Cambridge University Reporter


Annual Report of the Local Examinations Syndicate

This is the one hundred and forty-ninth Annual Report of the Syndicate to the Council of the University of Cambridge. It covers the events of the financial year 2005-06.

The LOCAL EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE beg leave to present the following Annual Report to the Council.

Introduction

It is clear that in our first full year of operating under the Cambridge Assessment corporate brand we have been able to establish a clearer identity and have been able to promote ourselves more effectively as independent experts on a range of assessment issues. Throughout this Report the Cambridge Assessment brand is used except for matters of a technical or legal nature which continue to refer to the Local Examinations Syndicate.

The year has also been one of considerable organisational change including the creation of a single division in OCR to meet the challenges posed by 14-19 educational reforms, and the addition of a new resource in the form of the Psychometrics Centre. There have, furthermore, been significant changes in the group's logistical capabilities following the acquisition of a warehouse near Duxford which will consolidate all of the Cambridge warehouse-based activities along with some other functions in a single site.

This year has again seen considerable focus on two main areas of Information Management (IM), the modernisation programme and the continued improvement in our back office infrastructure and operations building on the establishment of the Data Centre. The Electronic Script Management (ESM) systems were launched successfully to over 4,000 examiners for the collection of marks for over 1.5m live scripts, and activity in this area continues to be a major priority for the Group with the volume of scripts processed in this way expected to double next year. More resources have also been allocated to computer-based testing with an extension of the in-house Connect system to support a range of qualifications across business streams.

Group history and structure

Cambridge Assessment was established in 1858 as the Local Examinations Syndicate to administer examinations for persons who were not members of the University and to inspect schools, with the aim of raising standards in education. Examining overseas began in 1863 and this aspect of the Group's work grew quickly. In 1888, the organisation was empowered to hold examinations for commercial certificates. The Certificate of Proficiency in English, Cambridge Assessment's first examination in the field of English as a foreign language, was introduced in 1913. Thus, the foundations for our work today were laid by 1914. From the mid 1980s, as successive UK Governments moved to exert greater control over the school curriculum and examinations at ages 16 and 18, the number of English examination boards was reduced by a process of consolidation. Cambridge Assessment acquired the Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations, the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board, the Midland Examining Group, and the RSA Examinations Board, amongst others.

The Cambridge Assessment Group is now organised into three externally trading business streams - Oxford, Cambridge, and RSA Examinations (OCR), University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), and Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) - each of which has a distinct product range and group of customers. OCR is responsible for examinations and other assessment activity for both general and vocational qualifications in the UK; CIE is responsible for international school examinations and international vocational awards; and Cambridge ESOL is responsible for examinations in English for speakers of other languages and qualifications for language teachers throughout the world. The work of the three business streams is supported by the following corporate services: Finance, Human Resources, and Infrastructure Services (comprising Distribution, Information Management, and Premises and Services). In addition, the Assessment, Research, and Development (ARD) division brings together corporate research and innovation activities, as well as investigating and developing new business opportunities which may fall outside the remit of the business streams.

The Cambridge Assessment Group and the University

Cambridge Assessment is a constituent part of the University and therefore falls within the University's status as an exempt charity. OCR is a company limited by guarantee with the University as its sole member. It is also an exempt charity, under Schedule 2(w) of the Charities Act 1993, on the grounds that it is administered on behalf of the University. Cambridge Assessment and OCR are the two principal operating entities of the Cambridge Assessment Group.

The Group plays an important part in supporting the University's educational outreach. Our aim is to be a world-leading assessment organisation. To accomplish this we offer a comprehensive range of qualifications - both academic and vocational. By ensuring that these are designed to encourage positive educational experiences and the development of relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities, we enable the University, through our work, to deliver practical benefits to millions of people who would otherwise never come into contact with it. In this way we provide recognition of individual learners' achievements, thereby assisting them to achieve their own educational and career objectives, giving them access to further progress in education (including entry to universities) and in the workplace. The Group's activities contribute in a tangible way to the needs and development of countries across the world.

