The Roles of Awarding Bodies in Assessment

What is an awarding body?

An awarding body is 'an organisation recognised by the regulatory authorities for the purpose of awarding accredited qualifications' (QCA Code of Practice). For general qualifications (primarily GCSE and GCE specifications) there are three awarding bodies based in England (AQA, Edexcel and OCR), one in Wales (WJEC) and one in Northern Ireland (CCEA). Irrespective of where they are located, schools and colleges may choose to take qualifications with any of these five awarding bodies, and many schools and colleges make examination entries to two, three or even more awarding bodies. The three regulatory authorities are QCA in England, DELLS in Wales and CCEA in Northern Ireland.

What does an awarding body do?

An awarding body is responsible for the conduct of all stages and aspects of the assessment of the qualifications it offers. Through its staff and examining personnel, the awarding body develops and implements specifications, conducts the examinations for those specifications, processes and publishes the results to schools and colleges and carries out any 'post results services' that are offered. The awarding body is responsible for maintaining the integrity of all its qualifications, including ensuring that appropriate security measures are in place at all times. It also provides support and training to teachers in schools and colleges where its qualifications are being taught.

Main responsibilities

The primary responsibility placed upon an awarding body by the QCA Code of Practice is to ensure that standards are maintained in its specifications in each subject from year to year, across different specifications in a subject at a particular qualification (eg GCSE), across different subjects within a qualification and with other awarding bodies. Each awarding body has a governing council that is empowered to ensure that this responsibility is met.

How does an awarding body carry out its responsibilities?

The awarding body ensures that its responsibilities are met in a number of ways:

• Working closely with the appropriate regulatory authority, providing any data, information or reports requested, and giving access to any staff or meetings as required by the regulatory authority
• Working closely with other awarding bodies to share appropriate information and concerns, especially in the time between awarding meetings and the publication of results
• Working with other awarding bodies via the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) to ensure that procedures and documentation are streamlined and as consistent as possible across awarding bodies
• Appointing an accountable officer to be responsible for ensuring the quality and standards of all its qualifications, including compliance with the requirements of the appropriate regulatory authority
• Providing training and support to staff and examining personnel in order to ensure that they can carry out their responsibilities are required by the regulatory authorities.