Joint Council for Qualifications

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) is a community interest company acting as a single voice for the eight largest qualification providers in the United Kingdom offering GCSE, GCE, Scottish Highers and vocationally related qualifications: AQA, CCEA, City & Guilds, Edexcel, NCFE, OCR, SQA and WJEC. The JCQ closely monitors examination administration, invigilation of exams at individual schools and activities of exams officers.

About
The JCQ was established in January 2004, succeeding the Joint Council for General Qualifications (JCGQ, 1998–2003). Its purpose is to bring together major educational and vocational examination boards in the United Kingdom and oversee testing standards. The JCQ should not be confused with Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation), which holds the authority to regulate and accredit British examination boards. The JCQ facilitates collaboration among its member awarding bodies to:
 * providing, wherever possible, common administrative arrangements for the schools and colleges and other providers which offer their qualifications
 * dealing with the regulators, in responding to proposals and initiatives on assessment and the curriculum
 * dealing with the media on issues affecting all member bodies
 * helping the awarding bodies to work together to create common standards, regulations and guidance
 * helping them to regulate themselves against those agreed standards as well as monitoring any exceptions
 * providing a forum for members to discuss issues, with each other and partner organisations and the regulators
 * ensuring examinations are sat under consistent regulations

Regulations and examination practices
The JCQ provides rules and regulations concerning the exams. These are updated annually and published on their website.

British examination boards for GCSEs and GCE A-levels (i.e. AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, CCEA) are obliged to comply with JCQ's regulations, whereas Cambridge International are not obliged to comply with them for their international GCSEs.