Ofqual’s first ‘rebuke’ of exam board over serious failures
Ofqual’s chief regulator has issued his first formal “rebuke” to an exam board for “serious failures” over a six year period. The exams watchdog said WJEC failed to collect and monitor centre declaration forms for four of its Eduqas GCSE, AS and A Level qualifications between 2019 and 2025, which are offered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The rebuke was first introduced as an enforcement tool in October 2025. It is used for cases that are serious enough to be publicly held to account, but do not warrant a fine. A WJEC spokesperson said they regretted the instances of non-compliance and had strengthened prevention measures. The declaration forms are required to show that centres have complied with the subject content requirements. The exam board admitted it had failed to make the relevant staff aware of the requirements related to the declaration forms. Affected qualifications include GCSE drama, AS and A Level drama and theatre, GCSE geography, and GCSE computer science. ‘No evidence for adverse effect on learners’ Chief regulator Ian Bauckham said the rebuke …




