To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many examination boards have been approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to set (a) GCSE, (b) AS and (c) A-level examinations for the academic year 2005-06. (82000)

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) works jointly with the regulatory authorities in Wales and Northern Ireland to recognise organisations which have demonstrated that they have fulfilled the relevant regulations for offering GCSE and GCE A-level (AS and A2) qualifications.

There are currently five organisations which are recognised by the regulatory authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as providers of GCSE, AS and A2 examinations. These are the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), Edexcel, Oxford Cambridge and RSA (OCR), the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) and the Council for Curriculum Education and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.