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05/10/2001
Chief executive of exams board resigns
The Chief Executive of English examinations board Edexcel has resigned with immediate effect.
Dr Christina Townsend’s resignation comes just days after the recent serious exam results blunder acknowledged by the exam body.
In her resignation statement, Dr Townsend said: “The time has come for a new Chief Executive to be appointed to strengthen and build on the foundations and for me to seek a new challenge.”
Earlier this week Edexcel admitted that pupils at a Londonderry school were given the wrong exam results following an administrative blunder.
Following a query made by the school questioning their students’ poor performance, 18 out of 22 English literature students at Dominican College in Portstewart, Co Londonderry, had their AS-Level grades upgraded, some rising from an E to an A.
Edexcel blamed an administration error for giving out the wrong marks and apologised for the distress to parents and pupils who had to wait a month for the results to be corrected.
Chairman of Edexcel Garry Hawkes said: “Christina Townsend leaves with our best wishes for her future and our thanks for her past contribution in bringing together BTEC and London Examinations to form Edexcel”.
Edexcel was formed in 1996 by the merger of BTEC, a provider of vocational qualifications and the University of London Examinations and Assessment Council (ULEAC), one of the major GCSE and GCE examining bodies.
John Kerr, currently Director of Operations, has assumed the role of Acting Chief Executive. (AMcE)
Dr Christina Townsend’s resignation comes just days after the recent serious exam results blunder acknowledged by the exam body.
In her resignation statement, Dr Townsend said: “The time has come for a new Chief Executive to be appointed to strengthen and build on the foundations and for me to seek a new challenge.”
Earlier this week Edexcel admitted that pupils at a Londonderry school were given the wrong exam results following an administrative blunder.
Following a query made by the school questioning their students’ poor performance, 18 out of 22 English literature students at Dominican College in Portstewart, Co Londonderry, had their AS-Level grades upgraded, some rising from an E to an A.
Edexcel blamed an administration error for giving out the wrong marks and apologised for the distress to parents and pupils who had to wait a month for the results to be corrected.
Chairman of Edexcel Garry Hawkes said: “Christina Townsend leaves with our best wishes for her future and our thanks for her past contribution in bringing together BTEC and London Examinations to form Edexcel”.
Edexcel was formed in 1996 by the merger of BTEC, a provider of vocational qualifications and the University of London Examinations and Assessment Council (ULEAC), one of the major GCSE and GCE examining bodies.
John Kerr, currently Director of Operations, has assumed the role of Acting Chief Executive. (AMcE)
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