The Group values the involvement of the University in its work, through the participation of University staff as members of its committees or as examiners, and through participation in the outreach activities of departments, of which the Millennium Mathematics Project is a leading example.

Regulation and standards

OCR's general qualifications are closely regulated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in England, the Department of Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills in Wales, and the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum Examination and Assessment. This regulation covers the subjects and the number of syllabuses that can be offered, syllabus content, schemes of assessment, and many aspects of administration. Notwithstanding this regulatory framework, the maintenance of awarding standards remains the responsibility of OCR, through its Chief Executive and Director of Quality and Standards, the latter of whom is the Accountable Officer; this responsibility is subject to regular public scrutiny and audit. Regulation of OCR's vocational qualifications, although not yet so complete, is also exercised by QCA.

CIE is responsible for the definition and maintenance of standards for all of the Group's international qualifications, although where general qualifications are administered in partnership with a ministry of education, that ministry is increasingly involved in standard setting and in the administrative aspects of regulation.

ESOL is fully responsible for the regulation of its work and for the setting and maintenance of standards. In this it must look to competition from the USA, unlike OCR and CIE, whose competition is essentially based on the British approach to education. ESOL has achieved formal accreditation for its examinations in the UK, which allows further education institutions to gain funding for courses leading to the exams.

Influencing thinking

Research

The ARD's Research Division continued to be active in a number of different areas and implements a strategic research programme through consultation with the business streams via mechanisms such as the Research Programmes Board. The division won a QCA contract to investigate the comparability of vocational GCSEs and has been exploring opportunities with other organisations such as the British Dyslexia Association and the Institute of Public Policy Research (a partner on a project entitled Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy - A New Agenda for Schools).

All of Cambridge ESOL's exam developments - including new exams, reviews, and modifications - are supported by extensive research. With the introduction this year of the International Legal English Certificate (ILEC) and the development of the International Certificate in Financial English (ICFE), the Research and Validation team has undertaken studies to analyse the language needs of particular occupational groups.

Empirical studies of the underlying language proficiency needs of FCE and CAE candidates were central to the FCE/CAE Review process. The impact of this research will have a positive effect on the teaching community; broadening the understanding of the true nature of the writing ability of learners of a second language will help teachers to teach writing skills in a different or more enlightened way. For the YLE review - in addition to the test task trials - an in-depth study of primary course books was undertaken to check that wordlists and topics are up to date and reflect current classroom practice.

On average about 70 validity studies are conducted annually on existing and proposed exams as well as on assessment approaches and theories to assist test production. Validity studies include impact studies, trial analyses, viability investigations, and reliability studies which examine test items to ensure they are fit for purpose. This year, numerous studies were undertaken for BULATS (for example, research into marker reliability to determine whether there are variances in interpretation of mark schemes by the markers of the exam papers), BEC (grading methods among other areas of investigation), YLE, and IELTS.

Research into the post-launch phases of two computer-based products (CB IELTS and CB PET) continued during the year with performance monitoring of exam materials and candidate responses particularly focusing on comparability between paper-and-pencil and computer-based responses. There was also investigation into test technology that could support automated test assembly and item cloning.

The Asset Languages scheme includes over 20 languages, three contexts (primary, secondary, and post-16), four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), and A1 to C2 levels of proficiency. The basis of this complex framework is the notion of functional equivalence of levels across languages, skills, and contexts. A comprehensive Research Agenda managed by Cambridge ESOL Research and Validation division focuses on this and other fundamental issues associated with the development of a new qualification system. The Research Agenda is based on the division's VRIP (Validity, Reliability, Impact, Practicality) model and sets out important research areas and research questions for Asset Languages. Current areas of work include comparability across skills, comparability across languages, the relationship of Asset Languages assessments to existing UK qualifications, and the impact of Asset Languages assessments on teaching and the motivation of learners.

Sharing knowledge

Cambridge ESOL is taking a leading role in the English Profile Project, which aims to provide tools that will help learners and teachers understand what real English language use actually looks like at each level of the influential Common European Framework of Reference. The English Profile project is a collaboration with the British Council, Cambridge University Press, English UK, the Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics (University of Cambridge), University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, and the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (University of Bedfordshire).

