Correcting Junior & Leaving Cert Exams

funktastic · 30-10-2008 03:55PM

When do you have to apply to correct? Where to you apply to?

implausible · 30-10-2008 08:19PM

Nead21 wrote: »

you need some knowledge of the curriculum and the way students answer questions when correcting

Not necessarily, they run through the paper and potential answers with you at the marking conference. You only need to be able to mark the paper in front of you. I know of primary teachers who have marked JC hons papers.

spurious · 30-10-2008 10:23PM

funktastic wrote: »

When do you have to apply to correct? Where to you apply to?

You apply to the State Examinations Commission.
The forms generally come into schools round this time of year and I would imagine they have them on their site too.

funktastic · 31-10-2008 09:58PM

Thanks.

EI111 · 04-02-2010 07:00PM

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but I am wondering what the current process for applying to correct exams is. I am a postgrad student, do I have any chance of getting this job this year?

implausible · 04-02-2010 07:11PM

2 posts up, there's has a link to the site.

If there aren't enough examiners you'd have a chance, depending on your subjects, but it's got more popular in the current climate and the official closing date is over.

FlashGordon1969 · 07-02-2010 12:16PM

Applied twice. Backed off twice. I teach in a low academic standards school. Thus, I dont get snowed under with corrections. Therefore the prospect of correcting exams fills me with dread. Though, I would like a shot at correcting a hundred papers as that would help my teaching, but the other side of the coin is that you could end up teaching to the test. Also, I have seen such a wide variety of marking that to my mind consistency of marking is questionable.

Im talking about History and English. I would say with cut backs-many will now apply this year.

implausible · 07-02-2010 06:33PM

FlashGordon1969 wrote: »

I teach in a low academic standards school. Thus, I dont get snowed under with corrections. Therefore the prospect of correcting exams fills me with dread. Though, I would like a shot at correcting a hundred papers as that would help my teaching, but the other side of the coin is that you could end up teaching to the test. Also, I have seen such a wide variety of marking that to my mind consistency of marking is questionable.

If you mark any state exam, your questions about consistency should be answered.

As for 'teaching to the test', marking does focus your teaching somewhat, but it also alerts you to the pitfalls of spending too long on a particular section of the course and can reassure you that what you're doing is right.

If the standards in your school are low, then you would be doing your students a favour by being more knowledgeable about your subject and the exam. I'm in a DEIS school myself and the exams I mark are sometimes a world away from what my students can produce. However, I've also marked abysmal scripts from 'privileged' students, who my students would put to shame.

We can sometimes get very locked into our own teaching and school and forget about the bigger picture. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best inservice you can get (even if it can be torture)!

gaeilgegrinds1 · 07-02-2010 06:59PM

I completely agree with Deemark, taught in both a private school and a DEIS school and does not really make a difference where you teach. It VASTLY improves your teaching as it focuses you in on where the marks are given in my opinion.

FlashGordon1969 · 07-02-2010 07:05PM

deemark wrote: »

If you mark any state exam, your questions about consistency should be answered.

As for 'teaching to the test', marking does focus your teaching somewhat, but it also alerts you to the pitfalls of spending too long on a particular section of the course and can reassure you that what you're doing is right.

If the standards in your school are low, then you would be doing your students a favour by being more knowledgeable about your subject and the exam. I'm in a DEIS school myself and the exams I mark are sometimes a world away from what my students can produce. However, I've also marked abysmal scripts from 'privileged' students, who my students would put to shame.

We can sometimes get very locked into our own teaching and school and forget about the bigger picture. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best inservice you can get (even if it can be torture)!

Im not sure if I understand first line of your reply. Every year all honours papers are sent back to each school. I have found some surprising mistakes in addition and inconsistent marking. However, I would not extrapolate from that ,that the whole system is inconsistent. There is bound to be variances in marking English between two teachers. It cant be helped. It would be a help to do it but Im weak so weak!
Of course many privileged kids probably produce terrible work. I do have a few kids that would easily compete with private school chaps.

Hopw many years have you corrected?

rainbowtrout · 07-02-2010 09:00PM

FlashGordon1969 wrote: »

Im not sure if I understand first line of your reply. Every year all honours papers are sent back to each school. I have found some surprising mistakes in addition and inconsistent marking. However, I would not extrapolate from that ,that the whole system is inconsistent. There is bound to be variances in marking English between two teachers. It cant be helped. It would be a help to do it but Im weak so weak!
Of course many privileged kids probably produce terrible work. I do have a few kids that would easily compete with private school chaps.

