Exam Marking: Is It Worth It?

Whether we mark for an exam board, or within our schools, exams are one thing we teachers cannot avoid.

One evening, when I was scrolling (perhaps aimlessly) on Instagram, I came across a video from an English teacher who was talking about marking GCSEs, and whether they thought it was worth it. They said that whilst it was not a breeze, the experience helped them develop their practice in the classroom and therefore, they would recommend it, particularly to those who were still early in their career.

I had been deliberating marking GCSE scripts myself at this point, and after reaching out and speaking to this teacher a bit more about what being an examiner entailed, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up to mark. If I didn't enjoy it, I didn't have to do it again, and surely the experience would help me develop as a teacher, I thought to myself.

Students up and down the country have now (at the time of writing) received their GCSE results, so the time feels right to sit down and reflect on how I found marking this year, and whether it is something I would do again.

Results Day can be a stressful experience for the student. As an examiner, it is paramount that we play our role in helping making this day as stress free as possible.

This year, I marked for GCSE English Language as at the time, I was looking at ways in which I could support my students in getting that Grade 4 many of them needed to move on to College and Sixth Form. It was also the qualification I felt the least confident marking, so naturally, it made sense to be trained on how to mark this qualification by those who create it themselves.

There was a lot of training which took place before the examination season even began. As newly hired examiners, we had an incredibly comprehensive training session, where our session facilitator walked through the paper (and the changes that had been made to particular questions), the mark scheme and indicative content. Already, after that first session, I had a better understanding of what make a response either Level 2 or Level 3, and how to ensure that marks were given positively, but not over zealously.

Just before we received our quotas, we had standardisation tasks to do. I remember, at the time, feeling so incredibly nervous and consequently spending a very long time on each response, agonising whether a response needed to be given three or four marks. The support I received from my Team Leader, however, was both reassuring and enabled me to work through the rest much quicker. Standardisation wasn't about being perfect, it was rather a chance for us new examiners to learn how to use the mark scheme within tolerance, and if we needed further support with particular questions or particular aspects of the mark scheme, then so be it.

Then came the six week window we had to mark our quotas. Real responses, from real students, whose futures depended on us examiners meeting our deadlines and ensuring that they opened their envelopes in August and saw a grade.

So, how did I find this period of time?

1. It was, at times, stressful.

Marking, if you fall behind, can become overwhelming. Most examiners are also full time teachers, so learning to balance marking and my day-to-day duties took a little while. I started off getting up at 5am, marking for two hours, before getting ready for work and then marking again for a couple of hours in the evenings. However, as time went on, 5am marking sessions became less frequent, so I had to change my strategy. Weekends were always a good opportunity to mark, however if I wasn't careful, I'd spend all day marking Question Five, without taking time to relax and unwind.

Eventually, I got into a rhythm of prioritising sleep in the morning, and marking for longer in the evenings after work. I would use either Saturday or Sunday to mark, this time factoring in breaks, and this helped me complete my quota on time.

2. Even when marking, you were being assessed.

Even though I had been cleared to mark, the exam board still needed to ensure that I was marking in tolerance. Every so often, a 'seed' would be added to my quota; were I to mark out of tolerance, I would be stopped from marking that question until a conversation was had with my Team Leader and further support given.

Although I wasn't stopped at all during my quota (something which shocked myself, as most of my friends who were also marking had been stopped at least once), I was told by friends that being stopped was really helpful, particularly if they were marking at a time they wouldn't typically mark. After all, we want students to have results which truly reflect the hard work they have put in to the responses we were marking. The support from Team Leaders and Senior Examiners was something which was noted and discussed with high regard amongst us new examiners.

3. It does get easier.

Despite everything, the more you marked, the easier it became. Once that mark scheme was in your head, you naturally found your pace quickening. By the end of marking, I achieved ninety Question Twos in a day; I did fifty Question Fives another day (although I wouldn't recommend doing this, as it did burn me out, admittedly) and I also found myself really enjoying marking responses for Question Four! Your confidence grows each time you pass a particular threshold either set for you or by you.

But one question remains: Is it worth it?

Absolutely.

Marking GCSEs this year has been such a rewarding experience. It has filled me with joy when I have read a response from a student who has pushed themselves to do well and achieved full marks. I remember cheering when I read a response where one student, by chipping away at the question, also managed to score very well. As much as it has benefitted myself and strengthened my knowledge of assessments (and it would be disingenuous to ignore the fact that you are paid for your time marking) , the biggest reward has, by far, been seeing the wonderful work students up and down the country have completed.

In terms of whether I would mark again, I absolutely would. Having marked Language, I would consider marking Literature next, to ensure that I can approach both qualifications with confidence and help my students succeed.

Even if you only mark once, I would strongly urge every teacher to mark with an exam board. It is a fantastic experience.