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Some Practical Tips and Guidelines*

For starters, a philosophical note about assessment that serves to underline how important it is for the student:

Many, if not most, of the people you will be dealing with will see their writing as a measure of their own self-worth. (R. Brown)

That is, it is often hard for people to differentiate criticism of their work from criticism of themselves.

Pen Choice

Brown has also suggested that tutors should not use red pens when marking.  ``Green and blue seem to be more calming, whereas red seems to arouse and authors don't need extra arousal when dealing with criticism."

Obviously, the colour you choose must stand out from the student's work.

Written Comments

If the assignment or paper will be returned to the student, the lecturer may ask you to provide written comments.

Feedback and constructive comments are highly appreciated by students.  If you can spare the time to give some, please do so.  Tutors often don't realize the gravity with which such comments are read by the students, so choose your wording carefully! Write legibly and clearly.  Think about what you want to say to the student (and how best to say it) before you put pen to paper.  Do not write anything in a moment of exasperation or frustration.

When marking a lengthy assignment, try to give a written summary as well as marking individual subsections.  Always try and say something positive, especially if you are giving a poor mark.  The fact that you are taking the trouble to address a student personally means that you are affirming them as someone who produces work worthy of close attention.

Marking Schemes

It is the responsibility of the lecturer to give you a marking scheme.  If you don't receive one, ask!

What to Mark

In exams, spelling and grammar mistakes are not normally marked.

In assignments, however, you should draw a student's attention to any facet of their writing that makes their submission hard to read (e.g., glaring spelling mistakes, ambiguous wording, and poor handwriting).  If you encounter a paper that is littered with errors, write a note at the top of the paper listing the most common mistakes.  This is preferable to marking the same error repeatedly throughout the paper.

Allocating Marks

Show clearly where marks have been subtracted, and what the final mark for a paper is.  Traditionally, the final mark for a paper is circled and written on the front page.

It is very important that you note the reason for subtracting marks.  Do not use short written codes to identify the error, unless you're sure the student will understand this code too (they don't have a copy of the marking scheme!).

Marking Consistently

You may find that your marking gets stricter (or more lenient) as your mood changes.  One method of self-checking is to set aside actual examples of good, medium and poor answers.  Refer to them from time to time to confirm that you are maintaining an even standard.  The mark you give can be `scaled' according to these three examples.

If you have to mark more than one question on each paper, it is best to mark all students' answers to one question before proceeding to the next.

Looking out for plagiarism or collusion

You need to be vigilant regarding plagiarism and collusion and encourage follow-up investigation where such misconduct is suspected.  Wherever possible, the lecturer should ensure that marking includes random detailed checking for wrongdoing.

You should not deal with suspected cheating yourself, nor should you turn a blind eye.  Refer it to the lecturer-in-charge, who will follow the School’s policy, mentioned in section 6.10 above.

Feedback on Marking

Tutors almost never get feedback on the standard of their marking.  Lecturers rarely have the time to review marked papers or exams, and students are hesitant about complaining.  Basically, it is left up to you to ensure that your marking is of a high standard: fair, consistent, accurate, and helpful to the student.

If you have any concerns about your marking, you may want to look up the references below, or discuss your concerns with your lecturer.  Take an example of your marking with you.