The English Examining Boards: Their route from independence to government outsourcing agencies

Introduction : Unique Bodies Neglected by the Academy

In 1965, R J Montgomery observed that ⁱⁱ...it is surprising that the broad, evolution of
the large examinations system has not been considered more fully elsewhere"
(Montgomery 1965: ix) as he embarked on his own history of the English
examinations system. Although a traditionally-minded historian rather than a radical
sociologist, Montgomery also believed that ⁱⁱThose controlling the examinations
were...in an exceptionally powerful position in the education system.” Yet forty years
on, there has been no serious study of the unique English examining boards that for
nearly 150 years have been administering that unconsidered system. This thesis
begins the process of narrating the evolution of these bodies and evaluating the effects
of the shifts in control which they have experienced over their long existence.

I contend that this is no mere exercise in abstract research. As I write, a heated debate
about the reform of 14-19 education in England is in progress. My research provides
fresh insights into the English awarding bodies which I believe can and should inform
that process. I suggest that overlooking their professional expertise has proved costly
in implementing the recent reform of A levels.

My thesis contends that the English examining boards can no longer be described as
independent agents within the English qualifications system. The questions that have
shaped my research in support of this thesis are:

1 How did the examining boards evolve from their origins accrediting university
matriculation into independent providers of the national qualifications system?

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