Edexcel – advancing learning, changing lives

Edexcel is the UK’s largest awarding body with more than two million people around the world taking qualifications including GCSEs, A and AS Levels, BTECs, NVQs, Apprenticeships and Key Skills courses through Edexcel each year.

Edexcel was formed in 1996 as part of the consolidation of old-style exam boards including the Business & Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the University of London Examinations & Assessment Council (ULEAC). The name ‘Edexcel’ was originally derived from ‘educational excellence’ and the organisation was run by a charity - the Edexcel Foundation - and managed by board of trustees. In 1998 Edexcel acquired the Institute of Health Care & Development (IHCD) and in June 2001, it acquired the awarding body, intellect. In June 2003 the Edexcel Foundation entered into a partnership arrangement with Pearson PLC, the world’s largest educational services company and in February 2005 Edexcel Ltd became a wholly owned subsidiary of Pearson PLC, under the Pearson Education Group.

Pearson PLC is an international education services and media company, with world-leading businesses in education (Pearson Education Group), business information (Financial Times Group) and consumer publishing (The Penguin Group). With more than 32,000 employees based in 60 countries, Pearson is listed on the London and New York stock exchanges and had sales of £4 billion and operating profits of £536 million in 2005. The Pearson Education Group is the world’s largest education company helping to educate more than 100 million people worldwide. It supports learners from pre-school to high school and college, early learning to professional certification, providing textbooks, multi-media learning tools and testing programmes.