010Ofqual has announced plans for new comparability studies between different qualifications including…
Ofqual publishes paper on public perceptions of reliability in examination results
27 August 2010Ofqual has today published the latest paper from its on-going research programme into the…
Regulator says candidates' achievements come first in A level
13 August 2010Ofqual has given an unprecedented glimpse into this year’s A Level awards. Correspondence between…
Ofqual reassures university applicants – A level results will be fair
13 August 2010With A level results out next week and increased competition for university places this year,…
Shortcomings in GCSE sciences persisted in 2009, says Ofqual report
22 July 2010Ofqual, together with its regulatory partner in Wales, DCELLS, today publishes a review of the…
Ofqual to brief MPs on summer exam season
21 July 2010Ofqual is to brief MPs on the summer examinations season and the work being done to maintain…
Ofqual reports on 2009 Key Stage 2 tests
19 July 2010Ofqual today (Monday, July 19) publishes a monitoring report on the Key Stage 2 Tests in 2009,…
Work begins on marking millions of exam papers
16 July 2010As many young people breathe a sigh of relief that the exam season is over and they can start…
Ofqual publishes two reports on the qualifications market
07 July 2010Ofqual has today published two reports relating to aspects of its role as the economic regulator of…
Chair of Ofqual Steps Down
02 July 2010
Kathleen Tattersall, Chair of Ofqual and Chief Regulator, has announced she is stepping down from…
Ofqual announces plans for international comparisons work
02 July 2010Ofqual today (July 2) announces plans for a research project comparing the level of demand of A…
Vocational qualifications have real value, says Ofqual
23 June 2010As many learners celebrate gaining vocational qualifications, Kathleen Tattersall, Chair of Ofqual…
Plagiarism will not be allowed to compromise the value of qualifications
22 June 2010Isabel Nisbet, Chief Executive of Ofqual, was a key-note speaker this afternoon (Tuesday, June 22)…
Ofqual ‘rejects’ new science GCSEs
16 June 2010Proposed replacement science GCSEs have not gone far enough to address the examinations…
Consultation responses show support for Ofqual
04 June 2010The establishment of Ofqual as the independent regulator of examinations, qualifications and…
New A Levels – fairness is our priority
02 June 2010As 300,000 A Levels are being marked this summer Ofqual says fairness is the number one priority.…
Ofqual reassures on A level changes
28 May 2010With major changes to A levels this summer, Ofqual has briefed teachers’ associations on work to…
AQA and OCR Biology Exams - update
25 March 2010Having thoroughly investigated the matter, Ofqual is confident that the AQA and OCR A2 Biology…
Ofqual publishes statistics on the 2009 examination series
24 March 2010Ofqual today publishes the Enquiries about Results and Appeals official statistics report on the…
Ofqual publishes annual market report
22 March 2010Ofqual today issues its annual market report. The report brings together a range of financial…
Public attitudes towards A levels and GCSEs remain positive, survey finds
19 March 2010A national survey has found that views of A levels and GCSEs among teachers, students, parents and…
Ofqual congratulates students on their results
27 August 2009Kathleen Tattersall, Chair of Ofqual, has praised the students who receive their GCSE results…
Ofqual welcomes Lord Sutherland's report
16 December 2008Ofqual today welcomed Lord Sutherland's report into the delivery of the National Curriculum tests…
Lord Sutherland Apointed to Lead Test Inquiry
07 July 2008Stewart Sutherland (Lord Sutherland of Houndwood) has agreed to report to Ofqual on the problems…
Open letters
Open letter RO5/2012 to awarding organisations
04 May 2012You can download our Open letter RO5/2012 to awarding organisations – about publishing version 2…
Open letter RO6/2011 to awarding organisations - Ofqual's plans for work about the health of the qualifications market
13 December 2011Download our emailed letter of 9th December 2011 to all awarding organisation responsible officers…
Open letter RO5/2011 General Conditions of Recognition come into force
22 July 2011Download our emailed letter of 18th July 2011 to all awarding organisation responsible officers…
Open letter RO4/2011 to awarding organisations - taking regulatory action and frequently asked questions
24 June 2011Download our emailed letter of 23rd June 2011 to all awarding organisation responsible officers…
Open letter RO3/2011 to awarding organisations - self evaluation workshops
24 June 2011Download our emailed letter of 15th June 2011 to all awarding organisation responsible officers…
Open letter RO2/2011 to awarding organisations - Ofqual visits to awarding organisation governing bodies
