Principal Examiner and Content Author for T Levels Science (Core Paper Chemistry) – Fully Remote

Principal Examiner and Content Author for T Levels Science (Core Paper Chemistry)

Principal Examiner Purpose

The Principal Examiner is responsible for ensuring that the standards of an externally assessed unit(s)/module(s)/component(s) are maintained and consistent with the unit specification and assessment criteria. The Principal Examiner should oversee the standardisation of Examiners.

Core Services and Expectations

• Act at all times in a way which will not bring the organisation, its employees and its representatives into disrepute.
• Read all policies and guidance prior to undertaking contracted activities.
• Respect the confidentiality of centres and learners.
• Attend any and all meetings or training sessions provided, relevant to the role, where requested.
• Adhere to deadlines given, ensuring all work is carried out to the best of an individual’s ability.
• Remain respectful and advocate for others to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in a professional manner.
• Have personal IT equipment capable of running the required software, with appropriate protection and a secure email account.
• Communicate with centres in a timely manner when carrying out all designated responsibilities.
• Raise any concerns if suspecting or being made aware of malpractice, maladministration, or safeguarding issues.

Role Specific Services and Expectations (Principal Examiner)

• Ensure the timely delivery of contracted unit(s)/module(s)/component(s).
• Update the mark scheme/guidance before the pre‑standardisation meeting, taking into account actual candidates’ responses and feedback from supervisors/examiners.
• Lead meetings such as pre‑standardisation and standardisation, and participate in others such as appeals against results and post‑series reviews. Represent the organisation at board hearings for examination appeals if requested.
• Select and mark items for validity as agreed at the pre‑standardisation meeting.
• Mark an allocation of live candidates’ responses to quality‑assure as part of a supervisory role, where required.
• Prepare and collate materials for standardisation.
• Support supervisors and examiners.
• Sample supervisors/examiners’ initial marking and backreading responses, as directed, using the appropriate marking system to target backreading and correct specific problems.
• Monitor the progress of supervisors/examiners.
• Review responses for clarification.
• Act as a senior point of escalation across the quality assurance process.
• Provide support across several versions of the paper, including all those introduced previously and any introduced during the contractual period.
• Monitor and report to the assessment team after standardisation and completion of marking, submitting a completed feedback form for each supervisor/examiner as directed.
• Support awarding activities by writing reports to the award committee, recommending grade boundaries, participating in the awarding activities, and other areas where required.
• Complete the Senior Assessment Associate review process, reflecting on own challenges and successes, and attend a follow‑up meeting with the assessment team where required.
• Submit reports on series/candidate performance.
• Provide support and written responses to complaints where required.

Content Author Purpose

The Content Author is responsible for producing error‑free, factually accurate assessments that align with the subject specification.

Core Services and Expectations (Content Author)

• Act at all times in a way which will not bring the organisation, its employees and its representatives into disrepute.
• Read all policies and guidance prior to undertaking contracted activities.
• Respect the confidentiality of centres and learners.
• Attend any and all meetings or training sessions provided, relevant to the role, where requested.
• Adhere to deadlines given, ensuring all work is carried out to the best of an individual’s ability.
• Remain respectful and advocate for others to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in a professional manner.
• Have personal IT equipment capable of running the required software, with appropriate protection and a secure email account.
• Communicate with centres in a timely manner when carrying out all designated responsibilities.
• Raise any concerns if suspecting or being made aware of malpractice, maladministration, or safeguarding issues.

Role Specific Services and Expectations (Content Author)

• Ensure assessment materials comply with the Global Content Policy, fully support accessibility, diversity, equality, and inclusion, and sensitivity guidelines.
• Ensure all applicable assessment materials produced are of high quality and demonstrate sufficient coverage of the assessment criteria as set out in the applicable assessment guidelines.
• Ensure all materials are appropriate to the specific range of ability and will result in good discrimination and differentiation at all levels that it is designed to test.
• Advise on subject specialist matters throughout the production process and provide feedback where necessary.
• Adhere to production schedules and turnaround requests, keeping the organisation informed of availability that could affect deadlines.
• Ensure that, where candidates may choose between questions, any permitted combination of questions provides coverage of a similar balance of content and assessment criteria, where required.
• Produce assessment materials that meet the level of demand, with clear, fit‑for‑purpose questions that are error‑free.
• Provide accurate sources used, and, where applicable, enable the organisation to request copyright permission to use the material.
• Ensure that appropriate graphics, photographs, diagrams or images (where required) are from reputable sources and free from error.
• Ensure that the nature and range of responses required by the mark scheme are appropriate and correct.
• Comply with the demands of the current specification regarding duration of the paper, reading/preparation time, number of questions/items, and all other aspects, and that the rubric is clear and reflects these requirements.
• Ensure that materials do not contain unnecessary repetition of questions and that distractors do not inform the answer to other questions.
• Review, report, and clearly mark up comments and produce revised assessment materials, as and when required, throughout the production process.
• Provide feedback on drafts at each stage and attend sign‑off meetings where required.
• Ensure all associated materials are updated throughout the production process; sign off the final assessment materials.
• Support, review, and agree on modified paper amendments, where requested.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Experience and knowledge of quality assurance and assessment practice.
• History of moderation and/or marking a regulated qualification.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proven ability to provide and coordinate training such as standardisation and other standards‑related activities.
• A comprehensive knowledge of the specification for your specialist sector, including internal and external requirements.
• Provide examples of when you were asked to lead/support essential quality assurance activities.

Desirable Skills

• Leadership experience in delivering qualifications.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance and requirements.
• Report writing within a regulated industry.

Experience

• Excellent communication skills.
• In‑depth knowledge and understanding of the specific content area (e.g., assessments and curriculum development).
• Proven ability to provide and coordinate training.
• Proven track record of leading quality assurance activities.

Qualifications

• A minimum of one full academic year of teaching experience in the relevant subject area/sector within the last eight years and/or extensive knowledge and experience in assessment, quality and processes and national standards within the last five years.
• Relevant CPD evidence in the subject area/sector within the last twelve months.
• A UK‑recognised teaching qualification.

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