Marking consistency remains stable in England according to new research from Ofqual.

Ofqual’s programme of research into the quality of marking aims to provide further understanding about the marking of GCSEs, AS and A Levels, identify good practice, and suggest ways in which improvements can be made.

“The challenge is to make marking as good as it can be in every subject, in the context of the style of the assessment”, said Sally Collier, the Chief Regulator.

The published reports focus on online standardisation, hard to mark responses, marking versus comparative judgement and marking consistency.

The results of an Ofqual survey of over 18,000 examiners have also been published showing that:

• Survey respondents had an average of 10 years previous examining experience
• More than 99% of respondents were current or former teachers
• The average age of an examiner respondent was 47 years
• 96% of markers and moderators agreed that they were confident in their ability to mark or moderate accurately and reliably.