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'Unacceptable delay' by ETS as a million children's Sats results delayed

Last Modified: 04 Jul 2008
By: Julian Rush

More than a million children across England won't get the results of their National Curriculum exams on time.

The development comes after what Schools Secretary Ed Balls called an "unacceptable delay" by the company responsible for marking them.

An independent investigation has now been launched into the American firm ETS, which was given a five-year contract for marking the Sats tests.

Last month this programme first revealed the problems with its new online system, with claims of confusion, inadequate training for markers, and delays in delivering exam papers.

Today ETS admitted the backlog meant most results would be a week late, with some delayed still further.