Ofqual isn’t exactly a household name. The exams regulator generally only makes a public appearance when it publishes national exam results and data - or when there’s a problem with the assessment system.
As the body that regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England, Ofqual is responsible for ensuring that standards are maintained for GCSEs, A levels, AS levels and all vocational and technical qualifications. The name is short for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
How long has Ofqual been around?
Ofqual was established in April 2010 under the , and is also covered by the . It is a non-ministerial government department, which means it doesn’t have direct political oversight, and is headed by civil servants and the .
The board provides leadership and direction, setting strategic aims. The work that it does is governed by the Ofqual Governance Framework.
As of March 2025, Ofqual has 348 permanent employees and is based in Coventry.
What does Ofqual do?
Ofqual is responsible for maintaining standards and confidence in GCSEs, A levels, AS levels, vocational and technical qualifications, and apprenticeship end-point assessments.
It is tasked with making sure that: regulated qualifications reliably indicate the knowledge, skills and understanding that students have demonstrated; assessments and exams show what a student has achieved; the public has confidence in the qualifications; and students and teachers have information on the full range of qualifications that it regulates.
Ofqual’s stated objectives for the period 2025 to 2028 are:
- To secure the safe, fair and resilient delivery of qualifications and assessments.
- To oversee the improvement and reform of qualifications.
- To strengthen the performance, capacity and resilience of the qualifications market.
- To build confidence in qualifications.
- To develop the skills, processes and systems needed for effective and efficient regulation.
On exam results days, Ofqual publishes data on its analytics platform about A-level and GCSE results that allows users to see results by subject over time, and also by factors such as gender, area and school type.
How does Ofqual maintain standards?
One of the major ways Ofqual maintains standards is through monitoring the exam boards’ setting of grade boundaries.
The exam boards’ decision-making process for grade boundaries is called “awarding”, and it is undertaken by groups of senior examiners who are experts in their subject and are overseen by Ofqual.
During awarding, the examiners compare scripts from the current exam series with previous years’, and also look at the data of the cohort’s performance at key stage 2 Sats, to judge how they might be expected to perform in this exam.
The awarding process also involves the Ofqual-run National Reference Tests (see below).
Awarding organisations (exam boards) decide themselves how the marking of exam papers is done and employ people to carry this out.
Exam boards have their own processes to ensure the quality of marking, but Ofqual monitors these processes and will take action if it identifies breaches of marking rules.
How does Ofqual protect the integrity of exams?
Ofqual monitors awarding organisations, their qualifications and assessments. This includes monitoring the overall capacity and capability of these organisations.
The watchdog holds exam boards to account for following the rules around the delivery of qualifications, and has the power to issue fines to boards for breaches.
For example, in 2025 Ofqual fined one exam board over a failure to adjust teacher marking of coursework. This had resulted in students receiving incorrect results.
Ofqual has rules that require the exam boards to choose examiners appropriately; this means a person without any significant conflicts of interest and who holds an appropriate standard of subject knowledge.
How does Ofqual use the National Reference Tests?
Ofqual oversees the National Reference Tests, annual standardised tests used to measure the ability of a cohort and to ensure parity between exam boards.
These are two separate tests - one assesses English language and one assesses maths. They are taken by Year 11 students in 300 schools that are chosen to give a fair representation of the range of schools in England.
The test is designed to show the difference in performance between Year 11 cohorts over time.
This information is useful because when the awarding process - the setting of grade boundaries - begins, it is important that decisions are made based on reliable information: if students have performed really well in an exam compared with the previous year, it’s helpful to know if that is down to an improvement in ability or an exam that is easier than the year before.
For an indispensable look at the week’s biggest stories and talking points, sign up for our Weekly Debrief newsletter
