Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department of Education (Northern Ireland). Its function and purpose is described in Part VIII of the Education (NI) Order 1998.

CCEA's duties and functions are to:

• keep under review all aspects of the curriculum, examinations and assessment for grant aided schools and colleges of further education and to undertake statutory consultation on proposals relating to legislation;
• advise the DE on matters concerned with the curriculum, assessment, examinations and external qualifications and accredit and approve qualifications;
• conduct and moderate examinations and assessments, ensuring that standards are recognised as equivalent to standards of examinations and assessments conducted by other bodies or authorities exercising similar functions in the United Kingdom;
• publish and disseminate information relating to the curriculum, assessment and examinations;
• develop and produce teaching support materials for use in schools; and
• carry out research and development.

CCEA also has a remit for the development of educational technology and the production of multimedia resources and is considered a leader in this field.

CCEA was established on 1 April 1994 as a NDPB and is based in Belfast. It replaced the Northern Ireland Schools Examination and Assessment Council and the Northern Ireland Schools Examination Council.