Pressure mounts on A-level watchdog to quit

The head of the government's examinations watchdog will come under pressure from ministers to resign this week amid allegations that he was a key figure in the A-level "fixing" fiasco.

Evidence to be presented to the inquiry into the scandal by independent schools is expected to claim that Sir William Stubbs, head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), put pressure on exam boards to lower the grades of thousands of candidates results.

The government was reported to be seeking to pin responsibility for moves to depress results on Sir William and the QCA.

It was a direct contrast to the insistence of sources close to Estelle Morris, the Education Secretary, who said yesterday that the Government would not pre-empt Mike Tomlinson's investigation into the affair and that the cabinet minister "did not seek to shirk responsibility or look for someone to blame".

But it emerged that the Schools Minister, David Miliband, met leading figures from the QCA on no less than four occasions since his appointment in June.

The Department for Education and Skills denied that grade boundaries were discussed. A spokesman said: "The focus of the meetings with David Miliband and the QCA was on delivery – whether the papers were going to be marked on time, whether there were enough markers – but I very robustly refuse the idea that at any of those meetings did a minister raise the issue of grade boundaries. Nor was it raised with them. It was not discussed."

As the Tomlinson inquiry continues, the Sunday Times claims to have seen a dossier including testimony from a chief examiner that the exam board was being told by the QCA to "come up with results the government would find 'acceptable'". There were also allegations from the same chief examiner that Sir William Stubbs "intervened personally" to tell the three main exam boards what the results should be, the paper reports.

A leaked letter from, Ron McLone, the chief executive of the OCR examination board, is said to allege that senior staff at the QCA had been "fully appraised" of what action was being taken to depress grades before the results were sent to schools.

Sir William said last week that there was "no evidence" that the grades were unfairly lowered. He blamed schools for faling to understand the standard of work that would be required from pupils.

Ms Morris warned at that time that action would be taken against anyone found to have been involved in "fixing" results. She sought to take the sting out of the crisis for the thousands of students this year who may find their results upgraded but still be turned down by universities as a result of their earlier incorrect grades.

Ms Morris promised places would be kept open for them next year at the universities of their choice. She also signalled her willingness to make changes to the examinations system, if they were advised after the outcome of the Tomlinson inquiry. A DFES spokesman said such a move would be "considered" but there were "no immediate plans to do so".

There is also pressure on Ms Morris to order a shake-up of the school year to allow GCSEs and A-levels to be taken in April.