How to Become an Exam Marker

An exam marker is someone who is employed to assess and mark question papers handed in by students.  This can be from any age group, exam board or institute, such as secondary schools, colleges, universities or even from online courses.

The majority of examiners usually come from a teaching background – whether they’re an ex-teacher or are marking papers as an extra way of making money.  They will also mark papers within their specialised subject to ensure they are knowledgeable and experienced enough in a particular subject.

To become an exam marker you must be:

• Educated to at a first degree level, or the equivalent of.
• Have at least two years previous experience in Higher Education and/or marking for a professional body and assessing.
• From an appropriate professional background.
• Experienced in the area you want to work in.

There will only be certain times of the year when an examiner will be able to work as there are set times when exams take place.  This will usually be around June/July time – particularly if marking for GCSE and A-Level’s.  It’s also important to note that you will not be allowed to work for an institute where you know a student who is taking part in the exam you are to assess.

There are certain skills that will be required of you as an exam marker:

• Organisation – it’s really important to be organised making sure you get a certain amount of papers finished per day will help you to plan how many you need to complete each day.
• Time management – sticking to a strict deadline is essential, you might have as little as three weeks to complete all of your marking.
• Self-discipline, dedication and stamina – making sure you stick to a schedule can be difficult, especially as the majority of the work will be very repetitive.  You may have to sacrifice your weekends as well as your evenings to make sure you complete everything.
• Accurate – though you may be in a rush to get all your question papers finished, you must still take care that you have marked them to the best of your ability.  Your grading will mean a great deal to the student and could affect their future education and career.
• Communication – you will need to make sure that you keep in regular contact with the exam board that you are working for; otherwise they are likely to see you as being unreliable.  After completing a certain amount of papers, you will be required to send them to be checked over before being able to continue.
• Computer literate – you need to be up-to-date with your computer knowledge.  You will have to have access to Microsoft Office as well as a quick and efficient connection to the internet.

Benefits of freelancing

Even as an examiner only working a few times a year, you are classed as self-employed and there are many benefits to freelancing in this way.  You can pick and choose which jobs you want to take on and can work from the comfort of your own home.

The amount that you will be paid for each job will differ with each institute and you will normally be given a certain amount of money per paper.  Each subject will vary in how much you are paid and if having to mark a paper with more lengthy answers, such as with English Literature, this will also result in more money. 

You must also remember that as a freelancer, you must do personal tax returns and still declare your earnings to the Inland Revenue.

Other advantages in becoming a freelance exam marker include:

• Flexibility and time management – you make the decision when and where you want to work
• Job satisfaction and control of your destiny
• Greater tax benefits being a freelancer
• The opportunity to make more money – by freelancing alongside another job, you can often have more income than what you would expect from a full time salary.

By using our Freelancer Calculator you can work out exactly how much you could potentially take home.

Finding work as an exam marker

It is not very likely that being an exam marker can be made into a full-time occupation, there are only certain times of the year that you will be needed and you will have quite a workload in one go so it may be difficult offering your services to more than one place at a time.  However, it is a great way of making extra money in your spare time.   

Though you will need the initial education and qualifications, training will be provided by the examining board that you work for; this will involve agreeing to stick to a specific method of marking etc.

For help and information on finding work as an examiner have a look on:

• University websites.  If looking to become a university examiner, you will find whether they are hiring on their websites.
• The Chartered Institute of Educational Examiners.  This is a professional body created to support those involved in educational assessment.  They offer training and education, news and events and the chance to become a member, which will reinforce your position as a member of the assessment community.
• OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations).  A UK awarding body working with schools, colleges and workplaces.  They concentrate on GCSEs, A-Levels and vocational qualifications – such as OCR Nationals and NVQs.
• AQA.  An educational charity that specialises in GCSEs and A-Levels.  There is a section on the website dedicated to the latest vacancies.