A Q&A with Debbie Hancock, Head of Assessor Management at OCR
Why should teachers consider becoming an Examiner with OCR?
There are many reasons why someone should consider becoming an Examiner with OCR; it improves your subject and specification knowledge, it allows you to network with other professionals that you can share ideas with, it looks great on your CV and you can make a valuable contribution to the assessment process. Oh, and the extra money definitely comes in handy too.
Is it really possible to combine assessment with full-time teaching?
Absolutely, the vast majority of our Examiners are full-time teachers. However, when speaking to members of our Assessment Specialist community, they all have the same advice for new assessors; “be organised”, “do a little each day” and “keep in contact with your Team Leader”.
What qualities and qualifications are required?
The two most important things to us are that an Assessment Specialist has a degree and relevant expertise within the subject applied for. Ideally, we are looking to recruit teachers. However, if an applicant can demonstrate relevant subject knowledge or experience, we will take this into consideration. When it comes to qualities, we ask for a meticulous approach and, of course, good time management is essential.
How much support do Examiners have access to?
All Examiners undergo a Standardisation process, which explains how to apply the mark scheme consistently to the candidate’s responses. Once assessment has begun, you will be assigned a Team Leader, whom you can contact via telephone or email throughout the marking period for any questions or difficulties with any aspect of your task. We also have an Assessor support line, with staff on hand to resolve any issues you may encounter during assessment.
What are the CPD opportunities?
The extra depth of specification content and assessment process insight really is a great benefit to our Examiners and their employers. This is a theme we regularly identify when asking members of the Assessment Specialist community how assessing with us has benefited them; we even have direct quotes from Examiners who attribute their assessment experience with gaining promotions and recognition within their schools.
To find out more, call 01223 552 558, or email assessor.recruitment@ocr.org.uk.