Cambridge ESOL published (with Cambridge University Press) four volumes of the academic series Studies in Language Testing during the year. These covered subjects such as testing of language for specific purposes, the impact of high-stakes testing on classroom teaching, and the effects of the powerful influence of language teaching and testing programmes exerted on a wide range of stakeholder groups.

Specialists from Cambridge ESOL's Research and Validation Group delivered papers on a broad range of assessment subjects at 50 conferences around the world during the year as part of its commitment to share its knowledge and insights. Members of the Group also published a number of papers in refereed journals, and in two specialist encyclopaedias.

This year, the quarterly Research Notes included generic assessment subjects; for example, setting and monitoring professional standards, assessment systems (conceptual, human, technological), evaluating the impact of word processed text on writing quality, and items on specific product research.

Cambridge ESOL and its centres organised around 600 seminars for teachers and other stakeholders during the year, also attended well over 100 ELT conferences and exhibitions plus some 50 academic conferences. Major events were held in Greece and Switzerland in collaboration with our ALTE partners to mark the European Day of Languages in September.

CIE is a world leader in international education - and committed to sharing its knowledge worldwide. We are building capability with ministries of education; sharing global best practice in teaching through seminar programmes, and offering formal professional development courses worldwide.

CIE is building capability in many government ministries of education. We have on-going large scale projects to develop national systems in Southern Africa, including Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. CIE continues to be involved in many other local capability building projects - for example, item writer training in Malaysia, examinations administration training in Mauritius, quality assurance procedures in Hong Kong, and developing on-line teacher support for UNICEF in the Maldives. In addition, CIE is providing advice and assistance in several national curriculum reform programmes, including primary, lower, and upper secondary education, A level, vocational, and moving to broader access educational systems.

Global Best Practice has proved a popular theme with international schools. CIE has drawn hundreds of teachers to seminars on educational best practice in international education. The most recent seminar was in Delhi in September, attended by nearly 400 teachers. Cambridge acts both as an expert - in sharing its findings and experience with teachers; and as a facilitator - in holding workshops and providing a forum for excellent teachers to share their work through case studies. We staged more professional development courses than ever before. Professional development covers both subject-specific training and wider pedagogical development. CIE subsidises this part of its work because our aim is to make the courses accessible to as many teachers as possible. We provided thousands of skills transfer days and ran hundreds of sessions, both face to face and on-line.

OCR contributed through the year to a continuing debate between awarding bodies, regulators, and governments about the national qualifications frameworks in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. OCR's analysis, drawing on the global experiences of the Group, helped to shape a two-year trial of a new approach in England which tries to embed greater employer input with greater choice for learners whilst ensuring qualifications are fit for purpose.

OCR engaged extensively during the year with government, regulators, and teachers over the 14-19 White Paper reforms. It successfully argued for the retention of course-work where it is appropriate; shaped a programme of pilots for functional skills assessments; and helped QCA to turn the work of employer-led Diploma Development Partnerships into a workable framework for developing the new diplomas.

The ARD's Research Division produced three issues of Research Matters, one of which was a special issue reporting on the Aspects of Writing Research which was the focus of a House of Commons seminar chaired by Barry Sheerman (Chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Education).

New conferencing guidelines have been implemented within ARD with the introduction of pre-conference co-ordination meetings and post-conference feedback. Papers were presented at the AEA and IAEA conferences, among others, and the Director of the Research Division presented the keynote address at the 10th Annual Roundtable Assessment Conference in Melbourne.

The Cambridge Assessment Network has run a programme of in-house seminars and courses and has been supporting the Group's aim of promoting itself as a centre for those seeking high quality advice and teaching on assessment. A two-week international study programme was run for assessment specialists from Malaysia, Bhutan, and Egypt in collaboration with the business streams. The first international Cambridge Assessment Conference was held at Robinson College, Cambridge. A panel of world-class speakers helped to ensure that this event made a significant contribution to thinking on the theme of trust in public examination systems.

