10 Things You Should Know About the GCSE, IGCSE and A-level Marking Process

Every year, the IGCSE and A-Level exam systems not only shape the educational trajectory of millions of students but also have a profound influence on their families.? Yet, many people, including educators themselves, are in the dark about the intricate details of the exam marking process.? This is especially true given that these processes are subject to frequent updates and changes.

In this simple guide, we’ll shed light on 10 critical facts you need to know about the IGCSE and A-Level marking process in 2023.? Whether you’re a student, a parent, or a teacher, our insights can help demystify this often complex and ever-changing aspect of the international education system.

1.? Exams are scanned and marked online.

Gone are the days when scripts get delivered to the marker’s house; exam scripts are digitalised and marked online.

2.? Examiners, don’t mark the entire paper!?

Each examiner only marks a few questions from each paper.

E.g. an English Literature marker might only mark questions 2 and 3 for 300 different pupils.? Consequently, one candidate’s exam script might have 5 or 6 different markers.

3.? Leading examiners only write the final mark schemes post-exam after viewing multiple papers.

?This ensures they cater to anticipated and unanticipated student answers, offering direction to other examiners.

4.? Markers are put into teams with team leaders.

?Markers typically have to have ‘Qualified Teacher Status’ and then meet and train as part of a team for each exam.? They need to pass a ‘seed’ test to prove accuracy and consistency.? Team leaders are there to both support and continuously assess the markers.

5.? The mark scheme isn’t meant to be a complete and comprehensive document.

?The mark scheme is designed purely as an accompaniment to those team meetings. That’s why students and even teachers often struggle to interpret them fully.

E.g.? Where the written mark scheme awards seven to nine marks for answers using “relevant” textual detail, but four to six marks for “appropriate” textual detail – markers need to know the difference between the two, which is done through exemplars and verbal explanations.

6.? Examiners are constantly being checked.

Examiners will have little traps within their marking pile.? There will be student answers that senior examiners have already marked called ‘random seeds.’ If the examiner awards the wrong score, the senior examiners are alerted, and the marker can only continue once the senior examiner has re-educated them.? If they fail the random seed tests multiple times, they will be dismissed, and the entire batch will need to be remarked.

7.? The score ISN’T exact, especially not in essay-based subjects.

Many subjects use a method of “tolerance” or “adjacent acceptable marks.”?

This system sees multiple marking outcomes as correct within a specified range.

e.g. A question worth 20 marks.? Examiners might assign scores like 13, 14, 15, or 16, and each would be regarded as correct.? But a score of 12 would not fit within this acceptable band, meaning incorrect marking on appeal.

(So, if a paper was marked by a succession of harsh markers, potentially over the course of the exam, it could be 15 marks lower than if a succession of positive markers marked it.? However, it would still be deemed to have been marked correctly, even on appeal!)

8.? Grade boundaries are only decided once all the marking is complete, and they make the raw percentage score irrelevant.*

Post evaluation, the final grade boundaries are set, reflecting past student performances and current trends.? Regulatory bodies like Ofqual supervise to maintain consistency.

These boundaries are not consistent across subjects!? This year, for example, candidates needed roughly 62% for an A* in Business Studies, yet 82% for an A* in Geography.? This needs to be clarified for many parents who would wrongly presume it makes the Business Exam far easier.? It highlights that candidates are trying to beat the other candidates, not the exam.? While exam boards don’t have exact quotas for the percentage of total candidates who should achieve each grade per subject, they aren’t very far from that.? Typically they like the top 8 or 9% of all exam takers to get an A* at A-level, for example.

*Raw scores can be very relevant when sitting AS and A-levels exams separately, as raw marks of AS and A2 exams are often added together to hit the A-level grade boundary.

9. ‘Percentage Uniform Scores’ that appear on the results are absolutely NOT the percentage scored in the exam.

You need to look at the grade breakdown to know the marks achieved on the paper.? The percentage uniform mark is nothing more ‘than a point on a common scale’ for all syllabuses to show whether the candidate’s performance is close to the top, middle or bottom of the grade.??

E.g. If a candidate got a C with 69, they were very close to a B.? If they got a C with 61, they were very close to a D.

10.? How much do examiners get paid?

Examiners receive payment based on the item they’re marking, and the rate varies with the question’s worth and the subject.? For instance, a GCSE English examiner might earn ￡4.87 per script, while a geography one earns ￡5.17, and a science examiner gets ￡2.70.? These figures are approximate and differ among exam boards and topics.