Exam Paper Assessment: Ensuring Fair and Consistent Marking Processes

Introduction: The Question of Fairness

A question frequently asked by students is: “How fair is the marking process for exams?” This concern is particularly relevant in large units with 300+ students, where maintaining marking consistency requires systematic policies and procedures.

This post describes the comprehensive marking process used in university examinations, based on my experience as both a Sessional Lecturer and Teaching Associate since 2016. The process described here applies to paper-based exams, as e-exams have significantly simplified the marking process and reduced human error.

The systematic approach to exam marking ensures consistency across all students

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own and I do not represent the University. I am sharing insights based on my personal experience with the marking process.

The Marking Process Overview

The marking process begins as soon as the teaching team receives the exam papers, typically a few days to a week after the examination. All papers are marked at a single location to ensure consistency across different campuses, including overseas campuses for distance learners.

Team Structure and Question Allocation

For a typical unit with 300 students and 5 teaching associates, the exam questions are divided among the team members. For example, in an “Introduction to Programming” exam with 10 major questions:

• Teaching Associate A - marks questions 1 and 2
• Teaching Associate B - marks questions 3 and 4
• Teaching Associate C - marks questions 5 and 6
• And so on…

This allocation ensures that each question is marked by a single individual, maintaining consistency across all student responses.

The Marking Rubric System

Each question has a detailed marking rubric that outlines:

• The number of marks allocated for each answer component
• Acceptable variations in student responses
• Partial credit criteria for incomplete answers

The marking rubric is developed collaboratively by the exam paper author and the teaching team. If significant changes are made to the rubric during marking, all papers must be remarked to ensure fairness.

Quality Control Measures

Multi-Stage Verification Process

1. Initial Marking: Each question is marked by a single teaching associate
2. Cross-Verification: A different marker checks the mark calculations and transfers
3. Data Entry Verification: Marks are transferred to spreadsheets by a third person
4. Final Audit: Spreadsheet entries are verified against the original papers

Anonymous Marking Protocol

Exam papers are delivered in numbered bundles containing 10-20 papers each. While student IDs are visible, names are not prominently displayed. This creates a level of anonymity that prevents bias, as markers would need to actively look up student names to identify them.

Physical Security Measures

Exam papers are typically kept in secure university facilities rather than taken home by markers. This prevents incidents of lost papers that could require exam resits.

The Marking Workflow

Step 1: Initial Marking

• Each question is marked by a single individual
• Marks are recorded at the bottom of each question
• Accepted answers not in the rubric are discussed with the team

Step 2: Mark Transfer and Verification

• Marks are transferred from question sections to the front page
• A different marker verifies the calculations and transfers
• This step catches calculation errors and transfer mistakes

Step 3: Data Entry and Final Verification

• Marks are entered into Excel/Google Sheets by bundle number
• A different person verifies the spreadsheet entries
• This creates an audit trail of all changes

Step 4: Performance Analysis

The teaching team analyzes question performance to identify:

• Questions where students performed poorly
• Potential flaws in question design
• Inconsistencies in marking approaches

Handling Flawed Questions

When a question is identified as problematic, several approaches may be taken:

Option 1: Question Removal

• The question is removed from the total possible marks
• Students who answered correctly still receive their marks
• Final exam total may be less than 100 marks

Option 2: Bonus Question

• Everyone receives full marks for the question
• Less preferred as it penalizes students who spent time on it

Option 3: Scaling

• Question remains but marks are scaled appropriately
• Used when the question is valid but too difficult

The Remarking Process

Borderline Cases

Students scoring 45-49 marks (near the 50-mark pass threshold) have their papers remarked by:

• The lead teaching associate, or
• The person who prepared the exam paper

Remarking Protocol

• A different colored pen is used to indicate remarking
• The enhanced marking rubric from the initial marking is used
• Remarking rarely results in grade changes due to the systematic approach

Why Grade Changes Are Rare

The structured marking process makes it difficult to award “sympathy marks” because:

• Awarding 1 mark to one student would require remarking all papers for that question
• This ensures fairness across all students
• The process prevents arbitrary grade adjustments

Complete Process Flowchart

Key Principles of Fair Assessment

Consistency Through Single Markers

• Each question is marked by one person for all students
• This ensures consistent application of the marking rubric
• Eliminates inter-marker variation for individual questions

Transparency Through Multiple Checks

• Multiple verification stages catch errors
• Audit trails document all changes
• Cross-verification prevents calculation mistakes

Fairness Through Systematic Processes

• No arbitrary grade adjustments
• All students treated equally
• Clear procedures prevent bias

Conclusion: The Integrity of the Process

The marking processes described here are designed to be fair and consistent. High-achieving students are easily identifiable because their performance is consistently strong across all questions, as all markers agree on the quality of their responses.

The systematic approach means that borderline students rarely experience grade changes during remarking, not because the system is rigid, but because it ensures fairness for all students. Awarding “sympathy marks” would require remarking entire question sets, which would be unfair to other students.

Final Thoughts

Exam marking is treated with the utmost seriousness and respect. The process described here demonstrates how universities maintain academic integrity while ensuring fair assessment of student performance. The key to success lies in following the established procedures consistently.

The answer to whether “good-looking people perform better” is a definitive no—when proper procedures are followed, the examination marking process is fair and consistent for all students, regardless of personal characteristics.

The systematic approach to exam marking ensures that every student receives a fair and consistent assessment of their academic performance.