WJEC (exam board)

WJEC / CBAC
Formation 1948[1]
Purpose Examination board
Headquarters Cardiff, Wales
Region served
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Website www.wjec.co.uk

WJEC / CBAC, formerly the Welsh Joint Education Committee (Cyd-bwyllgor Addysg Cymru), is an examination board providing examinations, professional development and educational resources to schools and colleges in Wales, England and Northern Ireland.

History

WJEC was established as a consortium of Welsh Local Education Authorities in 1948.[1] It is now a registered charity, and a company limited by guarantee, led by a group trustees drawn from the local authorities in Wales and independents from both England and Wales. The organisation is based in Cardiff with a subsidiary company, WJEC CBAC Services Limited, providing specialist printing and publication services. WJEC is run on a day-to-day basis by a senior management team with experience in both the education and commercial sectors.

Incorporated Examination Boards

  • Central Welsh Board

Qualifications

The headquarters of WJEC in Cardiff

WJEC’s qualifications include traditional academic and work-related subjects at Entry Level, GCSE, AS/A Level, other level 3 qualifications such as Level 3 Diploma/Certificate in Criminology[2] or Level 3 Diploma/Certificate in Medical Science[3] as well as Functional Skills and Key Skills. As competition between examination boards on qualifications syllabi and educational standards for GCSE and A Levels is often discussed in the media, WJEC was interrogated by the British House of Commons on this matter and published a written declaration where it responded to the questions asked by the UK Parliament.[4] A recent report by the BBC shows that there is an increasing trend for exam papers to be remarked because of growing allegations of inefficiency in grading under WJEC.[5]

WJEC has introduced a computerized assessment system for some subjects to improve the examination experience and increase efficiency of marking.[6]

Qualifications in Wales

WJEC provides Welsh Government regulated qualifications to all state schools and colleges in Wales. Independent schools in Wales may choose between qualifications regulated by Welsh Government or those regulated by the Government of the United Kingdom. WJEC also collaborates with the University of Cambridge to offer educational qualifications.[7]

New GCSEs, AS/A levels and Vocational Qualifications have been developed to incorporate the changes as outlined by the Welsh Government in their own series of reforms.

WJEC also provides the Welsh Baccalaureate.[8] This offers a programme of study incorporating working with employers, community activities, individual investigations and key skills, as well as students’ GCSEs, GNVQs or A level studies.

WJEC offers more than 13,000 past papers, mark schemes and marked exemplars free of charge via their website, along with digital resources in English and Welsh. WJEC also provides an Online Exam Review (OER) in order to provide instant exam results analysis.[9]

Qualifications in England

WJEC offers all reformed qualifications through the brand Eduqas. The brand was developed as a response to diverging qualifications between England and Wales. Existing specifications being taught in schools and colleges in England will continue to be branded WJEC. As and when these qualifications are reformed, they will be labelled Eduqas. Eventually the WJEC brand will be used only for general qualifications (GCSEs, AS and A levels) regulated by the Welsh Government.

Professional development

Main entrance

WJEC runs a programme of professional development with their subject specialists and Chief or Principal Examiners throughout England and Wales.

National Youth Arts Wales

WJEC manages the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and National Youth Theatre of Wales. These are part of National Youth Arts Wales, supported by WJEC in partnership with Tŷ Cerdd.

Welsh for adults

WJEC provides resources for adults learning Welsh, allowing candidates to show their speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities at different levels. They also provide Welsh examinations designed for adult learners.

References

  1. 1 2 "About Us". www.wjec.co.uk.
  2. ↑ "Criminology Level 3 (from 2015)". www.wjec.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  3. ↑ "Medical Science Level 3 (from 2016)". www.wjec.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  4. ↑ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons - Education Committee: Written evidence submitted by WJEC". publications.parliament.uk.
  5. ↑ "Exam board to re-mark GCSE papers". 19 March 2014 – via www.bbc.com.
  6. ↑ "e-Assessment". www.wjec.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "Cambridge School Classics Project (NA)". www.cambridgescp.com.
  8. ↑ "Welsh Baccalaureate". www.wjec.co.uk.
  9. ↑ "Home Page WJEC OER Website". oer.wjec.co.uk.
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