Protocols for Handling Examination Scripts in Schools
- COLLECTION OF SCRIPTS
- SECURITY OF SCRIPTS
- COPYING OF SCRIPTS
- RETENTION OF SCRIPTS
- ACCESS TO SCRIPTS
- ANNOTATION OF SCRIPTS
COLLECTION OF SCRIPTS
At the conclusion of each examination, candidates' scripts are taken by the invigilators to the Examinations Office where they are logged in and held for collection. Scripts may not be collected by examiners directly from the examination venue. Examiners or other members of staff authorised to collect scripts are required to sign for them and may be asked for proof of identity. Before the commencement of the examination session, all academic staff are notified of the times during which scripts may be collected.
SECURITY OF SCRIPTS
Examiners are responsible for ensuring the security and integrity of scripts in their possession and must inform their Director of Teaching and Learning (Undergraduate) of the location of, and means of access to, any scripts removed from College for the purposes of marking (see also Procedures for the Anonymous Marking of Examination Scripts).
COPYING OF SCRIPTS
Where original scripts are sent to external examiners during the course of the examining process, the Director of Teaching and Learning (Undergraduate) must ensure that a complete copy of all materials dispatched is retained in the school/discipline office.
A copy of all examination materials otherwise dispatched by postal or courier service should be retained by the examiner and be fully receipted by the postal or courier service employed.
RETENTION OF SCRIPTS
All examination materials relevant to the performance of any candidate must be retained by School or discipline offices for thirteen months from the date of the meeting of the Court of Examiners which moderates the marks in question. Such materials will include, not only examination scripts, essays, dissertations, etc., but also any written information directly related to the completion and marking of any assessment exercise written or otherwise performed.
Examination scripts and other completed written assessment materials relating to work done in an earlier year that has not been finally marked and/or moderated should be retained until the work of the final Court of Examiners has been completed. In the case of students going off books, scripts for which the marks have been moderated by the Court of Examiners prior to the student going off books are not normally retained for longer than thirteen months.
ACCESS TO SCRIPTS
Students are entitled to view their examination scripts when discussing their examination and assessment performance with examiners. Each Director of Teaching and Learning (Undergraduate) should provide information to staff and students about the local arrangements for access to scripts.
Under the Freedom of Information Act 1997 (FoI), a student has a right to request access to his or her own records (sections 6 and 7). Such records would include the examination scripts and assessments which have been marked (and annotated) by the internal and external examiners. College must provide a copy of such scripts and assessments if a student makes a request for them under the Freedom of Information Act. Additionally, students have the right (Section 18 of the Act) to a written statement of the reasons for a decision of the College that affected them as individuals. Such decisions would include examination/assessment marks.
Scripts should only be released to students on receipt of a written request from the student containing an original signature. Scripts should not be released to third parties without the written consent of the student containing that student’s original signature.
ANNOTATION OF SCRIPTS
In the context of FoI, any comments, markings or other annotations written on an examination script and any notes made in relation to the examination/assessment other than on the script, may be subject to a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Even if no notes or annotations have been made on the script or anywhere other than on the script, an examiner must still be able to give satisfactory reasons for marks awarded, if requested to do so.
The Senior Lecturer is aware that practices differ between schools and disciplines regarding the annotation of scripts and assessments and the use of double and second marking. However, in order to ensure that the practices followed by examiners are of assistance in complying with the Act, the following general guidelines are suggested.
Any comments, markings or other annotations written on an examination script and any notes made in relation to the examination/assessment other than on the script, should be clear and concise and correspond to the mark(s) awarded as they may be subject to a request under FoI. It may be indicated, in some appropriate way, that the examiner has read all of the script/assessment. The mark awarded for each separate examination question should be clearly noted. If appropriate, depending on how the marking scheme is structured, the mark awarded for each section of each question should be shown. It may be useful to record or highlight significant lacunae, errors, good points and unclear areas on the script as reference points. If requested, under Section 18 of the Act, to give the reasons for a mark/decision, an examiner must be able to give satisfactory reasons, even if no annotations have been made on the script. If an examiner is going to be uncontactable after the publication of the examination results, it would be important for colleagues who will have to deal with any FoI request to have access to a well-annotated script or other notes.
Group requests on examinations/assessments cannot be accommodated under FoI. Students can ask only about their own marks.