Ofqual is taking steps to improve the quality of marking for GCSE and A-level exams in response to increasing rates of grade changes from enquiries about results. Actions include requiring more detailed data from exam boards, overhauling the enquiries and appeals systems, developing standardized quality indicators, researching best practices for mark scheme design, upgrading exam boards' action plans, improving monitoring of markers, and evaluating marker training effectiveness. Changes will be implemented between 2015 and 2017.

1. Ofqual’s work on quality of marking
October 2014

2. Introduction
The proportion of GCSE and A/AS level papers where an EAR was
requested has continually increased:
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
GCSE A level
Total
2011 2012 2013 2014
% of scripts marked that received
an enquiry
% of GCSE and A level papers marked that received an EAR, 2011 - 2014

3. Introduction
There is a similar picture of grade changes resulting from EAR
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
% of GCSE and A level qualification results involved in enquiries that had a grade
change, summer exam series 2011 - 2014
0
2011 2012 2013 2014
% of total qualifications awarded
resulting in a qualification grade
change
GCSE A level

4. Steps we are taking to improve the quality
of marking
1. Analysing this year’s Enquiries About Results data and
requiring more information from exam boards
2. Improving the Enquiries About Results (EAR) and Appeals
system to make it more simple, transparent and fair
3. Developing better ways for exam boards to measure and report
on quality of marking in future
4. Identifying best practice in mark scheme design
5. Requiring exam boards to upgrade action plans on quality of
marking
6. Requiring exam boards to improve their monitoring of markers
as they mark
7. Evaluating the effectiveness of marker training.

5. 1. Analysing this year’s Enquiries About
Results data and requiring more
information from exam boards
Issue
 Provisional data shows increased EAR
requests and more grade changes
 Increased EAR may reflect teacher
anxiety around changes to qualifications
and school performance measures
 Grade changes may reflect small
changes to marks just below a grade
boundary…or may reflect more
significant mark changes
 In more subjective subjects, small mark
changes may reflect legitimate
differences of opinion
 We need to understand whether there
has been deterioration in the quality of
marking this summer
What we’re going to do
 November: exam boards submit final
EAR data to us, including:
 Average size of mark adjustment
for each paper
 Detailed breakdown of the causes
of any grade change
 December: we will publish a report of
the EAR data and analyses provided by
exam boards
 March 2015: deadline for all boards to
have detailed quality of marking action
plans based on their analyses
 Summer 2015: boards must report on
the impact of these plans on the
summer exam series

6. 2. Improving the Enquiries About Results
(EAR) and Appeals system to make it
more simple, transparent and fair
Issue
 Some teachers lack confidence in the
EAR and Appeals system
 The EAR process fails to distinguish
between true marking errors and
legitimate differences of opinion
 Exam boards have varying practice for
the re-standardisation of markers
 The basis upon which exam boards
decide to authorise an extended review
of marking is unclear and creates
suspicion of unfairness
 Teachers don’t think appeal panel
hearings are sufficiently independent of
the exam boards
What we’re going to do
 December: launch consultation on our
proposals to overhaul the EAR and
Appeals system, including:
 All markers to be appropriately re-standardised
 Boards to review and publish their
principles for extending a review of
marking
 Boards to have procedures to
demonstrate how they meet
Appeals’ independence requirement
 Summer 2015: we think some of our
proposals can be put in place ready for
the summer exam series, and the
remainder by summer 2016

7. 3. Developing better ways for exam boards
to measure and report on quality of
marking in future
Issue
 EAR and Appeals data is not a good
indicator of quality of marking
 The current Appeals data lumps
together small mark changes in
subjectively marked subjects and large
mark changes in objectively marked
subjects…the latter are far more
concerning than the former
 There is poor visibility of the quality of
marking. Teachers cannot make
informed choices about exam boards on
the basis of the quality of their marking
What we’re going to do
 Create standardised quality of marking
indicators across exam boards to give a
more accurate picture of marking quality
 Summer 2017: indicators will be in place
for the reformed GCSEs and revised A
levels examined for the first time in 2017

8. 4. Identifying best practice in mark
scheme design
Issue
 Well designed mark schemes are
important determinants of marking
quality, especially in more subjective
subjects
 Levels based mark schemes are often
used in subjects associated with poorer
consistency of marking
 While a lot is known about how to write
levels based mark schemes, there are
still aspects about which there is little
evidence
What we’re going to do
 We are conducting research studies into
levels based mark schemes so we can
require boards to follow best practice
 Summer 2015: we will begin to report
findings from this long term piece of
work

9. 5. Requiring exam boards to upgrade
action plans on quality of marking
Issue
 Before the summer we wrote to exam
boards to check what actions they
were taking in response to the issues
raised in our Quality of Marking report,
published in February 2014
 Exam boards wrote back during the
summer with action plans which we
have reviewed
What we’re going to do
 We have identified the need for more
detailed plans to be produced to
address outstanding areas of concern
raised in our original Quality of
Marking report
 We expect revised action plans to be
with us by early November for
review. We will then monitor their
implementation as part of our regular
audit activity.

10. 6. Requiring exam boards to improve their
monitoring of markers as they mark
Issue
 Over 50,000 markers are involved in
GCSE and A level marking: the vast
majority behave with utmost
professionalism
 But some rogue markers may need to
be weeded out
 Online marking opens the possibility of
marker probity systems: real time
data analysis to identify patterns that
would trigger investigation and action
What we’re going to do
 2015: require exam boards to:
 Tell us how they currently monitor
marker probity
 Consider how they could improve
these systems
 Consider implementing new, more
robust systems
 Summer 2015: some improvements to
marker monitoring will be in place
 Summer 2016: noticeable improvements
to quality control systems will have been
made

11. 7. Evaluating the effectiveness of marker
training
Issue
 Standardisation of markers is
increasingly being carried out online
 Online standardisation has cost and
speed advantages and can be as good
as face-to-face training
 But online standardisation is unpopular
with some markers
 And exam boards vary greatly in how
they deliver it – the quality of online
standardisation is not always as high as
it could be
What we’re going to do
 Conduct an extensive evaluation of the
impact of online standardisation on
marking quality:
 Differences between exam boards
 Where does it work
 Where does it not work, and why
 Audit exam boards’ standardisation
processes in summer 2015
 Carry out a research evaluation of the
impact of online standardisation on
marking quality
 Investigate how boards monitor and
improve their standardisation processes
over time

12. Summary of actions
Action Nov Dec Jan
2015
Feb Mar Summer
2015
Summer
2016
Summer
2017
Exam boards submit detailed EAR data analysis 
We publish our report of the boards’ EAR data and analyses 
We launch consultation on our proposals to overhaul the EAR
and Appeals process

Deadline for boards to have detailed QoM action plans in place 
Boards start reporting on the impact of their QoM plans on the
summer exam series

We audit exam boards’ standardisation processes 
Some improvements to examiner monitoring are in place 
Some reforms to the EAR and Appeals process are in place 
We begin to report findings from our research into levels based
mark schemes

All reforms to EAR and Appeals process are implemented 
Noticeable improvements to exam boards’ quality control
systems are in place

Standardised QoM indicators are in place for reformed GCSEs
and A levels
