Focus on Assessment Demo Course

As you have seen, the PERTs indicate key themes and challenges that the candidates have experienced. In this lesson you are going to mark some candidate scripts. Then you will work in your groups to produce a set of standardised marks. This will help you to better understand and apply the mark scheme.  Understanding the mark scheme will help you to advise your students on the type of response that is expected.

  Mark the scripts

1. Download the question paper. mark scheme and candidate responses. 
   
   

• Paper 1
  • Script A
  • Script B
  • Mark Scheme

• Paper 2
  • Script C
  • Script D
  • Mark Scheme

• Component 3
  • Script E
  • Script F
  • Mark Scheme

• Paper 4
  • Script G
  • Script H
  • Mark Scheme

2. Review the candidates' answers, and decide what marks you think should be awarded for each response.  Use the Excel spreadsheet  provided to record your marks.
   
   
   

  Marking standardisation - agree on a set of marks with your group

Now that you have worked through the candidate scripts individually, it is time to work in your groups to come to an agreement on what the final mark for each candidate will be. To help us structure this discussion, you should keep to the timings you set within your group. When all groups have posted their marks, I will review your answers.

3. Share your marks with your group in the Marking activity group discussion. Take time to look at what other colleagues have done and reflect upon your own marking.
   
   

• • • Were there particular elements of the candidate scripts you all marked consistently?
    • Which parts of the scripts were most inconsistent?
    • Did a particular type of marking, e.g. level marking or point marking make the marking across your group more or less consistent?
    • Did you notice any other differences or similarities in your marking?
      
      

4. As a group, work together to produce one set of marks for each script. Start with the script you all marked most consistently. Spend some time discussing why all of your marks were so close together in this instance. This will help you to agree on some marking principles. Use the following prompts to frame your discussions.
   
   

• • • Where your marking was inconsistent, post in the discussion the reasons for this. Can you understand why? Was the mark scheme used differently amongst colleagues?
    • Is there any indicative content in the mark scheme to assess the level of the candidate work you have marked, and help you come to an agreed score?
    • Use the wording from the mark scheme to help explain your marking. This explicit use of the mark scheme helps to identify differences in approaches.  
      
      

 Share your group's marks with the whole class and review your answers

5. Once you have come to an agreed set of marks for all the candidates, choose one person in your group to share your group's marks in the Marking activity class discussion. Don't forget to add the name of your group in the title of your post. I will post the actual answers in the forum once everyone has shared their marks.
   
   
6. It is likely that the work you have been doing with your colleagues in your small groups has sparked many interesting conversations, and raised lots of questions. Post any questions or observations in the Marking activity class discussion and we and we will discuss any points of interest as a whole class.