According to the Guardian the QCA intends to award the contract to run the Sats tests to Edexcel, the exam company which set and marked the tests for three years before this year's disastrous collapse. The announcement that Edexcel will be the preferred bidder for next year's contract comes as little surprise after it was employed to help clear up the mess left by ETS and oversee pupil appeals against erroneous marks. But it gives a firm guarantee that the government is not going to scrap the Sats for 11-year-olds as well. Jerry Jarvis, managing director of Edexcel, said:
"We are very pleased to be named by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as the preferred bidder to deliver the national curriculum tests in 2009. We understand that efficient results and quality of marking are very important to students, parents and teachers and we look forward to reassembling the team who successfully delivered the contract in 2005, 2006 and 2007."