New developments

Cambridge ESOL carried out a major benchmarking study for the Colombian government, to assess levels of English across school and university students. This has attracted media attention internationally, and will form the basis of further collaborative projects with the Colombian Ministry of Education.

Cambridge ESOL introduced its on-line results service during the year. This innovative service allows candidates to access their results on-line as soon as they are issued. It has proved extremely popular, and will be rolled out across the full range of exams during the coming year.

The International Legal English Certificate (ILEC) has been introduced in partnership with lawyer-linguists Translegal, and interest is growing following the first examinations in May 2006. This is the first exam which Cambridge ESOL has provided for a specific profession and is complemented by the textbook Legal English Course published by Cambridge University Press. ILEC will be followed by ICFE in 2007. ICFE has been developed in collaboration with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Cambridge ESOL and ACCA are working with CUP to pilot a blended learning course.

An interactive blended-learning course for Italian university students was developed through a unique partnership between Cambridge ESOL, Cambridge University Press, and the association of Italian university rectors, CRUI (Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane) during the year. A blended course combines several methods of tuition; in this case self-access study and on-line tuition. Its purpose is to help Italian universities meet government requirements to increase the number of students reaching level B1 (CEFR) in English.

To support teachers with their own professional development, the Cambridge Teacher Portfolio was launched this year. It is a secure, free on-line portfolio that enables teachers anywhere in the world to store materials, lesson plans, teaching reflections, and their career details. An on-line newsletter was also launched to help teachers to make the most of the Teaching Resources website. Computer-based PET was launched in some countries in Europe this year. The shorter lead-in times between entry and exam and faster results turnaround time have proven particularly attractive in Italy and Switzerland. There is also considerable interest from centres in Latin America and other parts of the world.

CIE has begun development of Cambridge Pre-U, a major new initiative in post-16 education. Cambridge Pre-U will give students excellent preparation for university and is an alternative to A/AS Level. Schools in the UK and overseas are showing very strong interest in offering Cambridge Pre-U and have been taking part in CIE's consultation on the overall qualification and its component parts - subject syllabuses, curriculum extension, and Global Perspectives course. Cambridge Pre-U will be available for first teaching in September 2008 and for first full examination in June 2010.

Cambridge IGCSE is the world's most popular international qualification for 14-16 year olds - and still growing. Not only are entries increasing internationally, but also in the UK, where over 200 UK independent schools offer IGCSE. Its success has led the UK government to launch a consultation to see how IGCSE should be offered to state schools.

This year saw a major milestone passed in CIE's Computer Based Testing strategy with the sitting of the first all-electronic component. IGCSE Geography Alternative to Practical was taken in May by over 250 students in 20 Centres, entirely on computer. CIE also piloted a computer-based version of its Checkpoint mathematics diagnostic test in April, involving five Centres.

In November CIE launched CIEDirect, a new secure Centre extranet which is designed to replace most paper-and-post administrative transactions. Use of the site has been widespread, with more than 2,000 Centres using it to receive their results in January and August. Development also started this year on a new version of CIE's public website, CIEOnline, which is due for launch in March 2007. The new site is designed to make it easier for different user groups to find relevant content, and to improve the recruitment of Centres on-line.

OCR's ground-breaking new GCSE Science specifications aroused tremendous interest from teachers. In particular, the 21st Century Science suite, with its emphasis on placing scientific understanding in real-world contexts, attracted controversy in some quarters, though many scientists saw this as a positive step towards increasing young people's engagement with the sciences.

In support of a general drive to reduce the burden of assessment on learners, OCR launched its first 4-unit A levels in place of their 6-unit predecessors. Plans are in place to re-develop other A levels along similar lines.

OCR launched the UK's first 'e-GCSE'. The Environmental and A Land-Base Science specifications allow learners to complete the whole qualification through on-screen examinations and the use of a digital portfolio for course-work.

Anticipating the 14-19 reforms, and recognising that a growing number of schools and colleges are now mixing general and vocational offerings, OCR brought together its two assessment (i.e. qualifications) divisions to form a single new division. We believe this will enable us to engage more effectively and flexibly with schools and colleges as they tailor their provision to their particular learners.

