To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 3 February, Official Report, column 87W, on examinations, what reasons he has researched as to why the costs were the same in 2001 and 2002; and how the costs relate to the number of pupils that took the tests in each year. [97850]

The cost given in my earlier reply for printing, distributing and marking the Year 7 progress tests in 2001 was incorrect. The correct figure is £1.7 million, 300,000 more than the 2002 cost of £1.4 million. The additional 300,000 in 2001 was due to higher marking costs because of the greater number of pupils entered in that year, and initial set-up costs in the first year of progress tests for the external marking agency.In 2001, 79,458 pupils took the English Year 7 progress test and 94,351 the mathematics Year 7 progress test. In 2002, 61,827 took the English, and 76,221 the mathematics Year 7 progress tests.