Press Release
Date: Monday 16 August 2004 NR/19/04
CCEA thanks examiners and announces modernisation project
As thousands of students across Northern Ireland eagerly await their exam results, the head of local exams body CCEA, Gavin Boyd, has thanked examiners for their hard work and commitment to ensuring that all students will receive their results accurately and on time.
Mr Boyd also announced a major exams modernisation project for Northern Ireland, including additional money for CCEA examiners. He commented:
“As we approach the end of CCEA’s busiest exams season to date, I would like to thank our examiners for their efforts over the past number of months. Over 2,300 examiners were involved in setting papers, marking scripts and awarding grades to the tens of thousands of students who sat their GCSEs and A levels this summer.
Our examiners are largely teachers who work for CCEA on a part-time basis. During the summer exam season they worked long hours marking almost three quarters of a million exam scripts and attending over 840 meetings in order to finalise the 230,892 grades that will be received by students over the next week.
Their expertise is crucial in ensuring that all students are treated fairly in the marking process and are awarded grades that truly reflect their effort and ability. Without their knowledge and dedication, we would be unable to deliver results to students in the timely and accurate manner they expect and deserve.
Each year, as more and more schools and colleges choose to offer CCEA exams, we have to mark an ever increasing number of exam scripts. This summer saw a 10.2% increase in entries and awards for our GCSEs, AS and A levels. The processing of these examinations is a phenomenal task, which could not be completed without the help of our dedicated examining teams.
CCEA examiners play a crucial role in the smooth running of the exams season. It is only fitting that their invaluable work is properly rewarded. We have therefore secured funding from the Department of Education to allow us to increase the money available for our examiners and implement a programme of modernisation for the Northern Ireland examining system.
The Northern Ireland Examination Modernisation Project will involve further recruitment and retention of examiners, additional training and support for Examination Officers in schools and the development of ICT in handling exam scripts. CCEA will be making more information available in due course.
It is in the best interests of our students, schools and examiners to ensure that the Northern Ireland examinations system is run using the most efficient and up-to-date methods, making full use of the latest technology. This modernisation project will ensure that this is the case.”
A level results will be issued to all students on Thursday 19 August 2004. CCEA GCSE results will be issued on Tuesday 24th August, whilst those students who have taken GCSEs with English or Welsh examining boards can expect to receive their results on Thursday 26 August.
Anyone who wishes to have more information about examining with CCEA can call 028 9026 1243 or 028 9026 1294 or visit www.ccea.org.uk www.ccea.org.uk and click on ‘Examining with CCEA’.
The Northern Ireland Examination Modernisation Project
Following the Tomlinson reports into the difficulties experienced in the A level exams in England in 2002, the Government announced a major modernisation programme for the examining system in England. A sum of £150m was made available over 3 years and a new organisation, the National Assessment Agency, was created to oversee the project.
Although this modernisation programme involves only the three English Awarding Bodies, it also has implications for the Northern Ireland exams system. CCEA has now secured funding from the Department of Education to implement a similar modernisation process in Northern Ireland.
The project will involve two phases over a three year period:
Phase 1: Focus on examiner recruitment and retention and the training
and support of Exams Officers in schools. Creation of a ‘Convergence
Blueprint’ to ensure that centres obtaining services from several
Awarding Bodies will find it no more difficult than dealing with only
one.
Phase 2: Focus on the development on ICT in the script-handling process
in order to ensure maximum efficiency in the examining system.
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