Hopw many years have you corrected?

I'd agree with deemark on everything she said, but I'd say in regard to your comment on addition mistakes and inconsistent marking, that human error can come into it. It shouldn't, but it is reality. When you have 400 papers to correct, a mistake here and there is inevitable. I don't think anyone sets out to make a half-assed attempt at it, but there have been days where I have sat for 8 hours correcting, the same answers over and over again and it can be easy to make a slip. There are checks done as you go in terms of addition etc to prevent those mistakes as much as possible, but errors do happen.

I'll be correcting again this summer for the 9th year and it can be torturous but i can see what kind of a standard is out there compared to my own classes, I can see how questions are interpreted at the conference and what type and standard of answer is acceptable and what is not. It doesn't mean I teach rigidly to the exam but there are areas which I might focus on, or answers I wouldn't have considered previously which I would now link in in class. Also because I teach and correct Ag Science and the syllabus was written in 1969, there is a tendancy for topics to appear on the exam that are not on the syllabus strictly speaking and are not mentioned in any book. It's a bit up in the air in that respect, but it's more information I can add to my notes for teaching which is invaluable when there is feck all inservice for the subject.

gaeilgegrinds1 · 07-02-2010 09:05PM

I can't but help promote correcting but I also understand for some it is hell. Quite a few of my friends did it and said never ever again as it was so boring for them. I quite enjoy it but it obviously suits my personal circumstance too. Might be a bit different this year in my current situation but sure we'll see!

implausible · 07-02-2010 09:22PM

FlashGordon1969 wrote: »

Im not sure if I understand first line of your reply. Every year all honours papers are sent back to each school. I have found some surprising mistakes in addition and inconsistent marking. However, I would not extrapolate from that ,that the whole system is inconsistent. There is bound to be variances in marking English between two teachers. It cant be helped. It would be a help to do it but Im weak so weak!
Of course many privileged kids probably produce terrible work. I do have a few kids that would easily compete with private school chaps.

Hopw many years have you corrected?

Sorry, what I meant was that what can seem like inconsistencies usually make perfect sense to someone who has marked. The conference gives you an indepth analysis of the paper and the marking scheme and what initially may look to you like an A essay (for example) in English, turns out to be a B or C because the candidate simply didn't answer the question or misinterpreted the phrasing. What I'm saying is that inconsistencies aren't always just that.

Unfortunately, mistakes in calculation do occur, but most are caught before getting as far as the results system. The system of viewing the scripts is another welcome safeguard in the system. After 4 weeks of solid correcting, you can understand how easy it is for miscalculations to happen.

I've been doing in for 7 years, don't know what I'd do with myself for the summer without it. It isn't easy and I've often felt like firing the whole lot of them out the window, but it's good for me professionally and there's always a hole for the few quid!

implausible · 07-02-2010 09:25PM

gaeilgegrinds1 wrote: »

I quite enjoy it but it obviously suits my personal circumstance too. Might be a bit different this year in my current situation but sure we'll see!

You're not doing them this year??!!:eek: My bundle should be along in May and there's no way I could cope with that AND the papers!

FlashGordon1969 · 08-02-2010 09:37AM

gaeilgegrinds1 wrote: »

I can't but help promote correcting but I also understand for some it is hell. Quite a few of my friends did it and said never ever again as it was so boring for them. I quite enjoy it but it obviously suits my personal circumstance too. Might be a bit different this year in my current situation but sure we'll see!

Correcting reminds me about books-classic books which everyone says they should read but no one really does. Ulysses ! I wish I could bring myself to correct-perhaps I could pay an English corrector to fill me in with insider info?!

gaeilgegrinds1 · 08-02-2010 06:08PM

Yes Deemark I am, why exactly I have no idea!!! I'm doing the orals too and fingers crossed timing will be ok! At this stage I just want it out! As for insider info, it's not about that so much as just understanding exactly what it is is being looked for I think.

Professional Griefer · 12-02-2010 11:38PM

Is the massive number of scripts that they give each examiner not slightly boring, as regards for the students hopes. I know I coulda phrased that better. What I mean is towards the end of say a day of correcting and they come across a student that has the same kinda idea as someone else, would they not mark it differently due to the number of times they've witnessed it? My English teacher claims that this is likely to happen, trying to get us to broaden our essays and ideas. Are the exams double checked? Human error could happen. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm attacking correctors or anything, I was just wondering.
I've got respect for anyone who could sit down and correct the same stuff for ages.

