Too many examiners may not be up to the mark
Experienced teachers know their classes and what they are capable of
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Like many teachers, as well as students and parents, I am already holding my breath over this summer’s results following the debacle over exam marking in the past few years. Experienced teachers know their classes and what they are capable of.
An occasional surprise result is common, but when several students in a group get totally unexpected grades, and the pecking order is blown apart, there is a clear indication that something is very wrong.
While listening to Radio 2 recently, a request for a song was made by a listener who was marking A-level sociology papers at the time. I became instantly annoyed and defensive, as my daughter recently sat her A-level sociology. Was he marking her paper? Clearly he wasn’t giving the marking 100 per cent attention. The following weekend during a request show from Glastonbury another listener made his request while marking A-level papers.
There are strict procedures for exam markers – clearly not being adhered to – and because of my concerns I contacted the major exam boards about what I had heard. There are also concerns some markers may not understand the written responses of highly intelligent students. On one paper I saw last year, it was doubtful that the examiner had appreciated the subtle references of the candidate responding to a complex text.
At my centre, many subjects ordered re-marks of not just individual students’ papers but whole sets of papers. Again, erratic results emerged. Some marks remained the same after re-marking, but there were several really-disturbing changes – with papers being lifted by 26 marks or more.
The process took weeks, and in some cases, months. The repercussions were great. Because some grades were totally incorrect, there were cases of students losing out on university places, and a few AS students dropped subjects they might not have studied at A2 if truthful facts had been presented to them on results day.
Is there a solution? I believe buildings should be hired to accommodate examiners for the purpose of intense marking. Team leaders would be present to immediately sort out concerns, and any anomalies could be dealt with. New examiners could learn their trade sitting alongside experienced markers. In addition, more experienced teachers need to be encouraged to examine, enticing them with better pay and conditions.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments