Frequently Asked Questions

About the roles

Where can I find the University's guidance and procedures for external quality assurance?

Full information is provided in the relevant Code of Practice. 

I have not received an appointment letter. Who should I contact?

All appointments must satisfy the University's criteria for appointment and be approved by the relevant faculty. This process may take some time to conclude. Please contact examiners@sheffield.ac.uk if you are expecting to receive an appointment letter. 

When will I receive an induction?

In your first year as an external examiner for the University you should receive an induction from your recruiting school. If you have not yet had your induction, please contact the school directly. 

I have a problem with my IT access, who should I contact? 

Externals should use their University of Sheffield account to access our documents and services. If you are experiencing IT issues, in the first instance please contact your school who can ensure that you have been granted the relevant permissions and access.  You can also visit Accessing online assessments as an external examiner for further information about how to access University systems.  If issues persist, please contact the IT Service desk: it-servicedesk@sheffield.ac.uk. 

How long is the term of appointment?

The term of appointment for external examiners and assessors is four years, renewed on an annual basis. In exceptional circumstances, a school may request to extend an appointment for one additional year only, subject to faculty approval.

Some of my personal details have changed. What should I do?

If you need to amend any of your personal details which we have on file, such as your name, contact details and bank details, please contact examiners@sheffield.ac.uk as soon as possible. 

Incorrect details may lead to a delay in your fee being paid. 

A student has contacted me as an external to raise a concern about their programme. What should I do?

Students are advised that they should not contact externals directly and that externals will not respond should they attempt to do so. Please pass the details of their query directly to your programme team, who will address the student’s concerns as appropriate and let them know that you are unable to respond personally. 

I wish to resign as an external. Who should I contact?

If you wish to resign before the completion of your four-year term of appointment, please contact examiners@sheffield.ac.uk to provide three months' notice of your resignation. Your resignation will be forwarded to the school in question and a replacement will be appointed. 

Examination boards

Which examination boards should I attend?

As an external, you should attend the meeting of the examination board at which final award recommendations are made, for all programmes which you examine. Externals should prioritise attendance at final examination boards as a key aspect of the role. 

The school may also invite you to attend other examination boards throughout the session. More details are available in the University's Examination board guidance. 

When is the final examination board?

These are the boards at which final award recommendations are made. 

• For undergraduate externals, the final examination board is typically held in May-June.

• For postgraduate externals, the final examination board, at which dissertation results as well as final award recommendations are discussed, is typically held in October-November. 

However, the programmes you examine may operate to a different exam schedule. Examination board schedules are held at a local level. Please contact your school for details of their examination boards. 

What happens if an external examiner/assessor can't attend the final examination board?

Programme externals and external assessors are required to attend the final meeting of the examination board for all programmes to which they assigned. Attendance may be online or in person. If an external is unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, they should let their school know at the earliest opportunity. The school should contact examiners@sheffield.ac.uk as soon as possible to discuss arrangements. 

Subject externals are strongly encouraged to attend the final meeting of the examination board, but are not required to do so provided that:

• they have completed their other duties; and

• they have provided written feedback to the board including the programme external prior to the examination board and the school; and

• a programme external can attend and report on their behalf. 

Reports

The University uses Google Forms for the submission of all external examiner and external assessor reports. We recommend that you are signed in to your University of Sheffield Google account to complete your report. A copy of your completed report will be sent to you upon submission. If you are experiencing difficulties completing the form, please contact examiners@sheffield.ac.uk. 

When should I submit my annual report?

External examiner reports should be submitted within 4 weeks of the date of the final examination board (first sit). For standard UG programmes this means reports should be submitted by the end of July, and for standard PGT programmes by the end of November. 

External assessor reports should be submitted within four weeks of the final EPA for the academic session. 

Independent assessors are not required to submit annual reports. 

How can I view the questions and prepare my answers in advance of completing the online form?

We have provided a Summary of Questions for each online form, for any external wishing to prepare their responses in advance. These can be found on the Report forms page.

Please be reminded that each Summary of Questions contains all sections/questions; however, when you complete the form you will only be asked to complete the sections/questions that are relevant to you based on your answers to certain questions. For example, a subject external will not be asked to answer the questions that are aimed only at programme examiners.

Do I have to complete the online form in one sitting?

No - if you are signed in to a Google account (e.g. your University of Sheffield account), the form will automatically save your responses as you work through the questions, so you can return to your draft report as many times as required before you submit it.

However, if you are not signed in to a Google account, the form cannot save automatically and you will need to complete it in one sitting. You can use the Summary of Questions to help you prepare your answers in advance of completing the form. 

Can I see a preview of my answers before submitting?

Unfortunately, Google Forms does not have this functionality at this time. Instead, you may wish to use the Summary of Questions to prepare your answers in advance of completing the online form. 

Will I get a copy of my response?

Yes - once you press 'Submit' you will be automatically sent a copy of your response to the email address you provided. 

How do I raise a confidential matter?

Reports are shared with student representatives and therefore confidential issues should not be raised in your report. Individual staff and students should not be named, and any identifying details should not be included (for example, specifying a dissertation title). Please raise any such confidential matters by emailing examiners@sheffield.ac.uk.

When/how should a school respond to a report?

The school should contact the external examiner no more than four weeks after the report was submitted, to acknowledge the external's contributions and to outline any proposed actions taken in response to the external's comments and recommendations. This response will typically be in the form of an email sent to the email address held on record for the examiner. 

As part of the University's internal monitoring processes, the school should also complete a response form as circulated by the External Examiners team. The response form should usually be completed no more than four weeks after the report was submitted, and no later than 31 January. 

Fees, expenses and payments

How are fees calculated?

• The external examiner fee is based on student numbers: External Examiner Fee Calculations document. Please refer to your appointment letter for your fee band for this academic session. 

• The external assessor fee is a fixed fee for the academic session. Please refer to your appointment letter for the fee rate for this academic session. 

• The independent assessor fee is based on student numbers. Please refer to your appointment letter for the fee rate for this academic session. 

How do I claim my fee?

Please see the Claim Form page for full details. 

How do I claim my expenses?

Please see the Claim Form page and Expenses page for full details.

What expenses are permitted?

Please see the Expenses page for information about permitted expenses. If in doubt, please contact examiners@sheffield.ac.uk in advance of making any reservations. 

I have a question that is not answered on this page. 

• If your question is about the programmes or modules you are examining, including examination board arrangements, please contact your school.

• If your question is about your personal details or payments, or another aspect of the external examiner role, please contact examiners@sheffield.ac.uk.