Realizations of the exceptional modular invariant A(1)1 partition functions

We show that the E₆ and E₈ modular invariant combinations of A⁽¹⁾₁ characters in the classification of Cappelli, Itzykson and Zuber can be realized as partition functions of k=1 conformally invariant WZW models on the group manifolds of Sp(4) and G₂, respectively. Together with the D₄ combination, which is known to be realized by the WZW model on SU(3), these are the only such cases where the SU(2) local symmetry extends to a larger one. The E₇ combination is briefly discussed.