Appendix 4
UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
POLICY FOR INTERNAL MODERATION
Preamble
| Moderation is designed to check the reliability of marking. Clear assessment criteria and marking schemes are used to guide markers. | |||
| 1 | All Work except Project/Dissertation | ||
| a) | At all levels and for both coursework and written examinations, the assessment of all work which is first marked as fail or 70%+ shall be moderated. | ||
| In addition a sample size of at least 20% of the total shall be selected for moderation, subject to the following: | |||
| where there are fewer than 12 scripts in total, all scripts shall be selected; | |||
| where there are fewer than 60 scripts in total, a minimum of 12 scripts shall be selected; | |||
| where there are more than 150 scripts in total, normally a maximum of 30 scripts shall be selected; | |||
| the scripts shall be selected in a random manner with at least two being selected from each of the classification bands. | |||
| b) | Form of Moderation | ||
| Faculties shall determine the type of moderation, taking account of the form of the assessment; the subject area; and the level of study. Moderation may either involve double-marking or monitoring. | |||
| Monitoring: A system whereby one person marks an assessment and a second person ‘validates’ the mark and feedback given by the marker. (This may be more appropriate for courses with a technical subject base with a reasonably precise specification of the required answers and marking schemes.) | |||
| Double-Marking: A process whereby two markers mark all of the scripts. The final mark is calculated as the average of the two marks. Faculties/subject areas may determine whether the second marker has sight of the first marker’s marks or not (blind double-marking). In the case of oral examinations and presentations a panel of members may agree a single mark. | |||
| In certain circumstances (e.g. to assist a new member of staff or where poor marking practice has been identified), double-marking may take place rather than monitoring. | |||
| 2 | Projects/Dissertations | ||
| All projects (level 3 undergraduate and postgraduate) shall be double-marked. | |||