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Learning and Skills Councils

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the work of the learning and skills councils and the local councils. [74632]

Margaret Hodge: The LSC is in its second year of operation, and is making significant progress in meeting the learning needs of individuals, employers and the wider community. Participation and achievement levels have increased, and work is in hand to drive up quality in teaching and learning, and to broaden the range of provision available for learners. The LSC is expected to publish its annual report and a revised Corporate Plan later this year.

Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list in respect of each programme transferred to the Learning and Skills Council (a) the agency previously responsible, (b) the total resources allocated in 2000–01, (c) the total resources allocated for 2001–02 and (d) the estimated costs of administering the programme in 2000–01. [74107]

Margaret Hodge: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 19 September 2002, Official Report, columns 125–26W.

A-Levels

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students (a) sat A-level

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exams this year, (b) have completed a UCAS form and (c) have planned to defer their entry into higher education. [74626]

Margaret Hodge: The information is given in the table.

18 year olds sitting A levels and applying for HE

	Number
Students1 sitting A Levels in 2002	200,000
Students2 with 2 or more A levels applying via
UCAS in 2002	141,000
of which, those accepting an HE place and deferring entry	17,000

Notes:

1 Aged 17 at August 31 2001

2 Aged 18 at September 30 2002. Latest figures as at October 3 2002. Figures rounded to the nearest thousand.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what steps she will be take to deliver the guarantee of a university place to those disqualified by inappropriate downgrading in A level examinations this year; [74692]

(2) if she plans to override the autonomy of selection by higher education institutions to fulfil her guarantee of a place for those students whose A levels were inappropriately downgraded. [74695]

Margaret Hodge: Universities UK, the representative body of universities, has already advised all its members to honour the offers they made prior to the publication of A-level results in August. If, as a result of the review, a student is now eligible to take up a place, they will be able to do so, either if possible this year, or in 2003.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much extra finance will be made available to higher education institutions to accommodate downgraded A level students; and whether maximum student numbers will be increased; [74691]

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much extra funding will be provided to higher education institutions who have to take extra students in (a) this academic year and (b) future academic years as a result of exam re-marking. [74624]

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already made it clear that universities and higher education colleges will not suffer financial disadvantage in this financial year because of changes in student numbers due to regrading of A level marks. This commitment continues in to next year.

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list when meetings took place between Ministers and officials of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, between 1 July and 31 August; and if she will place the minutes of each meeting in the Library. [74332]

Mr. Miliband: Ministers met officers of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on 25 June, 18 July and on 7 August. All relevant notes were made available to Mike Tomlinson in the course of his inquiry into A-level standards.

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Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost is to a student of requesting a re-mark in an A-level exam with the (a) Oxford, Cambridge and RSA, (b) Edexcel and (c) Assessment and Qualifications Alliance boards. [74625]

Mr. Miliband: The cost of re-marks are usually borne by students' schools and colleges. The awarding bodies will not accept requests for re-marks from candidates, or their carers or from any third party, except in the case of private candidates. The awarding bodies offer a fast track re-mark service to be completed in 30 days, standard remarks should be completed within 40 calendar days. Oxford, Cambridge and RSA (OCR); and the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance charge #20.80 for the re-mark of a specification unit under both the fast track and standard services. Edexcel charge #30 for a fast track re-mark of a specification unit and #25 for a standard re-mark. Schools are not invoiced until the outcome of a re-mark is known. They are only charged if the grade does not change.

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students of the (a) Oxford, Cambridge and RSA, (b) Ed Excel and (c) Assessment and Qualifications Alliance boards had A-level papers re-marked (i) this year and (ii) in each year since 1997. [74620]

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Mr. Miliband: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the awarding bodies usually collate information on candidate entries affected. We are seeking a breakdown on the basis requested, which will be placed in the House of Commons library in due course.

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list contacts between her Department's officials and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority between 1 July and 31 August. [74353]

Mr. Miliband: As part of normal business, DfES officials met their QCA counterparts on over 150 occasions during July and August. Meetings covered a wide range of national curriculum qualifications and assessments issues. They also communicated in writing and by telephone.

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified A-level examiners were employed by the (a) Oxford, Cambridge and RSA, (b) Edexcel and (c) Assessment and Qualifications Alliance boards (i) this year and (ii) in each year since 1997. [74622]

Mr. Miliband: I set out below the number of qualified A-level examiners employed by each awarding body in the years in question.

Year	Oxford, Cambridge and RSA		Edexcel		Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
	Legacy A level	Curriculum 2000 AS/A2	Legacy A level	Curriculum 2000 AS/A2	Legacy A level	Curriculum 2000 AS/A2
1997	1565		2368		n/a
1998	2206		2468		n/a
1999	2181		2578		n/a
2000	1977		2789		5074
2001	1828	3169	—	4255	—	7580
2002		5826		4863		7200

OCR was the only awarding body able to supply a breakdown between the examiners marking the legacy A level and the Curriculum 2000 assessments in 2001. AQA was unable to provide details of the examiners employed in the years 1997 to 1999.

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many A-level papers of the (a) Oxford, Cambridge and RSA, (b) Edexcel and (c) Assessment and Qualifications Alliance boards were re-marked (i) this year and (ii) in each year since 1997. [74621]

Mr. Miliband: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, as regulator, monitors the performance of the awarding bodies and since 1999 has collated data on the basis of the number of enquiries and appeals processed. An enquiry could relate to the results for one unit of a modular A-level or one paper of a linear A-level or the overall results for all modular units or all linear A-level papers for an A-level examination. We are seeking a breakdown on the basis requested which will be placed in the Library in due course.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of students whose downgrading in A level examinations cost them a place at university this autumn who will be (a) accommodated with a place this year and (b) in subsequent years. [74693]

Margaret Hodge: Universities UK have advised their members that they should honour commitments made before August to all students who are entitled and wish to transfer after the regrading of their results. Where possible, students will be able to take up their place this year, but if not, entry will be offered for next year.

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