The Group signed a joint venture agreement with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to develop and pilot the generic university admissions test, uniTEST. ARD is working with the support of several universities to validate the test using applicants to these institutions. ARD has also revised the admissions test used by the English Faculty at Oxford University and will be administering a pilot of the test.

The Cambridge Assessment Network had developed a Certificate in the Principles and Practice of Assessment in conjunction with the Institute of Continuing Education at the University which is open to staff, teachers, trainers, and the general public.

The Psychometrics Centre joined Cambridge Assessment in November, having originally been established at City University, London in May 2003 under the direction of Professor John Rust, the UK's only Professor of Psychometrics. The centre is now fully established and receives income from commercial test publishing contracts. It provides a resource to be used by the Group to increase internal levels of psychometric expertise, and will continue to explore external opportunities.

Delivering assessment services

Cambridge ESOL's business continues to flourish, with excellent growth worldwide across the entire range of examinations and services. IELTS has continued the recent trend of rapid growth in numbers of candidates worldwide. It remains the test of choice for immigration to many English speaking countries and is now recognised by more than 4,000 universities and other educational institutions. Growing recognition in the USA - where nearly 900 institutions recognise the test, including seven of the eight Ivy League schools - has helped to fuel this growth. During the year, IELTS was given a new brand identity, and a number of new services were introduced to help sustain the rapid growth.

The Young Learners English Tests have also sustained particularly high levels of growth worldwide, particularly in Asia. A comprehensive review of the tests has led to minor updates which will be introduced in 2007. In the UK, Cambridge ESOL's UK ESOL Skills for Life provision has been extremely successful and entries continue to grow rapidly, thanks to the exceptionally high level of support that Cambridge ESOL provides for teachers. The innovative Teaching Knowledge Test has grown rapidly and has attracted recognition from ministries of education and other official bodies in several countries. This test continues to attract a high level of media attention worldwide.

The worldwide network of Cambridge ESOL offices and staff continues to increase, with new offices in Mexico and Vietnam and expanded teams in China and Spain.

Cambridge ESOL carried out a thorough review of the FCE and CAE examinations, two of the world's best known and most widely recognised qualifications for learners of English. The review will lead to a number of enhancements, including a reduction in the overall length of each exam of approximately one hour, which should make the exams more appealing to candidates.

Cambridge Assessment has a contract with the DfES to deliver the national languages recognition scheme for England. The scheme is based on the Languages Ladder - a series of simple motivational 'can do' statements and in order to do this the Asset Languages scheme has been created. This year saw the new qualifications offered for the first time on a national scale. Ten thousand candidates made entries across eight languages - French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Panjabi, and Urdu. News of the development is spreading rapidly and by the end of the year over 1,000 centres had registered an interest in taking the qualifications in 2006-07 when a further thirteen languages will be available.

The Languages Ladder on which the Asset Languages programme is based is an English interpretation of the Common European Framework. Staff from Cambridge ESOL, together with the DfES have attended a number of international conferences and made presentations on the Languages Ladder and Asset Languages. Work has been undertaken to establish common standards with our European partners through assessment of student performance against the Common European Framework.

CIE is the world's largest provider of international school qualifications for 14-19 year olds. As such it is committed to its mission to extend access to the benefits of education around the world. Greater student and worker mobility through globalisation creates new demand for international qualifications. CIE's assessment provision is designed to meet the needs of two segments of education - that of international and independent schools operating individually or as consortia of schools, and national examination systems operated through a number of government contracts.

In 2005-06 over 400,000 candidates entered for University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) syllabuses in 150 countries through 9,000 schools, centres, and distributors. The examinations taken included IGCSE, O Level, International AS and A Levels. CIE also provided qualifications for the professional development of teachers. In particular growth was experienced in India and the Middle East. Their scripts were marked by around 4,000 examiners. While the majority were marked using traditional paper-based methods of marking, a small proportion of the overall total were marked using the new electronic script-marking processes operated by the Group.

In their second year, OCR Nationals were taken up by a growing number of schools and colleges. For some, this offered a replacement for GNVQs, for many others OCR Nationals presented an opportunity to incorporate vocational programmes for the first time. Many more schools and colleges were preparing to adopt Nationals in 2006-07.

