Standardization and moderation

Safe in the knowledge that examinations have been held according to common procedures, each script is marked against IB assessment criteria or a markscheme that has been finalized by a team of senior examiners using live scripts from the current examination session. In most subjects it is now common practice for the senior examiners to meet a few days after an examination to mark a sample of scripts and identify any necessary amendments to the markscheme. Candidates inevitably provide acceptable answers that had not been anticipated when the markscheme was written, so it is essential to give credit for such answers. The markscheme is modified before being used by all other examiners for the particular paper.

Marking to a common standard is also achieved by sampling each assistant examiner’s allocation of scripts, having them re-marked by their team leader and making adjustments to marks where appropriate. This process of moderation is applied to all examiners who mark candidates’ scripts (or moderate internal assessment). The assessment director continually monitors the effects of moderation on candidates’ marks and often introduces new procedures to improve the reliability of assessment. All examiners are expected to mark consistently, but occasionally an examiner’s marking may not be consistent. If necessary, the examiner’s whole allocation will be marked again to ensure that candidates receive the correct marks, and ultimately the correct grade for the subject concerned.