Exam marking

[MegMo]

Is anyone else marking exams this year? How are you finding the support offered by your board?

Yes. I've not started yet but they've been excellent for the twenty years I've marked for them.

Yes. Support depends on who’s team you’re in with the exam I mark. Some years have been great, others not so good.

It’s my first time marking and I’m a bit overwhelmed and confused!

Contact your team leader. That's what they're there for.

Agree with Mrs Hamlet, but you haven’t actually started marking yet presumably.
have you done all the training modules provided by your exam board?

Good point Jaffa
Until standardising, there's not much to be done apart from the training modules to familiarise yourself with the system, and getting your head round the mark schemes.

I tried to reply using my MegMo name but it wouldn't let me!

Hello everyone, thanks for your responses.
I'm marking again this year - getting back into it after Covid changed everything.
This year I find the e4xam board is not so helpful, everything seems a bit muddled, they don't respond to calls and I haven't been allocated a team leader yet!
Hopefully it'll be OK when I get to the actual marking!

Teams will still be changing. It's not time to panic till the exam has happened, and probably not even then!

Yes, the exam was on May 18th. They've finally allocated a TL - the original one had to step down, apparently.

I assume standardising is next week which means the TL hasn't yet been standardised.
It will all be fine.

The hardest part is usually getting into the computer system. Passwords and usernames that don't work etc. Last time the final mark scheme didn't materialise till halfway through standardisation day. So it's worth checking everything works well in advance. So far, so good this year but the exam hasn't happened yet.

The first paper I’m marking was sat last Friday, but I’ve still had no contact from a Team Leader. Standardisation next Monday. I’ve always had a welcome email a few weeks before in previous years. Customer support responded within 24 hours but “will get back to me”. Glad it’s not just me!

If they only sat it on Friday, pre-standardising won't have happened yet.

Yeh but - with my board & subject, I’m supposed to be contributing to the pre-standardising through my team leader - wot I have not got!

Hows everyone going. Im marking first time in 15 years (olden days of paper scripts and someone to double check adding up...).

I didnt realise it woould fall over jubilee weekend. Thebkids want me to do stuff with them and I'm trying to fit more questions in (Ive done the easy ones!) .

Im exhausted already!

I got signed off from standardisation yesterday but I'm still not convinced I'm on the money. It's not only my first time exam marking but my first year with this exam board and I'm finding their expectations way more vague and non consistent in comparison to my last board. I need to get 8 exam papers done a day to meet my quota and it's taking me about 30 minutes per script at the moment. This is so stressful. I've had to send DD away with relatives for the jubilee weekend because otherwise I'm not going to be able to do it on time.

Its such a shame its over jubillee weekend isnt it. Im just about to go in for 2 hours. But sometimes I am agonising for ages and really worried I wont pass the seed scripts!

Ours is marked a question at a time rather than by script.

I did like the olden days of real life standardisarion as I think I got more of a feel for it. Let us know how you get on.
Goodluck x

Well, I've finished the Standardisation now, and the new team leader is very helpful. Just waiting for the exemplar scripts to arrive. Good luck everybody.

Support from AQA used to be much better than it currently is (ie face to face training for all examiners in my subject). Over the last few years it's been very poor, I think just pre-recorded and then into standardisation.

I also mark for WJEC, though I've had to withdraw this year, and they still offer face to face for all.

In my subject AQA haven’t offered face to face for all examiners for at least 12 years. I actually think it makes it more accessible, we meet face to face as seniors but then having it all online/ via phone calls means people with caring responsibilities can mark and earn extra cash, as can expats.

Jaff that's true I guess. I loved f2f as it was great for networking and it was a small team and I enjoyed the time away.... but it was all prekids!

I dont feel so linked in or as secure in the standardisation online but with my kids it has fitted in and my Team leader has been lovely on the phone.

Is anyone finding marking is taking longer than ever before this year? I don't know if it is just me but it is taking me much longer than it every used to. Getting v stressful trying to meet deadlines!

Are you all marking KS4/GCSE papers? If so, does anyone know if you can apply to mark KS2 SATs papers?

@Meredusoleil

www.gov.uk/guidance/key-stage-2-tests-how-to-become-a-marker#apply-to-be-a-marker

Thank you! That is most helpful.