Critical Thinking became OCR's most popular A Level. Critical Thinking is highly valued by some universities, and by a growing number of teachers who feel that, as well as offering a challenge to learners in its own right, it helps them develop generic skills which enhance their achievement in other subjects.

OCR became the leading provider of adult Basic Skills tests, and was particularly active in supporting Basic Skills testing in prisons. By the end of the year, the majority of tests were being taken on-screen.

People

The Group is heavily reliant on the knowledge and experience of its staff and external examiners and great attention is paid to their further training and development. The Group also depends upon the services of a number of contractors and consultants. Syndics wish to record their appreciation of the work of all those who have contributed to the Group's activities over the past year.

Finance and reserves

The consolidated financial statements show that the Cambridge Assessment Group reported a surplus of £3.6m for the financial year ended 30 September 2006. Each of the three business streams recorded an operating surplus.

Income from examination fees and other educational and assessment services increased from £166.9m to £177.1m due to increased demand across all three Business Streams.

Overall expenditure in providing examination services increased, partly because of extra volume, and partly because of higher staff, information system, and other costs. Expenditure for the year also includes a transfer of £3.3m to the University compared with £14.5m for the previous year.

Although continuing growth is forecast in the number of examination entries, fee rates are subject to external pressures particularly from customers who are billed in Euros, and from those which suffer from economic difficulties, or where they find it difficult to raise foreign currency to pay in sterling.

As a result, the Group is committed to maintaining a strong balance sheet in order to ensure financial stability in a risky business environment and to provide a cushion against adverse circumstances. Reserves are also required to fund investment in the development of the Group's infrastructure and business, including research, and to ensure that no financial liability will ever fall on general University funds. Syndics consider that it would be imprudent for the Group to rely on loans to fund any of these requirements and that the University is unlikely to wish to divert general resources to support the Group's work. The Group must therefore maintain sufficient reserves to meet all its funding requirements, in bad as well as good times. The available reserves provide the necessary buffer to meet the Group's investment needs and cover for contingencies. Syndics have reviewed the level of reserves with the University and believe that the levels held are reasonable given the issues faced by the Group. It has been the Group's policy to invest the available reserves in the University's Endowment Fund (Amalgamated Fund). This policy has served the Group (and the University) well over the years, enabling substantial support to be given to a range of general University purposes and to scholarship schemes for students from the Commonwealth and other countries. However, the policy introduces its own risk when, from time to time, stock markets fall. By 30 September 2002 the accounts had shown an accumulated unrealised loss over two years of £21.6m. Over the last four years these unrealised losses have all been recovered.

During the year £3.3m was transferred to the University, which is a return to the normal pattern of transfers. In addition, the Group has given financial assistance on a small scale to a number of University activities that relate closely to the Group's mission such as the Millennium Mathematics Project, an outreach activity to schools run jointly by the Departments of Education and of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics; and grants to some of the less well endowed Colleges to support overseas students, in recognition of the importance of international work to the Group. These grants will be continued next year.

Since 1981 the Group has transferred £146m from its reserves and investment income - £125m to general University funds; £18m to the Cambridge Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts; and £3m to establish the Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics.

During the year the Group purchased a new warehouse outside Cambridge. Refurbishment of the first phase of this will be completed during 2007.

The Group has adopted FRS17 'Retirement Benefits' in these financial statements. As a result, the liability in respect of the RSAEB Retirement Benefits Scheme is included. The liability relating to the CPS Scheme is not recognised in the Group's accounts as the Group's share of assets and liabilities cannot be separately identified.

Risk management

The major risks to which the Cambridge Assessment Group is exposed, as identified by the Syndics, have been reviewed and systems have been established to manage those risks.

(a) Policies and Procedures

Policies underpin the internal control process. These policies are set by the Corporate Board and written procedures support the policies where appropriate. There is an annual review as to whether changes or improvements to processes and procedures are necessary.