08 June 2011Download our letter of 27th May 2011 to all awarding organisation responsible officers regarding…
Open letter RO1/2011 to awarding organisations - general conditions of recognition
08 June 2011Download our letter of 16th May 2011 to all awarding organisation chief executives and responsible…
Open letter to all principal learning component awarding bodies – regulatory requirements on component awarding bodies
07 January 2011You can download the open letter to all principal learning component awarding bodies regarding…
Open letter to all Awarding Organisations regarding the extension of NQF review dates
09 December 2010This open letter was sent to accountable officers and RITS contacts of all Awarding Organisations.…
Letter from Isabel Nisbet regarding the White Paper
24 November 2010Isabel Nisbet has circulated a letter to all awarding organisations in response to the the…
Open letter to all principal learning component awarding bodies
02 November 2010Open letter to all principal learning component awarding bodies regarding regulatory…
Open letter to awarding organisations offering ESOL qualifications
27 October 2010An open letter to awarding organisations offering English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)…
Letter to awarding organisations regarding the separation of Ofqual and QCDA
12 August 2010Correspondence with awarding organisations regarding the separation of Ofqual and QCDA and the…
Transition to the Qualifications and Credit Framework: Letter to Awarding Organisations
20 May 2010Letter to all Awarding Organisations regarding transition to the Qualifications and Credit…
Letter to the Chief Executives of all awarding organisations recognised by Ofqual concerning transitional arrangements
20 April 2010Letter to the Chief Executives of all awarding organisations recognised by Ofqual, concerning…
Letter to Awarding Organsiation and Sector Skills Councils in relation to arrangements for qualification regulation in Northern Ireland
30 March 2010This letter sets out the impact of recent legislative changes on the arrangements for the…
Correspondence
Letters to Awarding organisations about Mystery shopping
13 March 2012You can download the letters we sent to Awarding organisations regarding our intention to perform…
Letter from Glenys Stacey to Michael Gove MP regarding the Daily Telegraph allegations
21 December 2011Download the letter from Glenys Stacey to Michael Gove MP regarding the Daily Telegraph allegations…
Letters to awarding organisations regarding the exam errors inquiry
21 December 2011Letters regarding the exam errors inquiry, sent to awarding organisations on 20th Decemebr 2011. …
Correspondence regarding the changes to GCSEs
16 December 2011Correpondence regarding the changes to GCSEs in England for teaching from September 2012. Letter…
Correspondence with the Daily Telegraph on Awarding Organisations
09 December 2011Correspondence with the Daily Telegraph on allegations that examiners have been providing teachers…
Correspondence with Awarding Organisations regarding Daily Telegraph investigation
08 December 2011Correspondence with awarding organisations regarding the Daily Telegraph allegations that examiners…
Healthy Markets Correspondence
01 December 2011On the 28th November 2011 we wrote to the Department for Education and the Department for Business,…
GCSE reforms
27 June 2011In the 2010 Schools White Paper The Importance of Teaching, the Secretary of State asked Ofqual to…
Correspondence between Stephen Meek and Glenys Stacey regarding the Diploma
07 April 2011April 2011 correspondence between Stephen Meek (Director, Young People: Qualifications Strategy and…
Letter to awarding bodies on the criteria for the Diploma qualification in science at advanced level
30 September 2010Letter to the Chief Executives of all principal learning component awarding bodies recognised by…
Letter to The Sunday Times in response to 'Watchdog orders A* downgrades' article
31 August 2010Letter to The Sunday Times in response to a recently published article entitled 'Watchdog orders A*…
Correspondence with HMC regarding summer 2010 A Level awards
12 August 2010Correspondence with HMC regarding A Level awards this summer. Download the letter from…
Correspondence with HMC regarding the award of A* at A level
10 August 2010Correspondence with HMC regarding Ofqual's guidance to awarding bodies on the award of A* at A…
Correspondence regarding Kathleen Tattersall's resignation
02 July 2010Ministerial correspondence regarding Kathleen's resignation from her position as Chair of…
Letter to the Secretary of State from Kathleen Tattersall
28 June 2010Letter from Kathleen Tattersall to the Secretary of State regarding international comparisons, the…
Correspondence between Kathleen Tattersall and Ed Balls regarding Ofqual's priorities
21 May 2010Kathleen Tattersall's letter to Ed Balls regarding Ofqual's priorities for 2009-10, accompanied by…
