Work begins on marking millions of exam papers
Friday, 16 July 2010 10:49
As many young people breathe a sigh of relief that the exam season is over and they can start enjoying the summer, the hard work starts for those involved in ensuring candidates get the results their work merits. The marking and awarding process for GCSEs and A levels is a massive operation, which will involve more than 16 million examination papers during the summer. The focus of the awarding bodies and Ofqual, as the regulator of the examination system in England, is to ensure that the grades awarded are fair and standards are maintained.
The awarding bodies provide comprehensive training for markers and conduct meetings to set appropriate grade boundaries in each subject. These processes, which are monitored by Ofqual, ensure candidates can be confident that they will get grades that fairly reflect their achivements and abilities. More information can be found in guides produced by Ofqual for GCSEs and A levels.
This year sees some significant changes to A levels. Ofqual recently hosted a briefing to talk about these changes and the work being done to maintain standards and ensure that this summer's results are fair to all candidates. More information can be found on the Ofqual website: www.ofqual.gov.uk/news-and-announcements/83/294
Further information can be found in Ofqual’s free official student guides for A levels, GCSEs and the Diploma, along with useful information on how the grades are determined and where to go for help and advice.