(b) Risk Register

A Risk Register is maintained at a corporate level and helps to identify, assess, and monitor significant risks. Senior management review the risks for which they are responsible. Emerging risks are added as required, and improvement actions are monitored regularly.
25 January 2007
Professor A. J. BADGER (Chairman) Professor J. HAWKINS Mr B. G. PICKING
Professor J. M. GRAY Miss P. M. KELLEHER Dr K. B. PRETTY
Dr J. J. GUY Dr J. A. LEAKE Mr A. REID
Ms D. HALL Mr R. M. MARTINEAU Professor R. TAYLOR

 

Appendix A: The Local Examinations Syndicate

Professor Tony Badger (Chairman) Master of Clare College
Mrs Valerie Bragg Chief Executive of 3E's Federation of Schools     (Retired 31.12.05)
Professor John Gray Professor of Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
Dr John Guy Principal of Farnborough Sixth Form College
Ms Denise Hall Director of Marketing and Sales, SpecialSteps
Professor John Hawkins Director, Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge
Miss Patricia Kelleher Headmistress, the Perse School for Girls, Cambridge
Dr John Leake President of St John's College
Mr Richard Martineau Former Chairman of RSA
Mr Bruce Picking Chairman of Governors of Havering College of Further and Higher Education
Dr Kate Pretty Principal of Homerton College and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
Mr Andrew Reid Director of Finance, University of Cambridge
Professor Richard Taylor Director of Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge     (From 22.06.06)
Mrs Joanna Womack Bursar, Clare Hall     (Resigned 30.09.06)

Appendix B: The OCR Board

Mr Simon Lebus (Chairman) UCLES Group Chief Executive
Professor Tony Badger Master of Clare College
Ms Valerie Bragg Chief Executive of 3E's Federation of Schools     (Retired 31.12.05)
Professor John Gray Professor of Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
Dr John Guy Principal of Farnborough Sixth Form College
Professor John Hawkins Director, Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge
Miss Patricia Kelleher Headmistress, the Perse School for Girls, Cambridge
Ms Denise Hall Director of Marketing and Sales, SpecialSteps
Dr John Leake President of St John's College
Mr Richard Martineau Former Chairman of RSA
Mr Bruce Picking Chairman of Governors of Havering College of Further and Higher Education
Dr Kate Pretty Principal of Homerton College and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
Mr Andrew Reid Director of Finance, University of Cambridge     (From 18.05.06)
Professor Richard Taylor Director of Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge     (From 22.06.06)
Mrs Joanna Womack Bursar, Clare Hall      (Resigned 30.09.06)

Appendix C: Cambridge Assessment Group Corporate Board

Mr Simon Lebus Group Chief Executive
Mrs Sue Durham Group HR Director
Mr Mark Lovell Group Infrastructure Services Director
Dr Ron McLone Director-General of Assessment     (Retired 31.12.05)
Dr Mike Milanovic Chief Executive, ESOL
Mr Tim Oates Group Director, Assessment Research & Development     (From 30.05.06)
Mrs Ann Puntis Chief Executive, CIE
Mrs Jackie Rippeth Group Finance Director
Mr Gregor Watson Chief Executive, OCR

Appendix D: List of Acronyms

ACCA Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
ACER Australian Council for Education Research
AEA Association for Educational Assessment
ALTE Association of Language Testers in Europe
ARD Assessment, Research, and Development
BEC Business English Certificate
BULATS Business Language Testing Service
CAE Certificate in Advanced English
CBT Computer Based Testing
CEFR Common European Framework Reference (for modern languages)
CIE Cambridge International Examinations
CUP Cambridge University Press
DfES Department for Education and Skills
ESM Electronic Script Management
ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages
FCE First Certificate in English
GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education
GNVQ General National Vocational Qualification
IAEA International Association for Educational Assessment
ICFE International Certificate in Financial English
IELTS International English Language Testing System
IGCSE International General Certificate of Secondary Education
ILEC International Legal English Certificate
IM Information Management
OCR Oxford, Cambridge, and RSA Examinations
PET Preliminary English Test
QCA Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
RSA Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce
UCLES University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate
UNICEF The United Nations Children's Fund
YLE Young Learners English

CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2006

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