Weekly topic: Exam marking

Is the current system, where examiners are paid per script, the best way to mark exams?

If they were paid hourly, then the teachers wouldn't get through them all before the deadline as they try to eek it out as long as possible... :holmes:

.

The solution is to double-mark everything, then take an average. That's essentially marking, then re-marking all in the same process, so no-one has any grounds for appeal on the day.

Reply 2

Abstract_Prism

The current system is the best one.

If you pay them an hourly rate, or just pay them a lump sum at the end, or anything like that, then they will not have an incentive to mark enough before the deadline.

If you pay them in accordance with how few people go for remarks, then they will be more likely to bump candidates grades if they were sitting just below a grade boundary.

If you pay them an hourly rate with the condition that they cannot mark anymore after a certain date (the deadline), there is no guarantee that their accuracy will improve, and there is no guarantee that they won't get lazy and mark less scripts.

Best just stick with what we've got.