Correspondence between Ed Balls and Kathleen Tattersall regarding the establishment of Ofqual
01 April 2010Ed Balls' letter to Kathleen Tattersall on 29 March 2010 regarding the establishment of Ofqual,…
ASCL Act 2009
20 November 2009The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act received Royal Assent on 12 November 2009.…
Letter to Joint Chairs of the ACSL Bill Committee
03 April 2009Letter from Kathleen Tattersall to the Joint Chairs of the ACSL Bill Committee. You can download…
Correspondence between Kathleen and Jim Knight MP
02 April 2009On 10th October 2008 Kathleen Tattersall wrote to Jim Knight, MP, to set out the principles which…
Kathleen Tattersall's letter to Jim Knight, MP
26 March 2009On 26 March 2009 Kathleen Tattersall's wrote to Jim Knight MP about standards and monitoring…
Kathleen Tattersall's and Ed Balls' correspondence
12 February 2009On 10 February 2009 Kathleen Tattersall wrote to Ed Balls to express her hopes for a truly…
Kathleen Tattersall's letter to Ed Balls
12 December 2008On 16 December, Kathleen Tattersall wrote to Ed Balls about Lord Sutherland's Inquiry into the…
Kathleen Tattersall's letter to David Lammy, MP
09 July 2008Kathleen Tattersall's letter to David Lammy about the Qualifications and Credit Framework…
Ed Balls' letter to Kathleen Tattersall about NCT
04 July 2008On 4 July 2008, Ed Balls wrote to Kathleen Tattersall about the delay to national curriculum test…
Kathleen Tattersall's letter to Ed Balls about NCT
04 July 2008On 4 July 2008, Kathleen Tattersall wrote to Ed Balls about the delay to national curriculum test…
Kathleen Tattersall's letter to Jim Knight
13 June 2008On 13 June, Kathleen Tattersall wrote to Jim Knight about the principles that Ofqual needs to…
Ed Balls's letter to Kathleen Tattersall
15 May 2008On the 15 May, Ed Balls congratulated Kathleen on her appointment and said single level tests and…
Kathleen Tattersall's letter to Ed Balls
14 May 2008On the 14 May 2008, the new Chair of Ofqual, wrote to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools…
Consultations
Risk-based Regulation - A Consultation for Awarding Organisations (Closed)
14 March 2012Northern Ireland Equality Scheme (Closed)
10 February 2012The aim of this consultation is to obtain your views on our Northern Ireland equality...
Taking Regulatory Action (Closed)
05 April 2012Consultation on Taking Regulatory Action: Version 2
Consultation on GCSE Reform (Closed)
15 December 2011This consultation covers the changes being made to current GCSE specifications in...
Language Modification (Closed)
13 September 2011We are consulting on language modification.
Consultation on Changes to Diploma Regulation (Closed)
13 July 2011...
Specifications in Relation to the Reasonable Adjustment of General Qualifications: (Closed)
16 December 2011Fulfilling Our Regulatory Powers under Section 96 of the Equality Act 2010
Taking Regulatory Action: Part 1 (Closed)
03 June 2011Taking Regulatory Action: Part 1
Consultation on our Draft Single Equality Scheme (Closed)
20 April 2011We are pleased to publish a draft of our single equality scheme. We set out in the...
Qualifications and Credit Framework Regulatory Arrangements Survey (Closed)
01 February 2011Consultation on Complaints and Appeals for Regulated Qualifications (Closed)
08 April 2011Consultation on Complaints and Appeals for Regulated Qualifications
Consultation on Economic Regulation and the Fee-capping Process (Closed)
08 April 2011Consultation on Economic Regulation and the Fee-capping Process
From Transition to Transformation: Strategic Regulation of Awarding Organisations and Qualifications (Closed)
08 April 2011From Transition to Transformation: Strategic Regulation of Awarding Organisations...
Survey of centre views regarding changes to the level 3 qualifications provision in the Early Years sector (Closed)
11 April 2011Qualifications Market Report: Feedback survey (Closed)
20 July 2010User feedback survey on the annual qualifications market report
Regulatory Framework for National Assessments (Closed)
07 July 2010Consultation on the Regulatory Framework for National Assessments
Efutures evaluation (Closed)
17 August 2010Criteria for the Diploma qualifications in science at Advanced level (Closed)
02 March 2010We are seeking views on draft criteria for the principal learning part of the Diploma...
Regulatory arrangements for component and Diploma awarding bodies (Closed)
01 March 2010Ofqual is seeking views from stakeholders on proposed updates to improve the clarity...
Ensuring Regulatory Continuity (Closed)
13 October 2010Proposed transitional and transitory regulatory arrangements from April 1 2010
The second report of the Chief Regulator (Closed)
20 January 2010This second report reviews what we have done so far and outlines our thinking on...
Regulating for confidence in standards (Closed)
09 March 2010Consultation on the regulation of qualifications, examinations and assessments
