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Roles and support

Marking and moderating is skilled work and can be varied, challenging and rewarding.

Ideally, you should have teaching experience both at the level you want to examine and at a higher level. You need to be able to work with speed and accuracy, and have confidence in your subject knowledge. Organisational skills and an open-minded approach to students' work are also key.

Markers and moderators

  • Markers/examiners mark candidates' scripts according to the agreed mark scheme and procedures.
  • Moderators moderate centres' assessments of candidates' work according to the agreed assessment criteria and procedures.

Other roles within marking

  • Team leaders supervise teams of around six to ten examiners, moderators or markers. They mentor new recruits, check samples of marked papers against the agreed mark scheme and advise on necessary adjustments.
  • Assistant principal examiners/moderators/markers supervise groups of team leaders where the numbers are too great for principal examiners to supervise all of their teams directly.
  • Principal examiners/moderators/markers monitor the marking of their teams, including assistant principals and team leaders. They advise awarding committees and recommend preliminary mark ranges for grade boundaries.
  • Chief examiners/moderators/markers ensure that an examination meets the specification's requirements and maintains the standard of previous years. They act as principal examiners for at least one component, supervise the setting of papers and mark schemes, and monitor the marking standards of principal examiners.
  • Marking programme leaders and deputy marking programme leaders prepare and deliver the training programme for national curriculum test markers and ensure that the mark scheme is applied consistently.
  • Visit the awarding bodies' websites for details of specific roles and responsibilities.

Training and support

If your application is successful, you'll receive all the support you need to do the job well, including written guidance, training and ongoing support from a team leader.

You'll attend either a standardisation meeting (examiners and moderators) or a training meeting (markers) and possibly additional training/briefing sessions. These meetings are a crucial part of your preparation and will introduce you to the support network available throughout the process.

Meetings take place shortly after an examination/test. They ensure that you understand the marking procedures, and enable colleagues to agree a final mark scheme that all involved understand and can apply consistently.

Within days of an examination/test, you'll receive your allocated scripts, and you'll usually complete your work within two to three weeks.

Last modified: 22 Apr 2010