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Quality of marking
General overview
When the National Assessment Agency (NAA) was launched in April 2004, its remit was to safeguard and improve the delivery of national tests and examinations. An important aspect of this work was to find ways of improving the quality of marking. As all those involved with the Institute of Educational Assessors know, marking is at the centre of the assessment process; without accurate, reliable marking, it is impossible to award candidates the grades they deserve. The marking process is also a complex one, involving many different elements, from the preparation of training materials and the training and supervision of thousands of markers and examiners, to the receipt and administration of marks, to the award of final grades.
In order, therefore, better to understand the intricacies and interdependencies of these different areas, NAA began a programme of research that would help to identify ways in which improvements could be made. To that end, AQA was commissioned in 2004 to carry out a number of projects, and the reports are provided below. The programme of research continues; AQA are currently working on a project to consider criteria for examiner and marker selection, while other consultants are carrying out research looking at different aspects of the marking process. It is hoped that all these projects will inform the debate about the quality of marking in national tests and examinations, and in time lead to improvements being made.