Apparatus and method for a base station to assign to a user equipment (UE) communicating with the base station a number of coded control information symbols being transmitted with coded data information symbols during the same transmission time interval by the UE include assigning, by the base station, an offset to the UE, assigning, by the base station, a modulation and coding scheme for data information ("data MCS") to the UE, transmitting the offset to the UE, and transmitting the data MCS to the UE, wherein the number of coded control information symbols assigned to the UE for transmission of control information is determined based on the data MCS and the offset.