Anyone literature marking?

[fruityb]

I’m marking gcse literature for Edexcel this year. Well I say I am - I did my sample yesterday and am still waiting to be cleared to mark. Which is making me feel like I’ve lost the whole day!!

[Littlelot]

I am and finding it so hard. I was cleared but it is so subjective that I feel like I’m constantly second guessing myself. Don’t think I’ll be signing up next year!

[MsJaneAusten]

I thought about it, but didn't sign up as I wasn't confident about all of the texts. How does it work? Do you get a whole cohort or a batch of the same questions?

[fruityb]

We’ve been given three of the texts - the three most popular so Jekyll and Hyde, A Christmas Carol and Frankenstein but I only got 15 Frankensteins. The main is unseen poetry which I have 245 of.

It’s very subjective and I always get annoyed when I’m marked up or down as I don’t see why my opinion is any less valid than anyone else’s! But it’s the way it is. I weirdly enjoy doing it - I’m doing language straight after!

[Littlelot]

I’m doing AQA and there is a huge list of texts. However so far the majority I’ve marked have been 3 texts. Getting into it a bit more now. But agree that is it frustrating being pulled up when it is subjective. I have 300 papers to mark - with a modern text, poetry comparison and unseen poetry. Its a bit of an epic paper - feel sorry for the students sitting it.

[fruityb]

I’m doing 675 in total. Been allocated 3 of the 7 texts and one of those was only 15 examples so I’ve already finished there. The senior examiners did the others. Then three different poetry questions though again only 15 of one of those and then the unseen q. Seeing a lot of empty unseen as it seems they ran out of time and also having to send a lot to review as they’ve started answering poetry in the section allocated for prose. Something they need to work on for next year that.

I weirdly enjoy it! It’s really interesting to see how other people teach the same texts anyway.

[nNina22]

Do you have to be a trained teacher to mark these papers?

[elephantscanring]

Do you have to be a trained teacher to mark these papers?

Christ, I hope so.

My dad was a maths teacher and always spent summers marking exams...

[fruityb]

I think teaching experience is necessary yes. You don’t have to be teaching currently I don’t think and they do training to familiarise you with new specs etc but yes you do need to have been a teacher/be a teacher

[StruggsToFunc]

Do you have to be a trained teacher to mark these papers?

Yes. Minimum of three terms’ teaching experience (so you can do it at the end of your NQT year) within the last three years of the subject and stage that you want to examine. The last bit is a PITA as I’m currently in an 11-16 school but had previously done A Level marking to keep my hand in. My three years is about to be up so I’ll have some decisions to make after my mat leave.

[TheZeppo]

Waves at Littlelot. I’m doing that paper too. On 280 tonight and accepted the next 150 been a good year!

[Littlelot]

How have you got to 280 already. Hanging my head in shame at being over 100 papers behind you! I feel like Dory at the moment if you’ve seen it ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming’. Get there eventually!

Finding it useful but it’s such a hard exam to mark.

[TheZeppo]

I just seem to be having a really good year! Last year I was paused a lot, but ththis s year something appears to have clicked.
Oh, and I’ve had no social life at all this year really!
I sing the Dory song too! How funny!

[TheZeppo]

And it is SO hard, I agree. The tolerance is tiny and it’s so subjective!!

[fruityb]

I’ve got 50 to go on Edexcel and then my language one starts! Got my sample to do by Tuesday and then it’s two weeks on that one.

Im glad for the change as lit getting tedious now!!