What is it exactly?

Over the last few years awarding bodies have been moving from paper-based marking to marking exam papers onscreen. Specially designed computer software allows the exam marker to view and mark scripts on their home computer and return marks over the internet.

An onscreen marker sees a scanned version of the student's handwritten script on their computer screen. Exam answers are read and judged against the mark scheme as usual, but marks are awarded with a mouse click rather than a red pen.

Will I have to mark onscreen?

All the major awarding bodies use onscreen marking. Edexcel examiners use the ePEN system, while AQA uses e-Marker® and OCR has scoris®. All three systems allow assessors to mark candidates' responses to examination questions onscreen.

Marking onscreen is here and it's working - it's not going away.

Onscreen marking will mean that fewer traditional paper-based markers will be required. If you want to continue marking, sooner or later, you'll have to change to marking onscreen.

Onscreen - what's the difference?

As a traditional marker, scripts for marking arrive by post and then take up space in your house. An onscreen marker requires no extra space - other than that of a computer - scripts or individual questions are encrypted and sent to the markers computer via the internet. The installed awarding body software unencrypts the files and allows the marker to view and mark the scripts on a screen.

Paper-based marking requires a marker to read through and mark one whole exam paper. Onscreen markers may see and mark whole exam papers or just a part of an exam paper - usually marking several hundred answers from different candidates one after the other. This type of marking can take some getting used to.

Onscreen marking also requires subtly different reading skills. To be able to view answers on a computer screen, the original handwritten script is scanned to make a digital image.

Although the scanned image can be enlarged on screen in some fairly rare cases the image is not as clear as the original. Each awarding body uses different scanning techniques. Some result in highly legible answers, while some may seem fuzzier and fainter when viewed on a computer screen. Combined with scruffy handwriting, this can sometimes lead to an onscreen answer being impossible to decipher. In this case you will need to refer to your awarding body for advice.

Will I need to buy a new computer?

If your current computer is less than five years old you should be able to mark onscreen. But if your computer is using Windows 2000, has less than 256MB of RAM and uses a dial-up internet connection, you may need to change your computer and move to a broadband internet service.

Unsure of your computer RAM? Then switch on your computer and double-click 'My Computer' and then click 'View system information'. This will show you all you need to know.

Computers running Windows XP or Vista with a broadband internet connection are recommended. Apple Mac computers cannot be used for online marking at present and if you are now using Windows 7 you should query compatibility with your awarding body.

It can be worth considering the quality and size of your monitor as this is the key piece of hardware that can have a high impact on the quality of the viewed image and also your own health and safety; eye strain can be a particular problem. Awarding bodies will be able to recommend minimum monitor size.

I'm no computer expert

Computers go wrong, it's a fact of life. If you are a computer beginner and unused to dealing with computers or sorting out technical problems, you might consider some training or a short computing course before you mark onscreen. Your awarding body will help you with the skills you need to mark successfully using your computer.

Awarding bodies using onscreen marking offer email and telephone technical support. What they won't provide is a technician that can come around to your house to fix the computer for you. If things go wrong be prepared to seek advice from elsewhere to solve the problem.