Press Release
Date: Wednesday 16 August 2006 (NR/21/06)
Examiners are right on the mark – CCEA praises the unsung heroes of the exams process
As thousands of students await their GCSE results, local exams body, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has praised the 1000s of local teachers who through their work as examiners are the “unsung heroes of the examinations process.
Neil Anderson, Director of Operations at CCEA commented:
“We currently employ more than 3,000 examiners, markers and moderators, taken almost exclusively from the Northern Ireland teaching community. They are the unsung heroes of the examining process, ensuring that students are awarded the grades they deserve and that everyone is treated fairly. On completion of marking this year, almost 1,000 meetings took place involving the professional specialists whose painstaking work determines the grades awarded to candidates in each subject.
A supply of well trained and motivated examiners is vital to the health of the whole examining system. Whilst we are fortunate not to suffer from the shortages of qualified examinations professionals sometimes experienced in England and Wales , we never take the invaluable contribution of our examiners for granted. We know that the dedication, knowledge and experience they provide, is essential for the success of the system.
On behalf of CCEA I want to put on record my thanks to every one of them for the contribution they have made once again in setting, marking and grading almost half a million scripts across our range of qualifications.”
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
