Case studies

"I'm developing professionally and personally and I'm helping others do the same."

Rebecca has been an examiner and moderator with OCR for four years.

"Moderating suits me brilliantly" says Rebecca. "I gave up full-time teaching four years ago to move out to the countryside, taking on a farm and 14 horses.  I'm able to fit moderating around my other hobbies and commitments, riding horses in the mornings and moderating coursework in the afternoons."

Rebecca currently works as a Principal Moderator for Citizenship GCSE.  This means that, in addition to moderating candidates' coursework, she supervises other moderators and helps to maintain the standards of qualifications.

"I get the opportunity to support and supervise colleagues and have a positive impact on the assessment of students.  I also have the opportunity to develop my own skills as a professional."

In addition to her Principal Moderator role, Rebecca has just been appointed as a Principal Examiner for GCSE Business Studies and will shortly begin to write question papers for the 2009 examination series.

"In my years as a teacher and examiner, I've helped thousands of people achieve their potential."

Snober has been an examiner for approximately 15 years. She was originally a teacher but took early retirement six years ago.

"Examining informed my teaching practice and showed me the other side of the exam process. I also felt (and still feel) that I was making a positive contribution to education."

Now that she is retired, Snober spends a lot of her time as a volunteer for local charities.

"Since retirement, I have taken up two important voluntary roles in the community" she says. "I am a campaigner for Breast Cancer Care and I also work in the local Asian community, spreading awareness of Women's health issues."

In recognition on her voluntary work, Snober was recently awarded an MBE and described going to Buckingham Palace to receive it as "wonderful".

"I continue to examine because it is a nice thing to fit in around my other roles. It gives me extra money, a sense of independence and always a sense that I'm giving something back to the community."

"I've been teaching Religious Studies for two years and examining for the same amount of time" says Stuart. "I find that it has given me great insight into what's expected of students and has really helped my teaching."

When Stuart was first appointed as an RS examiner, he attended a new examiner training session.

"New examiner training was really useful. I met other new examiners in the same boat as me and we were able to chat about any fears or concerns that we had about examining for the first time. The Principal Examiner and the OCR subject officer were quick to dispel any myths and put us all at ease. We left feeling confident about the marking to come."

Once he started his examining, Stuart found that, if he organises himself, it's not difficult to combine examining with a full time job.

"You definitely need to set aside clear periods of time to focus on your examining. It's an intense few weeks but very 'do-able'. I would say to anyone who is interested don't avoid it through fear of the unknown. Everything is explained very clearly and the support network is excellent."

"Examiners don't have stern faces and red pens, they're people like me."

Lucy is a Team Leader for GCSE Citizenship. She is also Head of Citizenship at a school in London.

"As a Head of Department I've been responsible for helping hundreds of students through their citizenship exams" says Lucy. Examining has been a huge help with this. It's the best way to understand a specification and pass your knowledge on to your students."

Lucy has also gained practical information about the running of examinations which she can apply to her teaching career.

"I run the Citizenship exams in my school with the knowledge I've gained as an examiner. I can pass on marking and standardisation techniques to colleagues at school, ensuring that all marking is accurate. I am able to give advice to and ensure confidence in both the students and the teachers that I work with."

"I contribute to the future of assessment (and to my children's college funds)."

Cheryl has been a Design & Technology examiner and moderator for six years and a teacher for eight. She originally trained as a carpenter, specialising in joinery.

Cheryl started examining when she was on maternity leave with her first child.

"I found that examining was a great way of keeping my hand in with Design & Technology matters while I was on maternity leave" says Cheryl. "It also gave me the opportunity to earn extra money, which was great with the expense of a new baby."

Cheryl's children are now six and four and she has returned to working full time.

"Now as a working mum I find that examining is ideal. It is flexible, so that I can fit it in around family and work commitments."

"I contribute to the future of assessment (and to my children's college fund)."

Gita is an examiner and moderator for Applied Business Studies at GCSE and GCE level. She has been examining and moderating on and off for nearly 13 years.

She is currently on a career break from teaching, looking after her two young children, but she plans to return to work when her youngest child goes to school.

"Examining is perfect for me in my current situation" says Gita. "I find it allows me to keep in touch with the teaching of Business Studies and keep up to date with syllabus changes and requirements. I also have the time to devote to marking and moderating, and the money comes in handy too!"

Gita finds that the level of support and information that she receives as an examiner and moderator helps to make the experience more enjoyable and rewarding.

"The training and support provided is excellent with team leaders, administrative support and subject officers always only a phone call or an email away."