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Examiner (also known as assistant examiner)
Role
Examiners are appointed by the awarding body to mark candidates' work for a particular component (or part component) in accordance with the agreed mark scheme for that component. They are required to follow the awarding body's marking procedures throughout the marking process.
Training
Newly appointed examiners receive special training before they start their first marking session and are assigned to a senior examiner who acts as their mentor, providing close and continuous support during the marking period. All examiners are trained to mark each session by means of attendance at the compulsory standardisation meeting for their component, after which they normally carry out their marking at home.
Marking period
Throughout the marking period examiners work under the supervision of a senior examiner, who monitors their work and communicates with them via post, email and/or telephone. The marking period is usually no longer than three weeks, so that examiners require good self-discipline in order to get their allocation of work completed in time to meet the awarding body's deadlines whilst also meeting the professional and administrative requirements set by the awarding body.
Qualifications
An examiner is usually an experienced teacher of the subject concerned at the relevant level e.g. a GCSE Mathematics examiner will typically have at least one years' experience of teaching Mathematics at GCSE level, although not necessarily in the specification concerned.
Examiners are appointed for one marking session at a time and are normally re-invited for subsequent sessions if their work has proved acceptable and if there is sufficient work to be done.