Out of curiosity, what happens if the corrector misses the deadline?

rainbowtrout · 13-02-2010 09:58AM

Ix Deadmau5 wrote: »

Is the massive number of scripts that they give each examiner not slightly boring, as regards for the students hopes. I know I coulda phrased that better. What I mean is towards the end of say a day of correcting and they come across a student that has the same kinda idea as someone else, would they not mark it differently due to the number of times they've witnessed it? My English teacher claims that this is likely to happen, trying to get us to broaden our essays and ideas. Are the exams double checked? Human error could happen. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm attacking correctors or anything, I was just wondering.
I've got respect for anyone who could sit down and correct the same stuff for ages.

Out of curiosity, what happens if the corrector misses the deadline?

No, if it's in the marking scheme they get the marks, if it's not they don't. It's very rigid, it has to be otherwise no exam would be marked fairly.

Human error does happen, of course it does, if you correct that many scripts you're bound to make a mistake. We have to send off a number of scripts to our advising examiners after each 100 we've corrected for double checking.
That's also why the appeals are there.

Also it's not like you have to correct 400 in one day. You might have 5 days to correct 100 papers (starting out anyway), so you have to correct 20 in a day. That isn't totally unlike bringing home a set of tests from a class to correct, but of course there's a lot more work in it and you have to mark to the scheme.

Correctors have deadlines every week, most people stick to them, it's not like you're told 'Have all 400 done by July 31st', there are at least 4 or 5 deadlines along the way. I've missed a deadline because I went to a wedding so I didn't have my 100 finished on the day I was supposed to have them done but I worked for longer that day to get them finished so I could ring my examiner with my result later that night. It happens.

gaeilgegrinds1 · 13-02-2010 06:39PM

I missed a deadline last year but then worked really hard and ended 3 days early. It's really closely monitored, was for me anyway. Certain level of objectivity but not a whole lot. Every 5th one is recorrected the first year, reduces each year.

rehab11 · 05-09-2011 08:28PM

Did anyone here correct this year too?

DOCO12 · 08-09-2011 08:06PM

Hi

I corrected this year. Anyone know when we can expect payment?

rainbowtrout · 08-09-2011 08:29PM

DOCO12 wrote: »

Hi

I corrected this year. Anyone know when we can expect payment?

It was mid to late October last year.

homolumo · 08-09-2011 08:54PM

rainbowtrout wrote: »

It was mid to late October last year.

Yeah same here, never had to wait that long before but I suspect this year will be no different.

rehab11 · 11-09-2011 05:27PM

rang sec and they said the end of this month.

they are processing payment for leaving cert at the moment, junior cert is next. depends on the date that they received your form and what subject

rehab11 · 11-09-2011 05:28PM

rainbowtrout wrote: »

It was mid to late October last year.

What subject?

rainbowtrout · 11-09-2011 05:44PM

rehab11 wrote: »

What subject?

ag science. But they were all late last year, probably due to pension levy being applied to corrections for the first time. I'd also imagine that if the SEC lost any staff through retirement they could be short staffed because of the moratorium on hiring. I'd also guess that they are going through each form with a fine toothcomb and keeping a close eye on expenses claimed - closer than they were before anyway.

rehab11 · 11-09-2011 06:03PM

rainbowtrout wrote: »

ag science. But they were all late last year, probably due to pension levy being applied to corrections for the first time. I'd also imagine that if the SEC lost any staff through retirement they could be short staffed because of the moratorium on hiring. I'd also guess that they are going through each form with a fine toothcomb and keeping a close eye on expenses claimed - closer than they were before anyway.

I see what you mean, thanks for the info. They told me on the phone that it would be the end of the month but I guess I shouldnt get my hopes up!

rainbowtrout · 11-09-2011 06:18PM

rehab11 wrote: »

I see what you mean, thanks for the info. They told me on the phone that it would be the end of the month but I guess I shouldnt get my hopes up!

after last year I'd be delighted if it was the end of this month!

rehab11 · 14-09-2011 03:57PM

rainbowtrout wrote: »

after last year I'd be delighted if it was the end of this month!

friend of mine rang today and was told the end of October...why cant they just give a date!

RealJohn · 14-09-2011 04:37PM

rehab11 wrote: »

rainbowtrout wrote: »

after last year I'd be delighted if it was the end of this month!

friend of mine rang today and was told the end of October...why cant they just give a date!

Because then they'd have to get it done by that date.

Correcting Junior & Leaving Cert Exams

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