External Verifiers

As an External Verifier with OCR, you can:

Increase your professional development

  • Put your knowledge of NVQs into practice.
  • Boost your income.
  • Make a valuable contribution to assessment.

To become an External Verifier you will need:

  • An NQF Level 4/5 qualification or equivalent.
  • Occupational competence in the area in which you wish to apply.

Find out more about Examiners and Moderators in the person and role specification.

If you have any questions, please view the External Verifier FAQs or contact examiner.recruitment@ocr.org.uk.

If you wish to apply to become an External Verifier, please complete the application form.

Download additional information for External Verifiers. (PDF, 42 Kb)

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Person specification

Knowledge and qualifications

Essential

  • Be appropriately qualified to NQF Level 4/5.
  • Have current knowledge of the UK examination system.
  • Have good written and verbal communication skills.
  • Be IT literate.
  • Have knowledge of occupational specialism, current best practice and subject.
  • Have worked in that area within the last 3 years.

Desirable

  • Have current knowledge of the relevant QCA Codes of Practice.
  • Have knowledge of current developments in vocational education and training.
  • Have or be working towards an External Verifier award.

Experience

Essential

  • Have current, relevant experience of competence-based assessment within the occupational sector.

Desirable

  • Have practical experience of competence-based assessment as an assessor.
  • Have practical experience of the delivery of training underpinning competence based programmes.
  • Have practical experience of the management of systems and teams involved in the delivery and/or assessment of competence.

Personal qualities

Essential

  • Be able to make objective judgments.
  • Be able to collaborate with others.
  • Be able to give and receive constructive criticism.
  • Be able to reflect on and evaluate own work.
  • Be able to identify and solve problem.s
  • Be able to work to fixed time scales.

Desirable

  • Be proactive and provide customer care.
  • Be able to negotiate with centres.

Other expressed needs

Essential

  • Have a flexible approach to prioritising workloads.

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Role specification

Verification of Quality Systems and Assessment Processes¹

  • Monitor the quality of assessment by sampling a cross section of candidates' Cumulative Assessment Records and Portfolios of Evidence from a range of Candidates, Assessors and schemes.
  • Monitor the quality of each centre's assessment opportunities and processes with the Centre Coordinator, Internal Verifiers, Assessors, programme team(s) and a sample of candidates.
  • Complete all work to schedule.
  • Submit all necessary reports.
  • Countersign candidate certification records.

Centre liaison¹

  • Provide advice, guidance and support to centres, regarding assessment, schemes and OCR policy and procedures.
  • Visit centre(s).
  • Monitor and encourage CPD within the centre(s.)
  • Negotiate with the centre(s) regarding action points.

Professional development

  • Undertake Verifier training, as required.
  • Attend relevant professional development events as required by OCR.

¹Relevant OCR handbooks, procedures and instructions will be supplied as required.

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External Verifier FAQs

A. It involves visiting centres to ensure accurate and consistent standards of assessment are being met by sampling candidate evidence. The external verifier also confirms that the assessments are conducted by appropriately qualified and occupationally expert assessors and that national standards are being consistently maintained.

A. You must be appropriately qualified to an equivalent of NQF level 4/5 in your occupational specialism, with knowledge of current best practice. You must also be occupationally competent in your area of specialism, having worked in that area within the last 3 years of the date of your application.

A. The application process takes approximately six weeks from receipt of your application. If you have not heard back from OCR within three months, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

A. External verifiers will visit centres 'on demand' throughout the year. Most centres will require 2 visits per year.

A. Yes, you will have to fill in an application. On the OCR application form you will be able to let us know about any other assessment experience that you have.

A. New External Verifiers will be invited to External Verifier Induction Training and following this they will accompany experienced verifiers for two visits before being allocated centres in their own right. You can find more details in the Training section.

As a new External Verifier you will be required to undertake the V2 qualification. OCR will provide the training for this qualification and you will be allocated an assessor you will guide you through the process.

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