Information for Students

This page provides students at the University of Sheffield with an overview of external examiners, external assessors and independent assessors.

External examiners and external assessors

External examiners are appointed to oversee every programme of study. External examiners are recruited from other universities or from professional practice where applicable and are usually senior members of staff. They are appointed to ensure that:

The University's programmes are developed, delivered and managed well.
Methods of assessment are rigorous, credible and fair.
Our standards of assessment and student performance are comparable with other universities.
Our exam boards are conducted appropriately.

External assessors are appointed to oversee the End Point Assessments (EPAs) for integrated higher and degree apprenticeship programmes only. The external assessor is usually also the same person as the external examiner for the same programme. They are appointed to ensure that:

Apprentices are assessed effectively.
Each EPA is valid and reliable.
The completion, achievement and certification of apprenticeships is credible and reliable.

The fulfilment of these roles allows the University to be sure that its assessment practices work well, that the appropriate grades are awarded and that schools benefit from suggestions for improvement.

Each external examiner/assessor typically performs the role for a maximum of four consecutive years.

What do external examiners/assessors do?

They visit the university at least once a year, and meet with groups of students for feedback on the programme.
They look at and comment on draft assessment papers, including examination questions.
They moderate samples of students’ assessed work, together with a spread of marks awarded for all pieces of the work. If they think that a group of assessments has been harshly or too leniently marked, they may recommend that a whole group of students’ marks are reconsidered.
They comment on the overall standards of work that they sample.
They attend and contribute to examination boards at which important decisions are taken about student progression and the award of degrees.
They produce an annual report of their findings and recommendations for consideration by the University.
They may advise the school on the development of new programmes.

What don't external examiners/assessors do?

They don't have any other associations with the University or any of its staff or students that may constitute a conflict of interest.
They don't deliver or teach on the programme.
They don’t mark work.
They don’t see every piece of assessed work students do.
They don’t recommend changes to individual students’ marks/grades.
They don’t take the final decision regarding grades awarded, although they may make recommendations on the assessment of whole cohorts, which the school is obliged to consider carefully.

How might the work of external examiners/assessors affect me?

The most direct engagement with the external is when you are invited to meet with them during their visits to the University. The external examiners may want to ask you, as a group, how you perceive your course and talk about any particular elements, modules, placements and so on that are a feature of it. Your school should notify you of the dates of external examiner visits and the process for attending. Not all students will meet with the external examiners. Please contact your school directly for more information about these visits.

External examiners do not mark individual pieces of work. Instead, they provide advice on general marking standards, quality of feedback and so on. This advice and any recommendations are then taken into consideration for the future delivery of the programme. External examiners might also be asked by the school to give advice on special cases where a problem has arisen. This is very rare and it is highly unlikely that the examiner will need to meet with the student concerned. The University does not permit external examiners to undertake oral exams of students, for example over borderline degree classifications.

In exceptional cases, the external examiners might raise an issue with the marking of a whole module. In such cases, which are very rare, they will provide advice to the school which the school is then obliged to consider.

External examiners/assessors produce an annual report, which schools should share with Staff-Student Committees, so they are aware of any issues raised and good practice identified, and can ask schools to take appropriate action where necessary. Student representatives can share the issues raised in reports with their student group. Student-Staff Committees should make sure that they have seen external examiners’ reports and ask the school for feedback on any action taken, where appropriate.

In the interests of transparency, schools should publish the names and home institutions of their external examiners on school web pages and/or in student handbooks. You should not contact external examiners or assessors directly and they will not respond should you attempt to do so.

Independent assessors

Independent assessors are appointed to conduct the End Point Assessment (EPA) for integrated and higher degree apprenticeships only. The detailed role of each independent assessor for the relevant apprenticeship standard will be outlined in the EPA plan. Independent assessors are recruited from other universities or professional practice, and possess occupational knowledge, expertise and experience specific to the apprenticeship programme, including current professional registration.

The role of the independent assessor is separate to that of the external examiner/external assessor, so an independent assessor will not be the same person as the external examiner/external assessor.

What do independent assessors do?

They conduct the EPA in line with the EPA plan, including any accommodations for reasonable adjustments.
They make valid assessment and grading decisions during the EPA.
They attend and contribute to examination boards.
They may make recommendations for improvements to the programme.
They attend training and information sessions with the University.

What don't independent assessors do?

They don't have any other associations with the University or any of its staff or students that may constitute a conflict of interest.
They don't perform the role of external examiner or external assessor.
They don't produce an annual report, although they may provide a statement to the examination boards.
They don't develop or deliver of the apprenticeship programme, although they may make recommendations for improvements.

How might the work of the independent assessor affect me?

The work of the independent assessor applies only to apprentices for integrated higher and degree apprenticeships at the University. The independent assessor will conduct and grade the EPA for your apprenticeship programme. The precise nature of their role with regards to your apprenticeship programme will be outlined in the EPA plan. Please contact your school for more details about the role of the independent assessor for your particular apprenticeship programme.

In the interests of transparency, schools should publish the names and home institutions of their independent assessors on web pages and/or in apprentice handbooks. You should not contact independent assessors directly and they will not respond should you attempt to do so.

Contact

For more information about external examiners, external assessors and independent assessors for your programme, please contact your school.