Watchdog sets six-week deadline to save A-levels

The new head of the Government's exams watchdog has set a six-week deadline to rescue next year's A-level and AS-level exams from a repeat of the turmoil seen this summer.

Ken Boston, the chief executive of the Qualifications And Curriculum Authority, has told his officials and the exam boards they must come up with a new code of practice for marking next year's exams by the middle of November. They will then have to work out what that will mean for each subject by the end of that month.

Confusion over marking standards was what led to this summer's fiasco. More than 90,000 candidates' exam scripts are being rechecked to determine whether they had been downgraded unfairly.

Mr Boston said: "Of course it has to be done [by then]. I'll be putting this organisation through hoops with the awarding bodies to ensure that it is."

Asked if he had any regrets over accepting his new post, Mr Boston – who started in the job 24 hours before the storm clouds over this summer's A-level results erupted – said: "None at all". He added: "I'm here for a five-year period."

He was speaking as the deadline for checking this summer's exam scripts approached. The final figure for the number of candidates whose results are to be re-graded will be known tomorrow. The Oxford and Cambridge and RSA exam board – the one at the centre of the controversy – has undertaken to check the grades of 91,000 candidates by then.

Mr Boston said he was surprised on arriving in Britain from Australia at the level of "misunderstanding" among examiners, their boards, the authority and teachers over marking standards for the new A/AS-level examination system.

"There was a widespread misunderstanding – perhaps in parts of the [authority] itself, perhaps in parts of the awarding bodies, certainly in the public arena and certainly in parts of the media – and among some examiners there was confusion," he said.

He was also "surprised by the serious confusion between maintaining standards and the proportion achieving the standard" in the UK. Fears of a dispute over grade inflation were curtailing celebrations over rising exam pass rates. "What you have here is evidence of a successful education system which is being called into question because too many were achieving A grades," he said. "Standards are creeping up. It is cause for real celebration and national celebration – not sackcloth and ashes."

Mr Boston added that he had four goals he wanted to achieve by the end of his first year in office. "I'll have to re-establish the credibility of this authority by then on the basis of our performance," he said. "Secondly, we have to overcome the problems attendant with running the examination system."

He has already set up a task force, which will take a fortnightly look at how preparations for next year's exams are going. It will have head-teacher representatives and a post of general manager of exams is being created.

His third aim is "to ensure standards are being maintained and excellence by all those who work with the national curriculum, key stage tests (for 7, 11 and 14-year-olds) and A-levels.

"People out there must be confident the standards of the English education system are in safe hands," he said.

His fourth goal is to achieve parity of esteem between academic and vocational qualifications in the UK.