How can teachers align their marking decisions?
Marking moderation compares teachers’ judgements of student work against shared criteria. It aims for comparable treatment of comparable quality, rather than giving everyone the same grade. It is particularly relevant to open-ended tasks used across classes. Moderation can occur during task design and marking as well as afterward.
Comparing decisions on work samples
Teachers first review learning goals and criteria, then independently assess anonymised samples representing different performance levels. Discussion should focus on supporting evidence, not scores alone. For an essay, distinguish quality of evidence from fluency of expression. Clarify how unexpected but valid solutions should be recognised. Revise wording and examples if necessary so personal preference does not become an unstated criterion.
Maintaining consistency
During a long marking period, revisit shared samples periodically. Review borderline work and cases producing large disagreements. Moderation does not replace a learner’s opportunity to question an incorrect judgement; the rationale should remain understandable. Agreement between teachers alone does not establish that the task measures the intended skill, so validity needs separate consideration. Brief records can capture revised guidance, illustrative evidence and agreed decisions, helping prevent the same ambiguities in future use.