Principal Examiner

For each externally assessed component of a specification there is a principal examiner who has overall responsibility for the assessment of that component. This involves a wide range of activities and responsibilities.

Setting assessments

Firstly the principal examiner usually sets the assessment and the criteria against which candidates' responses will be assessed (eg a question paper and the associated mark scheme), although in some cases he/she co-ordinates and approves the drafting of questions and mark schemes by other experienced setters.

Standardising examiners

After candidates have taken the assessment, the principal examiner is responsible for running the standardisation meeting, at which all the examiners for that component are trained to apply the mark scheme. The principal examiner is then responsible for monitoring the examiners throughout the marking period. If the candidature for the component is large, the principal examiner may be assisted in this monitoring task by one or more team leaders, who each monitor the work of a number of examiners.

Awarding

At the end of the marking period the principal examiner reviews candidates' responses to the assessment and, in the light of candidate performance, recommends (to the awarding committee for that specification) preliminary mark ranges for the key thresholds for the component. The principal examiner participates in the work of the awarding committee in agreeing component and overall grade thresholds that are then submitted to the awarding body's accountable officer for endorsement.

After awarding

After the thresholds have been set, the principal examiner participates in the marking review for the specification and, later, in any results enquiries or appeals against results which may arise for the component or specification concerned.

The principal examiner also writes a report on candidate performance on the component, which is incorporated in the Report to Centres for that specification.

Who is the principal examiner?

A principal examiner will normally have qualifications in the appropriate subject and will have had several years of experience as a marker and possibly team leader before being considered for the post of principal examiner.

Each specification normally has several principal examiners, each of whom is responsible for one or more components, plus a principal moderator for each internally assessed component. One of the principals also acts as chief examiner for the specification, with responsibility for ensuring parity of standards across all of the components in the specification.